5 days ago
Heightened sense of urgency for Bombers
TORONTO — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have sloughed off the flurry of inevitable questions all week.
The last time they faced the Toronto Argonauts it ended in heartbreak as the Bombers returned home wearing the title of Canadian Football League runner-ups for the third year in a row while the Argos hoisted the Grey Cup.
Time has passed, wounds have healed and both teams have changed.
The 2025 campaign has already proven to be a beast of its own for both of these squads, as the 3-2 Bombers will square off with the 1-5 Argos in a rematch of last year's championship game at BMO Field on Saturday (6 p.m. CT).
Whether players and coaches will admit it, perhaps that taste of defeat will always linger, but they have made it clear that they aren't interested in revisiting the past. Besides, they have bigger concerns than avenging a loss from eight months ago.
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'I'll think about that game forever, as we always talk about, but not this week,' said Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros.
'I'll think about that game forever, as we always talk about, but not this week,' said Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros.
The offence has sputtered, the defence has been picked apart and the collective has hurt itself more than helped in the last two games.
This ship is swaying, and it needs to find calm waters again.
'The only things that probably creep into my mind are just some of the (defensive) looks that seem similar,' said Zach Collaros. 'The CFL, most of the time there's a lot of turnover, right? There's been a lot of turnover on that defence, so not too many things have fled back into my memory.
'I'll think about that game forever, as we always talk about, but not this week.'
With that as a backdrop, here are the storylines that are burning the hottest leading up to kickoff in the latest edition of Five Storylines.
Before last year, Collaros and Chad Kelly had accounted for the previous three Most Outstanding Player awards, and with the latter missing last year's Grey Cup due to a broken fibula he sustained the week prior, this home-and-home was circled as a big-time game with two of the league's best quarterbacks set to square off.
That won't be happening, though.
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Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly is 'day-to-day, maybe week-to-week'.
Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly is 'day-to-day, maybe week-to-week'.
Toronto's pivot is still working back from his leg injury and is 'day-to-day, maybe week-to-week' as of Friday, according to head coach Ryan Dinwiddie. So, there's a strong chance Kelly also misses the second half of this back-to-back series, which goes next week in Winnipeg.
The Bombers will take every break they can get, and while the on-field product might not be as great without Kelly, Winnipeg is fine with him taking some extra time to return.
With that said, if there was one takeaway from last year's Grey Cup, when Nick Arbuckle was named the game's MOP, it's that no one can be taken lightly.
Dinwiddie and Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea, by all accounts, are two of the best coaches in the Canadian Football League; however, their squads haven't played that way recently.
This is the first time since 1998 that Winnipeg and Toronto have entered a head-to-head meeting while both riding two-game losing streaks.
The Argos have found ways to lose games. They barfed on themselves in Week 7, blowing an 18-point lead in the second half and losing on a touchdown in the dying moments to the Montreal Alouettes.
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'I think the guys on the defence want to play better, obviously,' said Bomber head coach Mike O'Shea.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS FILES
'I think the guys on the defence want to play better, obviously,' said Bomber head coach Mike O'Shea.
Meanwhile, Winnipeg has lost two straight games by 20-plus points for the first time since 2014 while committing several untimely penalties. Collaros and Chris Streveler have combined for six interceptions — three returned for touchdowns — in the last two games, while the Bombers' defence has been used for target practice.
Several players have mentioned that there was a heightened sense of urgency in practice this week and that they are eager to bounce back.
'I think the guys on the defence want to play better, obviously,' said O'Shea. 'They're not happy with the explosions they've given up, the mistakes they've made, the lack of communication in certain plays. They want to be the reason why the team wins. Every phase does right?
'I think the overall idea is just work to play better, and if they have a little more urgency, then that's probably a positive thing.'
The Argos are in desperation mode near the bottom of the East Division standings, while the concern for the Bombers has only grown.
One streak must come to an end.
A good drive doesn't matter unless it ends with points.
It's been the sentiment echoed by leaders of the Bombers' offence all week after the red zone interception thrown by Streveler, intended for Kevens Clercius early in the third quarter of last week's game, ended up being the turning point in the contest.
Mistakes inside the opponent's 20-yard line have been rare for the Bombers this season, as they carry the CFL's No. 1 red zone offence into this contest, converting their opportunities into touchdowns at a 79 per cent clip.
They face an Argos defence that has been respectable in that area, allowing opponents to score on 11 of their 18 trips to the red zone.
Meanwhile, Toronto has the league's No. 2-ranked red zone offence at 73 per cent efficiency. The Bombers' defence has struggled with its back against the wall, allowing its opponents to go eight-for-10 this season.
It's important to note that while Toronto and Winnipeg have enjoyed offensive success in that area, their opportunities have been limited, as their 14 and 13 trips, respectively, rank seventh and eighth in the league.
The Bombers and Argos have been a good bet for a close game when they meet up.
Six of their last seven meetings have been decided in the last three minutes of the game, while the Argos have won the two most recent contests by five points combined.
Winnipeg has also experienced some recent misfortune in The Six.
The club has lost in three of its last four visits to Toronto, and a victory this week for the Argos would extend their regular-season win streak to three games over Winnipeg for the first time in over a decade.
'Yeah, it's something in the water, I guess, here in Toronto,' said Brady Oliveira. 'Seems like we don't have our greatest games out here in Toronto, but hopefully that can change tomorrow night, and we come out here with a great performance. Start fast, play all three phases and come out with the victory.'
NATHAN DENETTE / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira says its critical that the club gets out to a fast start against the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday.
NATHAN DENETTE / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira says its critical that the club gets out to a fast start against the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday.
Earlier this week, Oliveria noted how critical it was that Winnipeg gets out to a fast start on Saturday. It can have a similar effect as a basketball player watching their first shot attempt go through the hoop.
'I think it brings a whole lot of good energy to not just the offence, but the team in general,' he said.
The Bombers did a great job of turning their early possessions into points to begin the season, but have tapered off in recent weeks. A fast start for this club typically means running the ball effectively, and there appears to be a terrific opportunity to do that in this matchup.
The Argos are conceding the third-most rushing yards per game to their opponent (118), while the Bombers — despite their recent drop off — remain home to one of the most potent ground attacks in the league.
Winnipeg has averaged a second-best 123.8 rushing yards per game, while Oliveria has posted an efficient 5.9 yards per carry.
'I think it's contagious,' Oliveira said. 'We've done that before in the past, and we know that feeling, so I think we just have to go out there tomorrow and, again, just start fast and make sure that we finish this time and kind of hold our end of the deal up and make sure we get it done.'
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Joshua Frey-SamReporter
Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.
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