Blue Bombers’ vengeance was sweet and merciless

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This article was published 04/08/2023 (827 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There was a feeling all week that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers weren’t going to let history repeat itself.

But few would have predicted that the Bombers, with the chance to avenge an uncharacteristic 30-6 home loss to the B.C. Lions in Week 3, would have delivered the kind of retribution that was seen Thursday night.

The Bombers didn’t just beat the Lions, they toyed with them, like a cat swatting a ball of yarn, putting up a 50-burger in a 50-14 victory in front of a season-high 30,874 at IG Field. Winnipeg is now 12-1 when playing after a bye week, dating back to the 2018 season.

Winnipeg improves to 6-2, putting them in a tie for first place in the West Division with the Lions, who dropped to the same record. The third and final game between the two rivals to determine the winner of their season-series will shift to Vancouver for a Week 18 matchup at BC Place.

The Bombers will have the next couple days off before returning to practice to prepare for the 0-8 Edmonton Elks at Commonwealth Stadium Thursday night. But before get ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look back at the win over the Lions in the latest edition of 5 Takeaways.

1) After exploding for more than 80 points in their first two games the Bombers offence had cooled off in recent weeks. There were still stretches of strong play over that time, but the group lacked the kind of consistency and execution that’s come to define Winnipeg’s attack.

That wasn’t the case on Thursday, and when the offence is able to click the way it did, it’s clear there’s not a single defence in the CFL that can stop them. Not even the mighty Lions, who were on a historic pace before arriving in Winnipeg, averaging just 11.6 points against per game and surrendering only five total offensive touchdowns over 99 possessions.

It took exactly three plays and 96 seconds over two drives, covering a combined 157 yards, to find the end zone twice and take a 14-0 lead just minutes into the game. It was a vintage performance from quarterback Zach Collaros, who delivered blow after blow, finishing the night with 369 yards passing and three touchdowns, along with an interception.

By night’s end, the Bombers had hit pay dirt six times, while Sergio Castillo connected on all three of his field goals, splitting the uprights from 37, 16 and 23 yards to round out the scoring. Winnipeg put up a season-high 576 yards of offence, including 129 on the ground, in what was easily their most complete game of the season.

2) Kenny Lawler raised eyebrows earlier this week when he revealed his 2023 goal of getting 2,000 receiving yards. That’s a tall task over an 18-game season, which was the original time frame for the milestone when the all-star receiver first pondered the mark, but he remained committed to it despite missing the first six games of the season.

After reeling in seven catches for 93 yards in his season debut against the Edmonton Elks in Week 7, Lawler more than doubled that production against the Lions. He caught the same number of balls, but registered 200 yards and a touchdown, including catches of 34, 57 and 64 yards.

The wild part is he could have had more. Lawler was flagged for offensive pass interference on a deep pass up the middle midway through the first quarter – a penalty he vehemently questioned in the locker room afterwards – and then drew a defensive pass interference in the second frame that moved the ball up 31 yards.

Lawler’s return has made the offence an even bigger threat. When you add that level of talent to the roster, joining a group of receivers that has Dalton Schoen, Nic Demski, Drew Wolitarsky and Rasheed Bailey, it’s hard to think the game against the Lions is a one-off.

With Lawler back in the mix, the Bombers have done a more consistent job of extending drives, giving the defence a chance to rest. It reminds me of 2021, when the Bombers were well balanced on both sides of the ball, creating nightmares for the opposition en route to winning a second straight Grey Cup.

3) Simply put, it was the best game of the season by Winnipeg’s offensive line. It just might be up there with the best we’ve ever seen from the group, which is saying something when you consider the kind of success they’ve had over the years.

I spent much of the week talking to members on the O-line, asking them to relive and explain the Week 3 loss to the Lions, where Collaros was sacked a whopping seven times. Veterans Stanley Bryant, Jermarcus Hardrick and Patrick Neufeld all vowed to be better and the five-man unit, which also includes starters Chris Kolankowski and Geoff Gray, delivered.

Collaros stayed clean all night as the O-line bought their pivot time and space to hit Lawler (57 yards), Schoen (71), who finished with two TDs and 137 yards receiving, and Demski (30) on long scoring plays. They created holes for the run game, allowing Brady Oliveira to rack up 67 rushing yards on nine carries – for an average of 7.4 yards per run – and a pair of TDs, including a 27-yard dash to the end zone that put an exclamation point on the victory.

The O-line has taken their fair share of jabs this year, with some suggesting a decline owing to their collective age. I imagine those conversations are pretty quiet right now.

4) When I asked Brandon Alexander after the game what the difference was in defensive efforts between Week 3 and Thursday, the Bombers safety provided a one-word answer: execution. Winnipeg had limited B.C. to a respectable 305 yards of net offence earlier in the year, but Alexander lamented the lack of game-changing plays the D is used to, with the Bombers unable to force a single turnover.

The Bombers flipped the script on Thursday, forcing the first of three turnover-on-downs on the night on B.C.’s second drive. The defence had five takeaways – including interceptions by Alexander and Demerio Houston, who reeled in his league-leading sixth pick – and gave up just 230 yards of offence.

They faced two QBs, limiting them both, beginning with Dane Evans, who threw for 113 yards and two interceptions on 12 passes before he left the game late in the second quarter with a rib injury. That pretty much marked the end of any potential comeback as the Lions, with No. 1 Vernon Adams Jr. still nursing a knee injury, had to resort to playing third-stringer Dominique Davis, who threw 18 passes, completing eight, for 76 yards.

Running into Richie Hall in the tunnel post-game, I quipped to the Bombers defensive co-ordinator, so that’s what this defence looks like when they have time to rest and execute their plays? He smiled and said: “This time we decided to show up at kickoff, but there’s always room to get better.”

5) There’s really no understating just how important the win is for Winnipeg. The good feelings that come with a blowout and a reminder to the rest of the CFL of their place in the league aside, the Bombers needed this victory to keep pace in the division and give themselves a chance to finish first and host the West final.

The Lions are a good team and will bounce back. But had the Bombers put forth a valiant effort and just fallen short, losing the season series (the first tiebreaker in the standings), it would have made it an incredibly difficult task to make up that ground.

With road games in Edmonton and Calgary up next, followed by a home-and-home series with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and an away game against Hamilton after that, the Bombers should be able to hit their stride as they enter the final stretch run of the season.

Thursday’s win also sets up what is sure to be a must-watch rubber match against the Lions at BC Place on Oct. 6. The way these two teams have been playing this year – and the fact the other three Western clubs aren’t scaring anyone with a combined record of 5-17 – that game could very well determine who’s the best in the West.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton