Blue Bombers’ slide continues, fall to 0-4

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This article was published 29/06/2024 (480 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY — It’s gone from bad to worse for the Blue and Gold. And not even a gutsy comeback to force extra time can change the harsh reality currently facing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Entering the game in a 0-3 hole to start the season for the first time in more than a decade, and with an injury list a mile long, the Bombers got another heavy dose of bad news beyond losing 22-19 in overtime to the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium Saturday night.

While dropping to 0-4 certainly stings, the worst for the Bombers came well before the final whistle.

Quarterback Zach Collaros suffered a heavy hit to the midsection by Stampeders defensive lineman Josiah Coatney just before halftime, and although Collaros would return for a couple of plays, he was eventually ruled out of the game during the break.

There was no update provided by head coach Mike O’Shea, who said keeping Collaros out for the final two quarters was precautionary.

Collaros remained on the sidelines, where he was actively supporting Chris Streveler as he led the Bombers to a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback. Collaros left the game having completed eight of his 12 passes for just 55 yards and an interception.

“Zach’s the best quarterback in the league and when you lose a guy like that, obviously it’s going to be tough,” Bombers running back Brady Oliveira told the Free Press.

“We’ve faced a ton of adversity this year already. We talked about it earlier in the week and we just got to face the adversity head-on until we’ve overcome it. I thought Streveler came in and did an incredible job.”

Down 18-9 with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Sergio Castillo made it a one-score game after booting a 60-yard field goal.

The kick goes down as the second longest field goal in CFL history and the longest ever for a Bomber.

That set the stage for Streveler, who would orchestrate an eight-play, 79-yard drive that was capped off with a 16-yard touchdown to Drew Wolitarsky.

It was the first passing touchdown for the Bombers this season.

Castillo’s one-point convert evened the game 19-19 with 30 seconds remaining, with the Stampeders happy to drain the clock from there and force extra time.

Streveler, who finished 14-for-24 passing for 170 yards and the lone score, wasn’t able to summon the same magic in OT. He got Winnipeg as far as Calgary’s 16-yard line, but facing second-and-10, his pass up the middle to the end zone missed receiver Nic Demski and fell into the waiting arms of Demerio Houston.

Houston spent three years with the Bombers before signing a two-year deal with the Stampeders, and it was his first game against his former team. He had predicted before the game he’d get at least one interception. He now has two interceptions in three games after leading the CFL with seven last year.

Stampeders kicker Rene Parades then sealed the game with a 52-yard field goal, his fourth and longest of the game.

“We put a drive together when we needed to in the fourth, we just have to find a way to get it done,” said Streveler. “It’s a play here and there and that’s how the last three games have been and it’s frustrating. It’s frustrating but we’re going to take ownership of this, we’re going to have a good week of preparation next week and we’re going to keep fighting.”

It was a defensive battle for much of the night, with neither side able to get things going on offence. Both clubs struggled to generate much of an attack, with the Stampeders narrowly edging the Bombers, 307 to 297, in offensive yards.

The Bombers were without their two top receivers in Kenny Lawler (broken arm) and Dalton Schoen, who will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Winnipeg had three rookie receivers starting, with Ontaria Wilson, Jeremy Murphy and Josh Johnson combining for 59 yards.

Demski led all Bombers receivers with 54 yards on six catches, while Oliveira rushed 10 times for 26 yards, adding another 37 yards on five catches. Winnipeg had three turnovers in the game, including a pair of interceptions and a turnover on downs after Oliveira came up one yard short on a third-and-nine gamble late in the fourth quarter. The Stampeders had two turnovers.

The Bombers also shot themselves in the foot with some uncharacteristic penalties, especially near the end of the game. Winnipeg finished with eight penalties totalling 60 yards, while Calgary had three for 40 yards.

“Just too many mistakes to win that tight one,” said O’Shea. “We put ourselves in a bit of a bind a few times. Defensively, we cleaned up the explosion plays. We probably could have taken the ball away a little more than we did, so we didn’t make those big plays, but I thought our defence held them in check pretty damn good.”

Credit to the Bombers defence for rebounding from a poor performance in Week 3 against the B.C. Lions, where they surrendered nearly 400 passing yards and 500 yards of total offence.

The defence is still without several starters, especially on the defensive line, so it was impressive they were able to keep the Bombers in the game for much of the night.

Stampeders quarterback Jake Maier entered the night completing close to 80 per cent of his passes through his first two games.

On Saturday, Maier attempted 43 passes, completing 28 or 65 per cent, for 239 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He connected with Marken Michel in the end zone from six yards out, the touchdown giving Calgary an 18-9 edge early in the fourth frame.

“We still didn’t do enough to win,” said Bombers safety Brandon Alexander. “It’s frustrating because it feels like it’s been one play and if we could have made that one play it would have been different.”

The Bombers head back to Winnipeg to prepare for a Week 5 match-up against the visiting Ottawa Redblacks. The Bombers fell 23-19 to Redblacks in Week 2.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton