Bombers earn fourth consecutive trip to Cup

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/11/2023 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are headed to the Grey Cup.

Carried by a strong defensive effort and with the offence and special teams also finding ways to contribute, the Bombers earned a 24-13 win over the B.C. Lions in front of a raucous sold-out IG Field crowd of 32,343 on a cold and windy Saturday night.

The victory crowns the Bombers as West Division champions for a fourth straight season — the first Winnipeg team to achieve the feat in the franchise’s 93-year history. The Blue Bombers will now face off against the Montreal Alouettes for a chance to win a third Grey Cup since 2019.

The Alouettes earned an improbable win over the Toronto Argonauts, whose post-season run came to screeching halt after tying a league mark for best regular season record at 16-2.

“Win, lose or draw, there’s always something to clean up. But right now, it’s a win,” said an elated Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “We’ve managed to get to where we need to be at this point in the season and I’m very proud of the guys for that.”

The game pitted the two best quarterbacks in the West against one another, with passing-yards leader Vernon Adams Jr. behind centre for the Lions and Zach Collaros, who was second in yards and first in touchdowns, lined up for Winnipeg. But the game proved to be a defensive battle throughout, with the Bombers rising to the occasion when it mattered, sacking Adams a whopping nine times and generating three interceptions, including a pick from Evan Holm in the dying moments to seal the win.

In total, the Lions offence posted just 189 net offensive yards, including a dismal 31 rushing yards, and only 13 points, which tied a season low. B.C. managed just three points in the second half and none in the fourth quarter.

Adams went 13-for-26 passing for 221 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 45-yard Hail Mary toss to Justin McInnes in the end zone with time expired in the second quarter, cutting the Bombers lead to 18-10 at halftime. Kicker Sean Whyte rounded out the scoring for the Lions with a pair of field goals, including kicks from 48 and 43 yards, respectively.

“We’re a bend-don’t-break defence, but tonight, man, we were really just don’t break,” said Jefferson, who had a pair of sacks. “We were out there trying to be aggressive, we were out there being physical and we really wanted to go out there and show the league we can play four quarters of football and shut boys out.”

The Bombers will wait to find out more on what appeared to be a serious injury to middle linebacker Adam Bighill. Bighill suffered a non-contact injury with 1:37 remaining in the first half. The immediate fear being a torn Achilles.

O’Shea wouldn’t comment on the injury, adding that he won’t rule Bighill out just yet. It didn’t look good, though, and will be a major storyline during Grey Cup week.

It wasn’t a banner day at the office for the Bombers offence, which struggled to put up points, finishing with 263 net offensive yards. The lone touchdown drive by Winnipeg’s attack came on the very first series of the game and featured a heavy dose of running back Brady Oliveira.

Oliveira, the CFL’s regular-season rushing leader, accounted for all 70 yards on the opening drive, spread across eight rushes and one catch, ending with an eight-yard rushing score. The West nominee for Most Outstanding Player ended the night with 109 yards on the ground — his eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season — on 21 carries, along with two receptions for 15 yards.

The Bombers were without all-star receiver Dalton Schoen, who continues to nurse a bum ankle suffered in a Week 18 win over the Lions. Fellow receivers Nic Demski and Rasheed Bailey were both game-time decisions but they were cleared to play after taking the warm-up. That led to several balls being thrown the way of Kenny Lawler, who had a team-high 83 yards on six targets.

Collaros wasn’t at his best, completing 14 of his 21 passes for 158 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. The biggest issue for

Winnipeg’s attack was finishing drives with field goals rather than touchdowns, with Sergio Castillo converting three kicks and missing two others.

“When you’ve done this for a long time, you understand what it takes to get there, and it doesn’t happen easily,” said an emotional Collaros, who will be the first quarterback in league history to start four-straight Grey Cups. “It was complementary football. The defence plays such an integral role… they’re a really fun group to be around because they’re smart, too. To talk the game and to learn from those guys on the defensive side, I’m very lucky to be around those guys.”

Castillo had one of his field goals sail wide right, while the other caromed off the right upright. But the Bombers’ special teams came up with arguably the play of the night when Nick Hallett blocked a Stefan Flintoff punt before scooping the ball up and returning it 15 yards for a touchdown to give the Bombers a 15-3 edge midway through the second quarter.

“Nick Hallett’s a stud,” O’Shea said. “He’s just really, really smart. Combine that with the athleticism he has… I like him, he’s grimy, you know, it’s good.”

The Bombers will have Sunday off before heading to Hamilton for Grey Cup week. It will mark the first ever game between the Bombers and Alouettes in the championship game.

“It wasn’t really a surprise to me,” Oliveira said of Montreal’s victory. “I kind of had my picks how I thought the whole playoff scenario was going to go and I had Montreal winning it and going to the Grey Cup.

“(Montreal’s) a great group. Their defence has been playing lights out. That’s who’s gotten them this far and gotten them to the Grey Cup, so it’s going to be a great, great, great test for us.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton