Bombers high-tempo offence impressive in win over Esks

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This article was published 18/08/2017 (2957 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nursing a seven-point lead with 5:36 left in the game Thursday night, Matt Nichols knew he needed a little more.

“Everyone understands what the situation is,” said the Winnipeg quarterback after the Blue Bombers closed out a 33-26 win over the previously unbeaten Edmonton Eskimos at Investors Group Field. “… And we felt we wanted to go down there and give us more than the touchdown lead that we had. We had a couple of big second-and-long conversions and we ran the ball well, took off a lot of time, put up three points to give us a 10-point lead late in the game. So, we did exactly what we wanted to do on that drive and those are the kind of drives that win football games.”

Nichols, who equalled a career high with 390 passing yards, directed his offence on a 10-play, 52-yard drive that sliced 4:12 off the clock and ended with a 33-yard Justin Medlock field goal.

The drive included a crucial too many men penalty by an exhausted Eskimos defence (their fourth of the game) and a 12-yard run by Andrew Harris, putting the Winnipeg running back over the century mark in rushing. Though the Bombers stalled on the Eskimos’ 26-yard line, the damage was done.

The visitors paid a heavy price for the Blue Bombers’ rapid-fire tempo offence, which they often employ after a first down. The quick play-calls had Edmonton defenders on their heels, often with the wrong personnel on the field.

“With that tempo offence, everybody’s gotta be in shape – even the offensive line,” said Winnipeg left tackle Travis Bond. “I mean, it’s tough on all of us. I love it because I ran it in college. To keep pressing the issue like that is a good thing for us.”

Nichols, meanwhile, was in his comfort zone, completing 32 of 40 passes.

“We felt like we’re a very well-conditioned offence,” said Nichols of the tempo offence. “We practise those things a lot, so it’s easy for us. It’s very difficult on defences. In order to do that, though, you have to string drives together.”

Harris finished the game with 105 yards on 11 carries but he also collected 120 yards through the air on eight receptions.

“It seemed like every time I’m standing back there I’m watching Andrew running down the field, breaking tackles so he’s a difference-maker for us and the guy’s been one of the best, if not the best for the last number of years,” said Nichols.

Winnipeg’s 170 rushing yards was a season high. The Bombers also finished with 38 first downs.

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“We’ve still got a lot to prove,” said Bond. “You know, we left a lot of mistakes out there, a lot of points. At the end of the day, we want to learn from it and keep going and get some more wins.

“It shows a lot of who we are, with our identity. We’re going to come out pressing the issue, moving the ball. Thirty-eight first downs, that’s a lot. It might be a record or something. I didn’t know we had that many but I mean once we move that ball and move that line of scrimmage, it opens up things for passing yards. Everything just opened up and we just want to keep that going.”

Winnipeg, now 6-2 and two points behind 7-1 Edmonton in the West Division, now heads to Montreal for a Week 10 matchup with the Alouettes.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14