Big Blue implode

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This article was published 25/08/2018 (2619 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY — Matt Nichols warned what would happen if you gave the Calgary Stampeders an inch. The Bombers quarterback was complimentary when speaking about the CFL-leading Stampeders earlier this week, but mixed in with the pleasantries came a warning for his team: if you allow them to get on a roll, it would spell the end, no matter the opponent.

The Bombers would get a first-hand look at what can happen when you slip against the league’s juggernaut, even for just a quarter, which happened at McMahon Stadium on Saturday afternoon. For the better part of three quarters, the Bombers held the lead, only to implode down the stretch.

The final result: a 39-26 victory for the Stampeders, who continue to wreak havoc over the league, improving to 8-1 on the year.

“I said more than once it was going to be a four-quarter game, and just because you get a little bit of the lead on them, it means nothing,” Nichols said after the game. “We didn’t do a good enough job keeping our foot on the pedal. We kept kind of pushing field position back their way with a couple first downs, but we didn’t do a good enough job at going after that dagger.”

As for the Bombers, they’ve dropped to 5-5, and have now lost two straight games after winning three in a row. They remain in third place in the West Division, but could be in danger of dropping further down the standings, with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on their heels heading into next week’s Labour Day Classic game in Regina.

“We’re a strong group of guys. We’ve got a strong locker room,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said when asked where he felt the state of his team was after consecutive losses. “I don’t think it’s going to change their mindset. I’m sure they’ll just roll up their sleeves and get back to work.”

With Winnipeg clinging to a 15-12 lead at halftime, Calgary began pushing the needle the other way late in the third quarter, beginning with a two-play, 77-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 25-yard catch by Marken Michel. The drive was set up on a 61-yard reception to Kamar Jorden, who led all receivers with 10 catches for a franchise single-game record of 249 yards and a touchdown.

That would be the first lead of the game for the Stampeders, who then wouldn’t look back, adding another 20 points in the fourth quarter. Kicker Rene Paredes connected on three of his four field goals in the final 15 minutes, while Jorden put the game away with a 68-yard catch-and-run touchdown with minutes remaining, escaping from four would-be Bombers tacklers as he ran untouched the final 35 yards.

Then the Stampeders defence got in on the fun, with Ja’Gared Davis returning his second interception of the game 35 yards to paydirt, for what would be the final nail in the coffin. The Bombers added a touchdown with seconds remaining on the clock, muddying what was a sad display by the offence down the stretch.

“I felt like we kind of had them against the ropes, and we had some opportunities at all different positions, including myself, to make plays and we just didn’t quite make them,” Nichols added. “We just fell a little bit short against a good team.”

Once the dust finally settled, Winnipeg put up just 359 yards of net offence, with 71 yards coming on the final drive. Nichols finished 29-for-44 passing, for 258 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Furthermore, the Bombers abandoned a run game that has worked so well this year, giving Andrew Harris just seven carries, totalling 13 yards, despite leading for much of the game.

What killed the visitors on this day, though, was how ineffective the offence was in the final two quarters. Winnipeg opened the second half with six straight punts, while costly errors — including a number of dropped balls by Bombers receivers, most notably a few by No. 1 target Darvin Adams — left the defence to fend off a dangerous Calgary attack that took full advantage of a tired Bombers group.

“But still, even in that first half, there were plays that we could have made that we didn’t, which could have been a better first half for us” O’Shea said. “Obviously, the last part of the third, the fourth quarter, everything fell to pieces. They made big plays and we didn’t. But there were plays to be made earlier on, too, that could have helped us out.”

What made Calgary’s dominance on defence even more impressive was they did it without co-ordinator DeVone Claybrooks. Claybrooks was admitted to hospital earlier this week, and remained there over the weekend. Taking over the play calling for the Stampeders was linebackers coach Brent Monson, aided by defensive line coach Corey Mace and defensive backs coach Josh Bell.

Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, regarded as one of the premier quarterbacks in the CFL, had a career night, setting both a personal and team record for most passing yards in a game with 452. Mitchell displayed his usual dominance with the ball, which resulted in three touchdowns and no turnovers.

In total, the Bombers defence surrendered 511 yards of net offence, bringing the combined total to 1,004 yards over the last two games.

“He’s a savvy quarterback that’s been around the league for a while, knows what he’s looking at on the defence,” Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill said of Mitchell. “They dialed up a couple good double-move routes against us and were able to shake free and get some home-run hits. He’s one of the best players in this league for a reason.”

The Bombers spoke all week about the importance of getting an early start on the Stampeders. If anything had been taken from Calgary’s loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders last weekend — their first defeat in 2018 — it was how the Roughriders were able to steal the momentum early by building a quick lead.

Winnipeg needed just two plays to do that Saturday, converting a second-and-inches situation into a 65-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Lankford. Harris opened the drive with a reception that just missed the 10-yard mark, bringing out the short-yardage group led by backup quarterback Chris Streveler. But instead of Streveler driving forward for a first down, he dropped back and lobbed a pass to Lankford, who had just one defender to beat en route to his first touchdown of the season.

The Bombers added to their lead, 9-3, when Calgary opted to concede a safety after they were unable to move the ball on a drive that started from their own four-yard line. A fumble by Jorden shortly after gave Winnipeg the ball back with good field position, but they settled for a 39-yard field goal by Justin Medlock to lead 12-3 early in the second quarter.

But Mitchell and the Stampeders wouldn’t be fazed, converting a second-and-10 on the 20-yard line into a touchdown to DaVaris Daniels, who snuck in behind Ian Wild to cut the Bombers’ lead to 12-9 after a failed two-point convert. Medlock made it a 15-9 game for the visitors with a 45-yard field goal, but Paredes cut the lead to 15-12 with a 42-yard boot of his own. He could have tied it going into the half had he not missed a 45-yard kick as time expired in the second frame.

The tale of the two defences continued in the second half, as both clubs were held pointless on their first two drives. It all changed on the Stampeders’ third series.

Finding a hole in the Bombers secondary, Mitchell found a wide-open Jorden, who outran Maurice Leggett for a 52-yard completion. The next play: a 25-yard pass to Michel, who beat Chris Randle for a touchdown.

Suddenly, the Stampeders had their first lead of the game, up 19-15, getting the inch they needed to roll.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton