Bombers moving up despite hiccups

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This article was published 09/10/2018 (2621 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — The final score — a 40-32 Winnipeg Blue Bombers overtime victory over the Ottawa Redblacks at TD Place on Friday night — muddied what was mostly a dominating performance by the Blue and Gold.

The Bombers played a near-perfect road game for the first 55 minutes, taking it to the East Division-leading Redblacks, only to see all that hard work unravel in the final moments. Holding a commanding 32-17 lead with time running out, Ottawa made up the 15-point deficit in the final 4:36 with two late touchdown drives — including one that required a two-point conversion — to even the score with 16 seconds remaining.

Winnipeg would eventually get it done in extra time, with the team sealing the deal with an outstanding play by linebacker Adam Bighill. After the Bombers scored a touchdown on their first series of overtime, Bighill stripped the ball from the arms of Redblacks receiver Brad Sinopoli just feet from the end zone. Jovan Santos-Knox scooped it up to end the match, extending the Bombers win streak to three games.

At 8-7, the Bombers have sole possession of third place in the West Division and are above the .500 mark for the first time since late July. They’ll look to build on their momentum when they welcome the Saskatchewan Roughriders to town Saturday afternoon.

Before we look too far ahead, here are five takeaways from Friday’s game:

BLUE BACK IN THE RUNNING

You’ll have to excuse me if this sounds a bit dramatic, but I pondered after the game that, had the Bombers lost this one, there was a strong chance they would go on to miss the playoffs. Not because I felt it was a do-or-die game, per se, but how soul-sucking it would have been to have a victory ripped from your hands at this stage of the season.

This was an emotional win for Winnipeg: the post-game celebration was so loud, it could be heard from the hallways. One local reporter remarked it sounded as if the Bombers had won the Grey Cup.

Of course, the game didn’t result in a championship, but it does say something about this team’s pursuit for one. The Bombers have been ridiculed all season for not meeting the high expectations set upon them at the beginning of the year, even if much of that criticism has been deserved. They found a way to get the job done, even if, at times, it was uncomfortable to watch.

More often than not in recent years, Winnipeg has been on the wrong side of these close games. Given how big this one was for the standings, this one must have felt good.

There is still plenty of football to be played, with three divisional games left to wrap up the regular season. But the Bombers are back in the conversation as one of the league’s top teams and are finding their groove exactly when needed. And that’s a good sign, even if it hasn’t always looked pretty.

DEFENCE BENT, BUT NOT BROKEN

Many were perplexed when it came to the Bombers’ defence. How could they be so dominant the week before, limiting Mike Reilly and the Eskimos to just three points and 264 yards of net offence, and then allow so many yards — 437 to be exact — to Ottawa?

I’d argue the defence wasn’t all that bad for much of the night, even if there were some plays that left you wondering how someone could be that wide open.

The answer for the variance in performance from week to week isn’t an easy one, but there is an explanation.

Edmonton’s success on offence is built around Reilly and his ability to extend plays with his feet. The more time Reilly can buy, the more time the weapons around him can get open and he’s skilled enough to find even the smallest of openings.

Ottawa, on the other hand, attempts to fool teams with their different looks; receivers are often switching in and out of different positions, with a reliance on picking up what the defence is doing and then executing the proper reads to make a play.

The Bombers defensive scheme didn’t look that different from last week to this week, as Winnipeg maintained a strong rush up front, pushing the line of scrimmage with four and five-man sets, while the secondary played zone coverage. And they were able to contain Trevor Harris for much of the night, including sacking him four times.

It is concerning what happened down the stretch, especially when you consider a main priority for this group has been to close out games. They managed to salvage the night with a big play at the end, but it will be tough watching the film and trying to understand how 210 yards — nearly half of Ottawa’s offensive yardage — was collected at the end of the fourth quarter and overtime.

OFFENCE MAKING STRIDES

Matt Nichols was given the day off from reporters Thursday because he was feeling under the weather. TSN’s Matthew Scianitti reported after the game that the quarterback had been “bed-ridden” shortly after the team’s arrival in Ottawa, and even required running back Andrew Harris to bring him dinner.

By game time, though, Nichols was as good as we’ve seen him this season, completing 75 per cent of his passes (27-for-36) for 265 yards with a season-high three touchdowns. He looked composed in the pocket and was quick to spread the ball around, connecting with six different receivers before the end of the Bombers’ second drive.

Harris also did his part, rushing for 132 yards on 20 carries — an average of 6.6 yards per run. In total, the Bombers put up 434 yards of net offence against a Redblacks defence that had limited opponents to an average of 297 yards over their past six games.

The lone knock against the offence will be the number of field goals they settled for — Justin Medlock was a perfect six-for-six — that kept Ottawa a bit too close for comfort.

There was also a questionable series that had the Bombers facing a first-and-goal on the five-yard line and instead of going with a run-game that had been working for much of the night, offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice opted for two high-risk passing plays that both fell incomplete.

Winnipeg did eventually orchestrate a game-winning drive in OT, so we’ll excuse them for whatever misgivings they had, if only for another week.

The offence will be back under the microscope at home this week against a Roughriders defence that ranks among the best in the CFL.

REDBLACKS SEEING ORANGE

In a 44-21 loss to the Redblacks in Week 10, the Bombers were not only outplayed but were also undisciplined. They took 13 penalties for 80 yards that night, drawing the kind of demoralizing flags that extended drives for their opponent and kept their defence on the field.

On Friday, it was Ottawa that shot themselves in the foot, to the tune of 13 penalties for a whopping 174 yards. As for the Bombers, they totalled seven penalties for 60 yards to maintain their position as the least-penalized team in the CFL.

The difference in the number of penalties taken by each team accounted for a large gap when it came to time of possession. The Bombers had nearly 13 minutes of extra time with the ball — 36:22 to 22:38.

It’s amazing then that the Redblacks were even in the game, but I digress. Either way, the Bombers have prided themselves on playing clean football, and over their three-game winning streak, they’ve combined for just 11 penalties for 90 yards.

When Winnipeg commits six or fewer penalties in a game, they are 7-2; in games where they have seven or more, they are 1-5.

WARD MAKES HISTORY

Good for you, Lewis Ward. Isn’t it amazing how someone who stands just 5-7 and was once a security guard at TD Place was able to rise to become such a dominant foot in the CFL?

Despite the 26-year-old rookie proving for months now that he’s a legitimate leg in the league, a game still doesn’t go by where his height and former employment isn’t referenced. Perhaps the fact Ward finally made history Friday, connecting on all three of his field goals to set a CFL record of 40 straight, that it might be enough to ease up on the aforementioned “disadvantages” he’s had to overcome.

Ward is a feel-good story, not because of his height or what he did for beer money in his early 20s, but because he entered the season as a long shot to beat out more seasoned pros, such as Sergio Castillo.

He hasn’t just been reliable, but vital to Ottawa’s success this season. Twice this year, he’s been a perfect seven-for-seven, accounting for all or nearly all of his team’s points in those two victories.

My guess is we’re going to find out a lot more about Ward come November when he caps off his terrific season with some much-deserved hardware. Let’s hope there’s some better material by then.

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