Slumping Bombers stagger to defeat

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This article was published 05/10/2019 (2195 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA – Once is chance, twice is coincidence, but three times is a pattern.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers continued to see their stock drop after a 21-6 loss to Saskatchewan Roughriders Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium. After being the hottest team at the start of the season, including a 5-0 run, the Bombers have evolved into a club in search of an identity – and, more importantly, a win.

“We’re a family, we’re tight and we got each other,” Bombers running back Andrew Harris said after the game. “We just need to find a way. That’s really all it comes down to.”

Saturday’s defeat was the third straight for the Blue and Gold and the number of concerning questions that have loomed over this team for nearly a month are sure to intensify in the coming days. After treading water for weeks following the early win streak, the Bombers enter the final stretch of the regular season struggling to keep their heads dry.

The loss dropped the Bombers to 9-6, putting them in third place in the West Division, closer to the basement than the penthouse.

The game will be talked about around the water coolers as a slow-moving affair, where both defences made it tough for the opposing offence to collect points. After all, a combined 27 points were tallied, with the only touchdown in the game coming with fewer than three minutes remaining in the game – a 61-yard strike to Shaq Evans that ultimately iced the game.

It will go down as a major missed opportunity for the Bombers, who, over the last few weeks, have gone from having some breathing room at the top of the mountain in the West, to having their chances of claiming the division falling off a cliff.

“We still control our destiny in a sense and we can still come together and go on a run here and do some good things. You guys are going to be on us and think this is a crisis and we’re freaking out, but we’re going to come together and we’re going to battle,” added Harris. “We fought for 60 minutes today and obviously fell short, but I still have full confidence in this team and my teammates and the coaching staff. We’ll get through this.”

Both teams were done a favour ahead of kickoff after the Montreal Alouettes beat the Calgary Stampeders earlier in the day, the victory leaving the West wide open.

Heading into the weekend, the Bombers, Stampeders and Roughriders were all tied in wins, with nine. With Calgary dropping to 9-5 with the loss to Montreal, the Bombers actually moved up from third to second spot. Had they defeated the Roughriders they would have been in first. Instead, Saskatchewan moved into top spot with the victory, improving to 10-4.

If Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea was concerned, he certainly didn’t voice it. Noting the Bombers trailed just 11-3 heading into the fourth quarter, O’Shea took a more positive approach to his team’s upcoming journey.

“(We’re) 9-6. And ready to get on a roll,” O’Shea said. “There’s no other choice.”

The biggest question mark for the Bombers was how their defence would respond following two disappointing games. They had surrendered more than 900 yards of net offence in losses to Montreal and, most recently, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

They were already dealt a losing hand earlier in the week when it was announced defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall would not be in attendance. Hall missed the entire week as he tends to a family matter back home.

But it was the defence that kept the Bombers in the game. Cody Fajardo, the Roughriders young and upcoming quarterback, was held mostly in check, even if he did finish the night one yard short of 300 passing yards. He was sacked four times and besides the touchdown to Evans, who finished with seven catches for a game-high 193 yards, Saskatchewan was left to settle for field goals.

Brett Lauther connected on all four of his field-goal attempts, including two from long distance – 49 and 48 yards – to give the home side a 6-0 lead after the first quarter. In the end, Saskatchewan finished with 368 yards of net offence mustered only 20 first downs.

Where the defence fell short was in the takeaway department. The Bombers didn’t force a single turnover, meaning their offence was left to generate its own momentum.

“At this point, where it’s playoff-like football, you’ve got to get more takeaways, you got to give your offence more opportunities. It doesn’t matter who is at the helm, our hallmark of winning games is takeaways, giving our offence more opportunities,” Bombers middle linebacker Adam Bighill said.

“You see it was deadlocked all the way through the very end until they made a play on one of our zero coverages. Their defence made a few plays in some critical situations on the field and that looked to be the difference in the game. We’re in the red zone and we’re not getting points. It’s just playing a little cleaner football.”

Indeed, it was the Bombers offence that will have to carry the blame for this one. Led by Chris Streveler for a sixth straight start, Winnipeg was unable to get any traction going, forcing to punt on their first six possessions. They wouldn’t get on the board until the final second in the second quarter, when Justin Medlock connected on a 27-yard field goal to make it a 8-3 game at the break.

“The defence kept us in it all game. I can’t say enough about their play. And special teams with the wind did a pretty good job getting us good field position,” Streveler, who went 26-for-40 passing for 254 yards. “We just didn’t capitalize offensively.”

What proved most costly were the two interceptions Streveler threw in the second half. Having made it deep into Saskatchewan’s end, facing a 2-and-9 from the Roughriders’ 13, Streveler was picked off by Ed Gainey in the back of the end zone. Two drives later, down eight points, 14-6, in the fourth quarter, Streveler delivered another pass to the end zone but it was L.J. McCray that came up with the play.

In the end, the Bombers lost the turnover battle 4-0, with Streveler also sacked for a fumble, which certainly took points off the board.

“It’s just stuff I wish we could have back. We’re down there in scoring position. You can’t turn the ball over. It’s so tough to win like that,” Streveler said. “We’ve got to learn from this, get in the film room and get better from it. We’ve got a good enough team. We’ve just got to put together a cleaner game. It’s not a question of talent or personnel. We have good game plans and good players. We’ve just got to play a cleaner game.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton