Nichols a question mark

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This article was published 09/10/2017 (2946 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Bombers had been near perfect at home in recent months, reeling off five consecutive victories at Investors Group Field – games in which they never trailed. On Friday, they snapped that streak, losing to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a game in which they never had the lead.

“They punched us in the mouth and we couldn’t respond to it,” Andrew Harris would say after the game.

The result was a 30-13 loss a Ticats club that has managed to keep their slim playoff hope alive with the victory, improving to 4-10. The Bombers dropped to 10-4 and need two victories to ensure a home playoff game.

With that, here are five takeaways from Friday’s game:

1) By the end of the first half, the Bombers had lost three players to injury, including two prominent starters. But while the loss of running back Timothy Flanders, whose emergence in recent weeks included jumping from the practice roster to the starting lineup, will sting, it’s hard to imagine what the team will look like without No.1 quarterback Matt Nichols.

Nichols took a crushing hit late in the first quarter that injured his throwing hand. On the play, Adrian Tracy drove Nichols, who had been stripped of the ball just before, hard to the ground. Nichols could be seen on the sidelines in obvious discomfort, holding his wrist. Surrounded by the team’s medical staff, he tested his hand, working through a throbbing right ring finger by tossing the ball. He retuned to the game, leading the Bombers to a touchdown drive that ended with a four-yard pass to Flanders.

But another big blow – this time from Hamilton’s Justin Capicciotti with fewer than four minutes to go in the second quarter – would eventually spell the end of Nichols, who finished the game 14 of 18 for 158 yards, one touchdown and an interception. The interception came on Nichols final play of the half, coming with just seconds remaining and the Bombers in scoring position.

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea didn’t offer an update on Nichols, nor would he speculate on what his loss might mean for his team’s future. Flanders’ ailment is still unknown as well, while defensive end Trent Corney left with an apparent ankle injury. He was seen wearing a walking boot on his left leg as he exited IGF.

2) Though O’Shea refused to entertain the question of what life might look like without Nichols, what was clear Friday is that the offence looks much weaker when run by Dominique Davis. Davis replaced Nichols in the second half, finishing the game a mediocre nine-for-14 for 84 yards, as the Bombers were outscored 14-3 in the final two quarters.

It was the first bit of meaningful playing time for Davis, who, besides attempting three passes late in a Week 14 game against the Ottawa Redblacks, had not taken a single snap since the final game of the 2015 season. Given that, it’s unfair to give up complete confidence in the 28-year-old. But with the game still in reach at 16-10 when he took over, Davis did little to inspire that he’s a viable backup plan.

While it’s imperative that the Bombers see what they have in Davis, the thought that he would step in before Dan LeFevour if Nichols can’t go this week against the Lions seems farfetched. O’Shea has called Davis the team’s second QB on the depth chart when asked earlier in the year, but it’s his third-stringer in LeFevour that gives Winnipeg the best shot of winning right now. LeFevour has been effective in short-yardage plays for the Blue and Gold, rushing for four touchdowns and though he hasn’t thrown for many passes in 2017 – he’s three of five for 38 yards – he does have significantly more experience than Davis.

LeFevour is in his sixth CFL season and has started seven games, including three last year with the Toronto Argonauts. The 30-year-old has passed for 2,449 yards on 317 attempts, registering 12 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 778 yards on 146 carries.

3) With four games remaining in the regular season, the Bombers are second in the West Division – four points up on the Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-6) and Edmonton Eskimos (8-6), and eight better than the B.C. Lions (6-8). While the Bombers should be able to maintain their current position in the standings as long as Nichols’ injury isn’t too severe – they also own the tie-breaker against the Riders and Esks – what’s harder to imagine is whether they can catch the Calgary Stampeders, who, at 12-1-1, are atop the division.

The Stamps were off on the bye this week and don’t appear susceptible to a letdown when they return to action, even against the surging Ticats who they play on the road Friday. Earning a home playoff berth with two victories down the final stretch is the most reasonable goal at this point. Of the four games remaining on the Bombers schedule, two of them are at home against a desperate Lions team – including this Saturday – with road games in Toronto and then Calgary for the regular-season finale.

The last thing the Bombers can afford is to hit a rut, not with the Riders so close on their heels. A home playoff berth is always a good thing – it’s that much better when you consider the alternative would likely be a third-place finish and a trip to Riderville for the West semi-final.

4) After allowing a combined 28 points in victories over the Ottawa Redblacks and Edmonton Eskimos in recent weeks, the Bombers defence took a giant leap backwards against the Ticats. Questioned all week about a potential letdown against a team that had just three victories all year, the Bombers stayed consistent with their one-game-at-a-time, one-week-at-a-time approach.

After watching tape on Hamilton throughout the week, many on the defence noted the differences from a Ticats team compared to when they last played met in August. They marvelled at quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who made his sixth consecutive start over Zach Collaros, and his ability to evade pressure with his shiftiness in the pocket and knew the speed of receiver Brandon Banks could hurt them if not guarded well enough.

It would take 95 seconds for those two to have an impact Friday, connecting on a 60-yard touchdown on just the third play of the game. Banks burnt veteran corner Chris Randle on the score, setting the stage for a breakout game in which the he hauled in a game-high six catches for 106 yards.

In the end, the defence surrendered 484 yards of offence. Masoli completed 27 of 33 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Alex Green amassed 97 of Hamilton’s 146 rushing yards.

The Ticats dominated in time of possession, leading 38:19 to 21:41, and extended drives thanks to poor tackling and bad coverage by the Bombers. But perhaps what was most telling on this night was of the three touchdown drives Hamilton recorded, two of them began inside its own 10-yard line.

5) If there is a silver lining to Friday’s game, it’s the bounce back performance from kicker Justin Medlock. Medlock appeared visibly shaken earlier this week following one of his worst performances of his career against the Eskimos. The Bombers still won the game, but Medlock missed all three of his field goals and shanked another on a one-point convert.

The rare off-day from Medlock was enough to drop him from first to second spot on the league’s all-time most accurate kicker’s list. When he seemed to take the night even harder in the ensuing days, speaking candidly following practice Tuesday about the impact a game like that could have on his career in the CFL, it seemed only fair to question his ability to move past it. After all, Medlock has been one of the Bombers best players since joining the team in 2016, winning the CFL’s most outstanding special team’s player in his first year.

Medlock did bounce back, hitting two of three field goals against the Ticats. His lone miss came in the fourth quarter from 52 yards – not exactly a gimme, even for Medlock.

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