Five takeaways from the Bombers scrappy win over the Argos Thursday

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This article was published 14/07/2017 (3008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A scrappy effort by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers led to a 33-25 win over the visiting Toronto Argonauts Thursday night at Investors Group Field. The victory improved the Bombers’ record to 2-1 and helped ease some of the doubt that had crept in after two inconsistent outings to start the 2017 CFL season.

The Bombers return to practice on Monday, in preparation for a Week 5 tilt against the B.C. Lions at BC Place. But before we look too far ahead, here are five takeaways from the win against the Argonauts.

 

ON THE RUN

During an interview with Andrew Harris earlier this week, the Bombers’ starting running back said he felt productive through the first two games but admitted he needed to improve in the run game. Harris was averaging nearly 100 yards of offence but less than half of that was coming in the ground attack. A combined 89 rushing yards in two games, he said, wasn’t good enough. So he vowed to be better, noting that by establishing a ground game, it would allow other areas of the offence to reach its potential.

Harris would deliver on his promise to bring rushing game back to life, with an effort against the Argos that had him providing the pulse for the offence all night. He rushed for his first two touchdowns of the season — on runs of four and two yards — and finished the night with 81 yards on 17 carries. Harris scampered for a number of big runs that put the Bombers in manageable yardage situations on second down, breaking tackles at times when it appeared he could go no farther.

Just how important has it been to give Harris the ball? Consider this: dating back to last season, the Bombers are now 7-1 when Harris gets at least 13 touches in a game.

 

NO FLASH… BUT FEW MISTAKES

Matt Nichols’ final numbers won’t have anyone singing his praises this week. The Bombers quarterback had another slow start, registering just 11 passing yards and one first down in the opening quarter. By the end of the night, Nichols had completed j55 per cent of his throws for 228 yards, with his longest play travelling 39 yards to Weston Dressler (Dressler paced all Bombers receivers with seven catches for 109 yards, bringing his average to 103 yards through three games).

But although he lacked flash, it’s what Nichols didn’t register that had perhaps his greatest impact on the game. Nichols, coming off a loss to the Stampeders last week where he threw two costly interceptions, was near perfect in his decision-making against the Argonauts. He still overthrew a number of long balls but made up for it with his responsible play and zero interceptions. Nichols looked comfortable in the pocket, aided by an offensive line that kept Toronto from registering a single sack. It was an impressive feat made even more remarkable by the fact the Argonauts had recorded a league-leading 14 sacks — double that of any other team — through the first three weeks.

Nichols hadn’t played well late in the first two games but against the Argonauts he saved some of his best work for the fourth quarter. Holding onto a slim lead, he orchestrated two lengthy drives — for a combined 18 plays, 119 yards and 8:45 of clock time — that led to a pair of Justin Medlock field goals. More importantly, he kept a dangerous Ricky Ray-led Argonauts offence off the field and kept his defence rested.

 

D DOES IT AGAIN

The CFL has implemented a number of rule changes over the past few years, all of which are aimed at increasing offence. Still, it was a Bombers defence that shut down the league’s most prolific unit Thursday that ultimately led to the victory.

Ray was averaging close to 400 passing yards per game heading into Thursday, and with the absence of linebacker Ian Wild and a duo of rookies in Roc Carmichael and Brandon Alexander covering the field side of the secondary, there was little to suggest Ray wouldn’t maintain his current pace. The veteran pivot still put up respectable numbers in the first half — 17-for-25 passing for 243 yards — but not once was he able to find the end zone, though three dropped passes didn’t help his cause.

The Bombers completely shut the door in the second half, limiting the Argonauts to just three points. Winnipeg was also able to get pressure on Ray, who was flustered for much of the final 30 minutes. He had a mere 31 passing yards in the third quarter and just 87 in the second half. With the Bombers offence able to sustain drives down the final stretch, a well-rested defence stood tall on the final two attempts for an Argonauts’ comeback. A T.J. Heath interception — his league-leading fourth — put a final stamp on the game, bringing the offence back on the field one last time to kneel out what little time was left on the clock.

 

KICKERS PERFECT, BOMBERS COVERAGE NOT SO MUCH

The Bombers’ night on special teams couldn’t have started much better, with Ryan Lankford returning the opening kickoff 105 yards to give Winnipeg an early 7-0 lead. It was mostly downhill from there, however, particularly for the cover team.

Martese Jackson ran rampant on the Bombers, ending the night with a eye-popping 339 return yards and one touchdown, with another ne called back on a highly questionable penalty. If he didn’t find the end zone, Jackson gave the Argonauts offence great field position. When they couldn’t take advantage, it was Argonauts kicker Lirim Hajrullahu who made sure points were added to the board. The former Bomber accounted for 18 of Toronto’s 25 points, finishing a perfect 6-for-6 on field-goal attempts.

Not to be outdone, Justin Medlock was also perfect on all four of his kicks. His most impressive came late in the second quarter, when Medlock split the uprights from 55 yards out. Medlock has now hit 30 straight field goals in the regular season, dating back to last year.

 

MAJOR D’OH! COSTS FAN MAJOR DOUGH

It wasn’t long after the final whistle that the hash tag “#WhatAboutKaren” began trending nationwide. The attention was in support of Karen Kuldys, a Bombers fan who had been robbed of a million-dollar payout following a botched illegal contact call by officials on an Argonauts kickoff return touchdown.

Kuldys was part of Safeway and Sobey’s Touchdown To Win promotion that promises a $1-million prize in the event two kickoffs are returned for a touchdown in the same game. Lankford got Kuldys to the halfway mark just seconds into the game with his return touchdown, and the life-changing moment appeared to be completed a quarter later. Jackson, who had already returned a punt for a TD earlier in the game, scampered 109 yards to the Bombers’ end zone.

But a penalty flag was thrown and the touchdown negated. To make matters worse, upon replay it showed Llevi Noel didn’t actually touch the Bombers’ Mike Miller on the play; Miller lost his footing on his own. From there, a storm of criticism flooded social media, with many feeling the league should do something to ease the pain of their mistake.

The CFL took notice and on Friday announced Kuldys would receive — along with a $25,000 entertainment package, which is awarded for a single touchdown — an invite to the 105th Grey Cup in Ottawa as a VIP guest of the league. Safeway and Sobey’s also got involved, providing Kuldys with a free year of groceries, while the Bombers have committed to season tickets for this year and next.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton