Kicking it up a notch

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This article was published 28/09/2018 (2584 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EDMONTON — Time is running out for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

With five games remaining in the regular season, and the Bombers (6-7) still on the wrong side of the playoff line, tonight’s game against the Edmonton Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium is just the latest hurdle in what is shaping up to be a photo finish in the West Division.

Winnipeg is coming off a 34-14 home win over the Montreal Alouettes last weekend that stopped the bleeding of a four-game losing streak. That victory, though an important two points in the standings, does little to suggest the Bombers have turned the corner. A win over the Eskimos (7-6), however, especially on the road, would certainly make a case this team is ready to compete down the stretch.

Edmonton, which has lost three of its last four games, will also be looking to get back on track. Its been near unbeaten at home, winning the last five games on its own turf. Needless to say, a victory for Winnipeg won’t be easy to come by.

With that, here are five storylines to keep an eye on heading into tonight’s game.

 

SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY

A win or loss against Edmonton won’t secure or lose the Bombers a playoff spot. But whatever the result might be, it’s going to show us what this team is.

The stakes are the highest they have been this season for the Blue and Gold. A victory would not only even its record at 7-7, but would put them in a tie with the Eskimos and even the season series at one game apiece. It would also put Winnipeg in a playoff spot, tied for third place in the West.

Neither team will be able to take much from the first meeting, when the Eskimos rallied in the fourth quarter of a marathon affair — twice the game was weather delayed, with the match lasting six hours — to edge the Bombers 33-30 in the season-opener. At the time, the Bombers had rookie Chris Streveler under centre and were still high on receiver Adarius Bowman (who has since been traded to the Alouettes).

But there is plenty of history here, with a strong level of familiarity from the coaching staff — Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea and the Eskimos’ Jason Maas worked together with the Toronto Argonauts — to the players. Both sides feel they have something to prove, with each believing their records aren’t indicative of the talent they possess.

“I would throw out the records and say we’re both good football teams and we’ve both played at extremely high levels,” Maas said.

“Have both of us been as consistent as we’d like to be? Probably not, but I know we’re capable of winning any game we step on the field.”

 

WHO ARE THE BOMBERS?

The Bombers have yet to defeat a team with a winning record this year and haven’t had much success against the West this season, with a record of 1-5 within their division.

So the question remains: who are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers? With five games left, four of those are against teams from the West and all have a winning record. So, although the answer isn’t clear just yet, we’re about to find out.

“That’s always our mindset going in, is seeing what we’re about and see how we respond when there’s a lot on the line how do we play?” Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols said. “There’s a lot of guys on this team that have proven we’re ready to stand up and play a good game against a good football team, in a big moment. I’m sure they feel the same way, which is why it’s going to be a good football game.”

Teams want to be playing their best football at this time of the year. Edmonton has shown it can do that. In their last five games over the past four seasons, the Eskimos have a 17-3 record. Over the past three years, they’re 14-1. As for the Bombers, they have a record of 7-13 in their final five games over that four-year stretch.

“There’s a confidence I guess that comes at the end of the year. When you’ve repeatedly, year after year, been good in October, you feel like that’s your month,” Maas said. “I don’t want to really look back — I know it’s September right now — but I think our mind frame is October has (come) early.”

 

GOOD BUDDIES DO BATTLE

Nichols and Mike Reilly are longtime friends, with the team’s respective quarterbacks sharing a number of similar qualities, including being the father of two young daughters.

But they’ve put together two completely different seasons, even if their win-loss records are near identical.

Reilly leads the CFL in passing, throwing for 4,219 yards for an average of 324 yards per game (he’s also tied with Calgary Stampeders pivot Bo Levi Mitchell for most passing touchdowns, with 27). Nichols, after missing the first three games with a knee injury, is averaging 218 yards and his 12 TDs in 2018 equals his number of interceptions this year.

“It’s been a roller-coaster for him, too, but that’s what pro football is,” said Reilly, who was named the CFL’s most outstanding player last year and is in the lead again this season.

“Throughout your career, throughout a season, throughout a month, throughout a week, you’re going to have ups and downs that you got to figure out how to battle through and Matt has battled a lot throughout his career, so it’s nothing new to him. The only thing that matters is whether you win or lose.”

Nichols is coming off a solid performance in the win over Montreal, completing 72 per cent of his passes for 256 yards. He threw just one touchdown, but made smart decisions with the ball, finishing without an interception for the first time in four games.

If the Bombers are to defeat Reilly and the Eskimos, he’ll have to be even better, while also protecting the ball. Winnipeg is 5-0 when winning the turnover battle and 0-7 when its equal or more turnovers.

 

DUKE OF EDMONTON

While Reilly is certainly one of the league’s greatest players, it helps that he also has one of the CFL’s surest hands by his side.

In just his second year, receiver Duke Williams has become one of the most dangerous targets in the CFL. Through 13 games, Williams leads the league in receiving yards (1,300), receiving touchdowns (10), average gain per reception (19.1), 100-yard games (eight), plays of 20-plus yards (17) and the number of targets (120).

“How can you cover someone who is getting that many targets?” said Bombers cornerback Chris Randle earlier this week. “It’s everybody’s job — not just one person, not just one DB, all of us have to be sound.”

The Bombers’ defence has limited the air attack against over the last three games, keeping opposing quarterbacks to 250 or fewer yards and not once has a receiver over that stretch recorded 100 yards receiving. Keeping Williams in check, however, will be a much greater challenge.

Williams is averaging exactly 100 yards per game and at that pace of 1,800 in a season, he’ll be just 12 yards short of setting a new franchise record. He’s also coming off one of his worst outings, putting up just 65 yards on four receptions in a loss to the Ottawa Redblacks, so you know he’s going to be ready to return to form.

“He’s leading the league in every receiving category for a reason and he’s making the most of his opportunities,” Randle said.

 

BOATENG A FEEL-GOOD STORY

When scanning the names that make up the Eskimos’ defence, there are plenty of household names that stick out. Fans across the CFL know Almondo Sewell, arguably the most feared interior defensive lineman in the league, and are familiar with the likes of linebacker J.C. Sherritt and halfback Aaron Grymes.

But there’s another member of the Eskimos’ defensive dozen who has started to make a name for himself, defensive end Kwaku Boateng, who in just two seasons has solidified himself as a star on a sturdy Edmonton defensive line.

What makes it an even better story is Boateng is Canadian, a product of Wilfrid Laurier University, whose stock heading into the 2017 CFL draft was sky high but plummeted by the time teams were on the clock.

Expected to go as high as the first round — he was ranked as high as No. 6 by the CFL’s scouting bureau — the 23-year-old dropped to the fifth round, selected 41st overall by the Eskimos. What could only be perceived as a slight — the perception amongst most teams was he had the talent, but seemed to take plays off, coupled with an underwhelming performance at the national combine — Boateng still carries a chip on his shoulder.

“Every time I’m on the field, I definitely want to show the team and show the league I’m definitely worth a lot more than a fifth-round pick,” said Boateng, whose eight sacks this year is tied for third in the league with the B.C. Lions’ Shawn Lemon.

Interestingly, the Bombers were the only team that didn’t interview Boateng at the combine, perhaps adding extra incentive for payback?

“I’m not a very petty person, so for me to have a grudge on just one team is a waste of time. For me, I’d rather hold a grudge on the whole league.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton