Bombers on rise, Lions not so much

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This article was published 27/10/2017 (2935 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and B.C. Lions step onto Investors Group Field this afternoon, the game will feature teams headed in opposite directions.

The Bombers (11-5) have locked up a playoff berth but are jockeying for position in the West Division standings. A victory over the Lions would secure second place and a home playoff game for the first time since 2011.

As for the Lions (6-10), they are nearing the end of a disappointing season, with their hopes of vying for a Grey Cup ending two weeks ago. Wins in their final two games would make an early start to the off-season easier to swallow, but does nothing to change an inevitable last-place finish in the West.

Still, the Bombers don’t see this as a lopsided matchup, nor are they taking the Lions for granted despite their season-long struggles.

“I don’t think it changes anything,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said following Friday’s walk-through at IGF. “Our guys are going to be prepared to play a physical football game, and whoever lines up across from them they know is a pro football player that’s going to do everything he can to win each and every play. We are prepared to do that, too.”

With that, here are five story lines heading into today’s game:

 

WON AND DONE

Indeed, the Bombers are doing quite well in comparison to the Lions, with the chance to win their 12th game in a season for the first time since 2002. That doesn’t mean Winnipeg is without its share of issues — particularly of late.

While a win equals a home playoff game, a loss — along with an Edmonton Eskimos win over the Calgary Stampeders tonight — would keep the Bombers in limbo for another week. The Bombers blew their chance to lock up second place last Saturday, losing 29-28 to the Argonauts in Toronto. Though a victory would bring about some peace of mind when it comes to the standings, the benefits would be much more than that.

Winnipeg has lost two of its past three games, with the lone victory — 26-20 over the Lions on Oct. 14 — hardly worth bragging about. Against the Lions, the Bombers rode the effort of a strong — and rare — performance by the defence, with T.J. Heath returning an interception for a touchdown. Special teams provided the other score via an 88-yard punt-return TD by Kevin Fogg.

Needless to say, a victory would inject some much-needed confidence into the locker room. Perhaps even more important, it would render the season finale in Calgary meaningless, therefore allowing Winnipeg to rest a number of players as they get set to make a playoff push.

“You would like to not be in a dogfight the week before and get guys more battered and bruised up,” quarterback Matt Nichols said. “Win this game at home, in front of our home crowd, get that home playoff game and then be able to rest some guys up and be full-throttle going into the playoffs.”

 

LENDING A HAND

Led by Nichols, the offence enters the weekend atop the CFL in points scored, averaging 28 per game, and has the second-most touchdowns, with 43. A candidate for the league’s most outstanding player, Nichols leads the CFL with an 86.4 QB rating, ahead of stars such as Edmonton’s Mike Reilly and Calgary’s Bo Levi Mitchell.

Over the past three games, however, Nichols has struggled to find his groove, looking nothing like a player worthy of league MVP. He’s averaged 199 passing yards in those games, almost a full 100 yards fewer than his 296 through the first 13 weeks. The number of points the offence has averaged has dipped from 30.5 per game to 13.3 over that stretch and Nichols has thrown just two touchdown passes.

Part of Nichols’ inconsistency has to do with the number of injuries suffered on offence in recent weeks, including the loss of top receiver Darvin Adams to a shoulder injury. Running back/receiver Timothy Flanders is also out, missing a third straight week with a hamstring pull.

His absence adds further stress to a receivers group that will feature Matt Coates in for Julian Feoli-Gudino and Chris Givens, who will make his second start after joining the team last month.

Then there is the issue of Nichols’ throwing hand, which he banged up in the first half of a 30-13 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Oct. 6, and which still requires a protective glove. Nichols said he plans to wear the glove until he feels comfortable without it.

“There’s still an issue,” Nichols said. “It’s not something I’m really complaining about; everyone is out here playing through things. There are no excuses with it.”

 

O-LINE DOWN, BUT NOT NECESSARILY OUT

The offensive line has been nearly indestructible for the better part of the past year and a half, with the five starters missing a total of three games since Week 6 of last season. That durability was put into serious question this week when Travis Bond missed the entire week of practice and Jermarcus Hardrick was absent the final two workouts after pulling up lame Tuesday.

When the Bombers released their depth chart for today’s home game, it included Bond and Hardrick, suggesting both might play.

“You look at the number of reps they’ve taken up until this point and there’s a lot of redundancy,” O’Shea said after Thursday’s practice, when asked if it matters to him if players participate in practices leading up to a game.

“I mean, how many times have they run a certain play? By the time we hit this point in the season, from training camp on, some of those plays are in the hundreds. They can close their eyes and do it.”

While depth charts are usually the best indicators of who will and won’t play each week, the Bombers have a reputation for using it as a sleight-of-hand tool to throw off opponents. On a few occasions, players haven’t played at their listed position, or not at all, leading to some question as to whether Bond and Hardrick will be on the field.

Bond was absent from Friday’s walk-through, so it’s doubtful he will play. Hardrick, meanwhile, was back on the field and said he felt good and ready to go.

“I feel like every day I got better,” he said. “I know on game day, I’ll wake up and feel like Superman probably, so I’m excited.”

 

FEELING EXPOSED

Co-ordinator Richie Hall called the performance of his defence in the loss to the Argonauts “embarrassing.” Hall, lamented the total yards his unit gave up — a season-worst 572 — and was frustrated by how often they were beaten through the air. Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray completed 74 per cent of his passes for 423 yards.

This week the Bombers will contend with Jonathon Jennings, one of the league’s most exciting players in 2016, but someone who has been unable to replicate that kind of success this season. Jennings threw for more than 5,000 yards for the Lions a year ago, but enters Week 19 ranked near the bottom of almost every statistical category for starting quarterbacks.

“Obviously I haven’t played to my standard or my potential, but I know what I can do,” said Jennings, who in 13 games has thrown for 3,086 yards, and12 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. “I’ve put in all the work, done all the things, but sometimes things just don’t go your way.”

Jennings led the Lions to a victory over the Bombers in last year’s West semifinal but has lost all four of his regular-season starts against Winnipeg. Cornerback Chris Randle was asked if he felt the defence had Jennings’ number given its overall success against him and was quick to shoot that idea down.

“I don’t think we have anyone’s number. Based off last week’s performance by us, I think people have our number,” Randle said.

“As a defence, you can’t get continuously exploited over and over. But we’ve capitalized on several opportunities when that is the case, when teams have continually tried to throw the deep ball, or continually try and run. With our record being the way it is, that reflects how we are able to adjust as a team.”

 

MONEY MEDLOCK LOOKS TO CASH IN

Bombers kicker Justin Medlock has the full support of his coaches and teammates and is confident he can get through what is his second notable slump of the season. Medlock went 2-for-4 on field-goal attempts against Toronto last week, missing a 39-yard attempt with no time left on the clock that would have given the Bombers the win.

He has missed six of his last 13 attempts over the past four games, dropping his average to a league-worst 76.7 per cent.

It’s rare territory for Medlock, who opened the season as the CFL’s most accurate kicker following a 2016 season when he was named the most outstanding special team’s player.

Medlock did go 3-for-3 against the Lions two weeks ago, and seems eager to return to form.

“There’s two games left and playoffs, and that’s my main focus,” he said Friday.

B.C.’s kicker, Ty Long, has made his last 15 attempts and has been nearly perfect from inside 40 yards, hitting 22 of 23 on the year. He’s also made his last five attempts from 40-plus yards.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca 

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

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