Enlarge Image

Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Glenn January tries to defend as Edmonton Eskimos' Julius Williams sacks Bombers quarterback Alex Brink during the second quarter in Edmonton Friday. (JOHN ULAN / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Related Items

1. Articles

   • Blue Bombers axe Green, Matechuk and Yenga
   • Bombers cut Green, Yenga, Matechuk

EDMONTON — There will be no lipstick application on the pig, no polishing of the ‘you-know-what’ after this one.

What else is one supposed to say after watching the Blue Bombers –steadfast in their belief that their winless mark coming into Commonwealth Stadium was merely an aberration and not a reality – get treated to an old-fashioned western-style beatdown by the Edmonton Eskimos Friday night?

The final score: Edmonton 42, Winnipeg 10.

The Bombers drop to 0-3 on this season-opening road trip and is now looking at a short week before taking on the Toronto Argonauts Wednesday night (the Argos play in Hamilton this evening). The last time Winnipeg started the season oh-for-three was in 2008, when they started the season 0-4 en route to an 8-10 record.

Oddly enough, the Bombers were coming off a Grey Cup appearance that year, too.

Things were so bad against the Eskimos in the first half – the 30 minutes where the Bombers turned the ball over four times that led to 18 home points – that a foot injury to starting quarterback Buck Pierce turned into an afterthought as the home side piled on the points.

More on that quarterback crisis in moment, first, let’s walk through a first half against an Eskimos team that scored a total of ONE POINT against the Saskatchewan Roughriders last weekend:

The bad starts for Winnipeg in 2012 continued when Clint Kent – the former Bombers linebacker who was dumped by the team after training camp – picked up a Demond Washington fumble on the Bombers 29-yard line and ran it back into the endzone midway through the first quarter.

Already down 10-0, the Eskimos started to separate themselves from the Bombers when quarterback Steven Jyles hit receiver Cary Koch for a 33-yard touchdown pass two minutes into the second half.

It was Edmonton’s first touchdown on offence in seven quarters and Jyles – the former Bombers quarterback – first passing touchdown of the season. The Green and Gold, now in complete control of the game with Winnipeg not being able to muster anything on any side of the ball, made it 24-0 when linebacker T.J Hill intercepted Bombers backup Alex Brink and ran it back for a 32-yard touchdown.

Brink was looking for receiver Rory Klohert but threw it right to Hill, who marched in untouched for the pick-six.

The Bombers turned the ball over yet again in the first half when running back Bloi-Dei Dorzon was held up at the line of scrimmage and stripped of the ball by Edmonton linebacker Damaso Munoz. The fumble was recovered by linebacker JC Sherritt, and ultimately turned into a single point by Shaw (he missed a 32-yard field goal).

Edmonton (2-1) kicked later punched through a 24-yard field goal to push the lead to 28-zip, before rookie Canadian receiver Shamawd Chambers pulled down a four-yard TD pass from Eskimos backup Kerry Joseph to make it 35-zip at the half.

The Bombers’ five turnovers surpassed the total amount they had in the first two games, a disturbing trend to a start of the season that has been full of disturbing trends.

As for Pierce, he was injured with three minutes left in the first quarter, when defensive tackle Ted Laurent grabbed him by the ankles for a six-yard loss on the second down play. Pierce, 3-for-5 for 61 yards and one interception in his short appearance, was immediately attended to on the Bombers sideline, his left shoe off and an ice bag on his foot.

The club called it a "left foot injury" after the game.

It’s the second time in three weeks the 30-year-old starter has been unable to finish a game this season and the 22nd time he’s left a game in 58 starts during his eight-year career.

Brink also left the game in the fourth quarter after he was steam-rolled by Sherritt on a run. He got up woozy and left the field under his own power. He finished 8-of-18 for 75 yards and a pick.

As for the Bombers scoring?

Winnipeg kicker Justin Palardy put the Bombers on the board with a 46-yard field goal at the end of the third quarter, before third-string QB Joey Elliott found receiver Chris Matthews for a 72-yard touchdown pass less than a minute into the fourth.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @wazoowazny