Blue defence needs strong rebound

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/10/2016 (3293 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ 40-26 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos Friday night at Investors Group Field prevented the Blue and Gold from clinching a playoff berth (they also needed the Toronto Argonauts to lose Sunday, which they did). More importantly, it created a tighter race in the West Division, one that will be difficult for the Bombers, as they prepare for a pair of home-and-away series against the B.C. Lions (9-4) and the Ottawa Redblacks (6-6-1) to wrap up the regular season.

Before we look too far ahead, let’s have a peek back with five takeaways from Friday’s loss:

1. The game was a tale of two teams trending in different directions. After a slow start to the season for the defending Grey Cup champions, which they began 2-4, the Eskimos have reeled off two successive wins to improve to 7-7 and are two points behind the Bombers for third spot in the West.

The Bombers’ seven-game winning streak continues to drift into the rear-view mirror with a second consecutive loss. At 8-6, they’re still positioned for their first playoff berth since 2011, but something will have to give as there won’t be another “easy” game this season. Consider: B.C. and Ottawa played Saturday and despite Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris throwing for 485 yards, the Lions won 40-33.

2. When quarterback Matt Nichols hit Weston Dressler in stride for a 49-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the first quarter, it looked as if the Bombers were off to the kind of start they preached about all week leading up to kickoff.

The touchdown came on their second drive of the game, giving the Bombers an early 7-0 lead. It would turn out to be a mirage, however, as Winnipeg went on to score just three more points before halftime and trailed 24-10.

It was the second successive game the Bombers have trailed by at least two scores heading into the second half and the third time in the last four games they have scored 10 or less points.

“We can’t keep doing that,” said defensive back Kevin Fogg. “We can’t always be depending on ourselves to come back. We have to figure out what we have to do to start a game fast and not fall behind.”

In the last two games, the Bombers have been outscored 51-17 in the first half.

3. From stall to stall in the locker room after the game, the overwhelming consensus among players was the Bombers aren’t good enough to be undisciplined.

Winnipeg, which averaged nine penalties through the first 13 games, was called for 15 penalties totalling 166 yards Friday, many of which extended drives for the Eskimos or stalled the Bombers’ momentum.

The biggest penalty issues came on special teams, with the kick-coverage and kick-return units to blame for six flags, including an illegal block from Jesse Briggs that negated a 40-yard punt-return touchdown for Fogg. The score for Fogg, who has had four return scores called back due to penalties this season, would have meant a lead for the Bombers, who instead had to settle for a Justin Medlock field goal.

4. The Bombers’ defence had been a force throughout their two-month win streak, but in the last two losses has been exposed. After Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell finished 29-for-43 passing for 361 yards and two touchdowns last week, Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly picked apart the Bombers’ secondary, completing 84 per cent of his passes for 355 yards and two scores.

When the Eskimos weren’t punishing the Bombers through the air, they toyed with them on the ground. John White, who replaced Shakir Bell at running back after Bell was injured during practice, returned to the lineup for the first time since Week 12. It didn’t take long for White to make his presence felt, rushing for two scores in the first half on his way to a 19-carry, 104-yard performance. He also caught seven passes for 64 yards.

If the Bombers are to make a push down the stretch and into the post-season, it starts with the defence regaining its mojo.

5. Speaking the day before the game, Adarius Bowman’s eyes lit up when asked about playing in Winnipeg. Bowman, a standout receiver in Edmonton, won a Grey Cup with the Eskimos at IGF in November, but it was his time spent here as a Bomber in 2009 and 2010 that had him beaming.

Though left unsaid, it’s more than plausible some of his glee was derived from knowing no matter where he plays the Bombers, he ends up burning his former team. In recent years, Bowman has been a notable Bombers killer.

He continued that dominance Friday, with eight receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown — his 15-yard score gave him a career-high for receiving yards in a season, a number that grew to 1,497 by night’s end.

In three games against the Bombers this season, Bowman has 21 catches for 325 yards.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton