Winning streak required

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This article was published 14/10/2015 (3733 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been a long, strange CFL season.

How strange? Well, how about this: if the CFL season ended today, the 5-10 Winnipeg Blue Bombers would be in the playoffs.

It is a rarity at any level of sport a team with twice as many losses as wins is still a viable playoff contender in the dying days of the regular season.

But such is the strange reality of a 2015 season in which the Bombers, Montreal Alouettes and B.C. Lions are locked in a mortal battle to see which team is the least bad.

Somebody in that beleaguered troika has to advance to the playoffs next month and the Bombers lead that race right now — they have the same number of points in the CFL standings as the Lions (5-9) and Alouettes (5-9), but own the tiebreakers with both teams.

But there are two important caveats. First, both the Lions and Als have a game in hand on the Bombers, meaning Winnipeg no longer controls its own destiny.

Second, if the Bombers are going to advance to the CFL playoffs next month and keep hopes alive of playing at home in the Grey Cup game, they will have to do two things they have yet to accomplish this season — string together wins and beat a team with a winning record.

The Bombers haven’t won two games in a row since July 31, 2014. Seven times since then, the Bombers have won a game. And six times since then, they’ve lost the next one.

Winnipeg can ill afford to follow up last weekend’s gritty win in Vancouver over the Lions with a loss Friday in Ottawa to the Redblacks. If the Bombers are going to neutralize that game-in-hand advantage the Lions and Alouettes enjoy, they’ll to take care of their own business and start posting wins in bunches.

That brings us to Winnipeg’s record against teams with a winning record — 0-8. You read that right — the Bombers have played eight games this season against opponents who currently have a record above .500 and each time they’ve lost.

Indeed, the Bombers would have been eliminated from playoff contention long ago were it not for the fact they have been pretty good against their fellow cellar dwellers. The Bombers boast a 5-2 record against sub-.500 teams (two wins against both Saskatchewan and B.C. and a win over Montreal).

The problem facing the Bombers is their remaining games are against winning teams — a home-and-home series against Ottawa (8-6) before ending the regular season with a game against the Toronto Argonauts (9-5).

Further complicating things for the Bombers is the Alouettes filled a gaping hole just before the trading deadline Wednesday, acquiring quarterback Kevin Glenn from the Saskatchewan Roughriders in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick.

While it’s questionable how quickly Glenn can learn the Als offence — and the clock is ticking, with the Als playing three games in the next 17 days — it’s hard to imagine how Glenn could do any worse than the Als’ injury-depleted QB corps.

Meanwhile, the Lions have life again with QB Travis Lulay back on the active roster and newcomer Jonathon Jennings, who looked like the second coming of Doug Flutie in the first half against Winnipeg Saturday, completing 16 of 18 passes for 307 yards.

The Bombers cannot continue to count on the futility of their opponents if they’re going to reach the post-season.

So what is it about this team’s inability to win two games in a row? Bombers defensive tackle Bryant Turner said he’s not sure what it is, but he knows what it isn’t.

“I don’t think we get fat and sassy,” Turner said. “I just don’t think we’re able to find that same tempo as the game before. Now why is that? If I had that answer we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea said he has no easy answers.

“Winning two in a row has been a mystery for us,” O’Shea said Wedneday following his team’s last full practice before facing the Redblacks. “But we’ll solve it this week.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek