We saw the good, the bad and the ugly Saturday in Calgary

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This article was published 25/09/2016 (3299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY — A slow start, an improbable comeback and a heartbreaking ending made for one of the more intriguing games played by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this season.

A 36-34 loss to the Calgary Stampeders Saturday afternoon provided Bombers fans a healthy dose of the good, the bad and the ugly.

With that in mind, here are five takeaways from Saturday’s game:

1. For a second successive week the Bombers showed resiliency late in a game.

Two weeks ago against the Toronto Argonauts, the Bombers erased a 29-19 deficit early in the third quarter, scoring 27 unanswered points in what turned out to be a convincing 46-29 win.

Saturday, it was the Bombers getting blown out after a horrendous first half. Winnipeg trailed 24-0 at one point and by halftime the McMahon Stadium scoreboard read 27-7 for the home side.

The Bombers would find their legs in the final two quarters. Quarterback Matt Nichols put three touchdowns on the board including passing scores to Clarence Denmark and Julian Feoli-Gudino, and one rushing touchdown, his fourth in three games. Linebacker Khalil Bass notched another, returning a fumble to the house early in the fourth quarter.

“I don’t think it tells us anything that we didn’t already know,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said of the late surge. “If we had guys that were going to quit, we would have found that out already and then they wouldn’t be here.”

 

2. When Feoli-Gudino crossed the plane of the end zone with 20 seconds left in the game to give the Bombers their first lead, 34-33, an improbable comeback victory seemed inevitable.

Then this happened…

On first and 10 from their own 29-yard-line, the Stamps had 15 seconds to move the ball into kicking range for a chance to win. They’d reach that range with the next two plays.

Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell found Kamar Jorden for 14 yards, then set up the game-winning boot with a 22-yard toss to Lemar Durant. Kicker Rene Paredes provided the final dagger, hitting from 52 yards to win the game for Calgary on a night he went 5-for-6 on field goal-attempts.

The game-winning kick was the longest kick of the season for Paredes and it was even more impressive considering he was in visible pain on the sidelines earlier, reeling from what is believed to be a pulled muscle in his leg.

3. If the Bombers had come out in the first half and merely played badly, they likely would have won the game. Instead, they played horribly.

The Stamps scored on their first two drives to lead 10-0 after the first quarter. While Mitchell was sustaining drives and putting points on the board — including 17 more in the second quarter — the Bombers were spinning their tires.

“You come out and you make a few mistakes and it just snowballs when you’re playing a good football team,” said Nichols, who suffered his first loss in eight starts since taking over as starting quarterback July 24.

Nichols threw for just 18 yards in the first quarter, and by halftime had mamaged 88 yards. He also tossed a rare interception (only his second in eight games).

With Nichols and the offence unable to stay on the field, the defence was left to fend for themselves. Mitchell looked unstoppable at times as he shredded the Blue secondary with short and deep passes. By halftime, he had completed 16 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns.

“We have to find a way to start faster,” said O’Shea. “I’ve got to do a better job of making sure the practice week goes in such a way that it allows us to start faster.”

4. When running back Timothy Flanders finished with 102 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown in his debut with the Blue and Gold in the win over the Argonauts, many wondered if he could do it again if he got another shot.

Andrew Harris was a last-second scratch against the Argos — a sign suggesting a probable return against the Stamps. When he missed another full week of practice, it became clear Flanders wouldn’t have to wait long for an encore.

Once again he took advantage of the opportunity. Limited to just 11 carries in the game, the 26-year-old rushed for 95 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to put the Bombers on the board. Flanders added six catches for 68 yards.

With Flanders proving to be a capable option at running back, the Bombers should be in no rush to hurry Harris back to the lineup.

 

5. The loss not only snapped the Bombers’ run of seven consecutive wins, it extended their streak of futility at McMahon Stadium. Winnipeg has now lost 14 of its last 15 games in Calgary dating back to 2003, including two this season, and are 3-22 since 1992.

The Bombers were left reeling after the game, struggling to describe how tough it was to swallow missing out on an opportunity to beat the CFL’s best team.

At 11-1-1, the Stamps are likely to finish first in the West Division, meaning if the Bombers are to make it to the Grey Cup they’ll have to pass through Calgary once more this season.

A chance at redemption?

“We definitely sent a message,” said Bombers defensive back Kevin Fogg. “It’s a message that we can compete with them and I believe we will see them again in the playoffs.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.catwitter: @jeffkhamilton