Three phases, three failing grades

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers had no excuse for coming out flat on Thursday night.

After getting punched in the mouth by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Blue and Gold entered a bye week which gave them plenty of time to rest, regroup and prepare for a home date with the Edmonton Elks.

The club was expected to come out flying from the opening kickoff. Instead, it looked half asleep, allowing the Elks to build a 17-0 lead in the second quarter en route to a 23-18 victory for the away team.

“We can’t wait to get punched to start fighting,” said Bombers safety Redha Kramdi.

“We need to bring the fight to them.”

The last time the Bombers lost the first two home games of the season was in 2024, when the team opened the campaign 0-4 before rallying to finish 11-7 and reach the Grey Cup.

Now sitting at 1-2, Winnipeg will try to find its footing before travelling to Hamilton next Sunday for a rematch with the Tiger-Cats (2-1), who are currently on their bye week.

Before shifting our focus to Steeltown, let’s dive into this one with the latest edition of 5 Takeaways.

Nightmare start

Zach Collaros got sacked for an eight-yard loss on the very first play.

Not exactly ideal.

The Elks, meanwhile, couldn’t have scripted a better opening possession. Edmonton moved the chains on the first three plays and superstar running back Justin Rankin capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown run.

The Bombers tried to answer immediately, but running back Brady Oliveira was drilled near the line of scrimmage and fumbled. Edmonton scooped up the loose ball and returned it 93 yards, setting up a field goal to make it 10-0.

Before the opening quarter even ended, Winnipeg hurt itself again when Sergio Castillo uncharacteristically missed a 49-yard field goal. He also misfired from 50 yards in the second quarter.

Three phases. Three failing grades.

A loss in Week 4 isn’t a major deal, but considering the circumstances, it was mind-boggling to see the Bombers look so unprepared early on.

Fumble-itis

Oliveira wasn’t the only Bomber to put the ball on the turf.

The most costly turnover came in the second quarter when rookie tight end Dante Daniels lost control while attempting to hurdle a defender.

The Elks recovered at Winnipeg’s 30-yard line and punched it in five plays later to extend the lead to 17-0.

“I talked to him on the sidelines I’m like, ‘Dude, you’re a big body. You’re 260, lay it on a defender on the sidelines. Mix it up then you can elevate,’” said Oliveira.

“But I thought he responded very well. He was down on himself for a little bit, flushed it, then went out there to continue to make big plays and big blocks for us. That kid’s got a bright future.”

The Bombers turned it over again in the third quarter when Ethan Vibert — called up from the practice roster earlier in the day after veteran guard Patrick Neufeld was ruled out because of a personal matter — missed an assignment, allowing Collaros to be strip-sacked from the blind side.

The turnovers overshadowed what was otherwise a productive offensive performance. Collaros completed 24-of-33 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns, while Oliveira finished with 122 total yards.

O-line woes

Vibert’s mistake was one of several by Winnipeg’s offensive line.

Without Neufeld, the Bombers started Tui Eli at centre and moved rookie Tyler Elsbury to right guard — a combination that looked uncomfortable at times.

While Collaros still put up respectable numbers, he absorbed far too many hits and rarely had much time to operate in the pocket.

The most entertaining play of the night did, however, come courtesy of left guard Gabe Wallace, who picked up a Collaros fumble on the game’s final drive and channeled his inner William “The Refrigerator” Perry by rumbling forward for a three-yard gain. Wallace, at six-foot-seven and 327 pounds, is the largest player on the roster.

Improved defence, but…

Despite the disastrous start, this was easily the Bombers’ best defensive performance of the season.

Following Collaros’ turnover in the third, the club got the ball right back two plays later when dime back Michael Griffin forced Rankin to fumble.

After giving up 95 rushing yards to Rankin in the first half, the Bombers held him to just 11 after halftime.

The defence also came up with a huge goal-line stand in the second quarter, stopping receiver T.J. Luther inches short of the end zone on third down.

But for the third straight week, when Winnipeg needed one final stop, the defence couldn’t deliver.

The Bombers took the team’s first lead of the night when Oliveira scored with eight minutes remaining to make it 18-17.

Then, with just over three minutes to play, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo engineered a 10-play touchdown drive that ended with Luther hauling in the game-winning score.

Winnipeg got the ball back with 46 seconds remaining and drove to Edmonton’s 11-yard line. Curiously, on the last play, Collaros threw well short of the end zone despite starting the snap at the Edmonton 33.

“Our coaches are amazing. We just need to execute to be better — it’s not on them, it’s on us,” said Bombers safety Redha Kramdi.

“We will be better.”

The defence undoubtedly showed signs of life for the first time this season, but it’s difficult to feel encouraged given how the game ended. The Bombers also lost standout defensive lineman Jake Ceresna to an injury in the third quarter.

Elks are for real

It will take more than three outings to wash away the stink on an Edmonton franchise that hasn’t posted a winning record since 2017.

That said, this 2026 edition doesn’t look like the same old Elks.

Back-to-back wins over Montreal and Winnipeg have the club sitting at 3-0 — with the team suddenly emerging as a force the CFL needs to take seriously.

“There’s been a narrative about this organization over the last six years and all I want to do and what these guys want to do is change that narrative,” said Fajardo.

Dating back to last season, the Elks have now won two straight against Winnipeg after previously dropping 13 consecutive meetings between the West Division foes.

Even though Edmonton allowed the Bombers back into the game late, the club settled down and found a way to get the job done.

“We’re not playing our best ball all throughout four quarters but what we are doing is, we’re playing our best ball at critical times and when you do that, you’re going to win more games than you’re going to lose,” said Fajardo.

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