Lions maul Blue and Gold

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/09/2014 (4035 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER — The good news is the Winnipeg Blue Bombers held the B.C. Lions to less than 250 yards rushing at BC Place Saturday night.

And that’s about it for good news, if you’re a Bombers fan.

The Bombers lost both the game and their starting quarterback Saturday night, losing 26-9 to the Lions in a result that put a major dent in the Bombers’ playoff hopes but was actually secondary by night’s end after Bombers starting QB Drew Willy left the game late in the first half with an apparent injury to his right shoulder.

The loss was the third in a row for Winnipeg and dropped the Bombers’ record to 6-6, putting them all alone in last place in the West Division and looking up at the fourth-place Lions who are now clear of the Bombers at 7-4 with a game in hand.

As for Willy, the Bombers would only say he sustained an “upper body injury” when he was slammed to the turf by Lions defensive lineman Khreem Smith in the final minute of the second quarter.

Willy watched the second half from the sideline, wearing his football pants and a long-sleeved shirt. He was visibly favouring his right arm and holding it motionless against his body, but was not wearing a sling.

With the Bombers trailing 15-3 heading into the second half, Willy was replaced by backup Brian Brohm — who has never started a game in the CFL. Brohm finished the night 6-of-13 for 33 yards.

So what about those 250 rushing yards for the Lions?

The subplot coming into the contest was all about the boast from Lions RB Andrew Harris that his team could romp for 250 yards rushing against a Bombers defence that has been porous against the run.

Harris’s prediction rankled the Bombers and the injury-riddled Winnipeg defence took up the challenge, holding the Lions to 163 yards rushing — most of it in garbage time late in the game.

But it all proved to be a sideshow as the key had nothing to do with the Lions rushing game and everything to do with a pair of Bombers miscues that resulted in 12 points for the Lions in the first half.

First, the Lions converted a second-quarter fumble by Bombers running back Nic Grigsby into a field goal.

And then, the Lions put nine more points on the board in the second quarter when an errant snap by Bombers backup long-snapper Carl Fitzgerald went out the back of the Bombers end zone, handing the Lions a safety and then a TD on the drive that followed the ensuing Bombers kickoff.

What’s the big picture?

After opening the regular season 5-1, the Bombers have now gone 1-5 in their last six games and are now back to .500 at 6-6.

What’s more the Bombers have also now lost five of the six games they’ve played this season against West Division opponents — including the last four in a row — a flashing red light for a team who must play West Division teams four times in their final six games this year.

And then there’s this little stat — the 6-6 Bombers will now have to catch a 7-4 Lions team for fourth place in the West Division standings if they’re going to have any chance at making the playoffs.

That’s a lot to ask against a Lions team that under GM Wally Buono always seems to get better after Labour Day, boasting a 53-20 record in the second half of seasons since 2006.

Now what?

Good question. With the Bombers not speaking in detail about Willy’s injury, it’s impossible to know how long he will be out or how long the Bombers will now have to rely on a backup QB tandem of Brian Brohm and Robert Marve, who have the combined total of zero starts in the CFL.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that at least this happened as the Bombers head into a bye week. Plus, when the Bombers do get back on the field, it’s against a pair of East Division opponents in the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Investors Group Field on Sept. 27 and then on the road in Ottawa against the Redblacks on Oct. 3.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek