‘We just couldn’t convert’

There were goal line stands, critical stops and even a forced fumble that seemed to flip the script.

In many ways, the response by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ defence to an early hole was the main reason the team managed to stay close enough to both mount a comeback and take the lead late in the fourth quarter against the Edmonton Elks.

But the inability to get a critical stop for the third consecutive game proved costly as that 18-17 lead turned into a 23-18 loss that left the Bombers with a record of 1-2.

“I can think of a lot of key moments where they did make the difference,” Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said in the aftermath of a second consecutive defeat at Princess Auto Stadium.

O’Shea had no trouble rattling off those key moments and he had plenty to choose from, ranging from a fumble caused by defensive back Michael Griffin to a turnover on downs, to an important tackle that prevented the Elks from scoring a major on third and goal.

The defence also forced the Elks to settle for three points late in the first quarter after a rare fumble by Brady Oliveira was returned 93 yards, deep into Blue Bombers territory, and that four-point swing allowed Winnipeg to keep things close during the first half — despite a plethora of self-inflicted wounds.

“We needed those plays,” said Blue Bombers defensive tackle Cam Lawson. “And the turnover on the goal line was huge. Those helped us, especially since we started so poorly. We kind of needed that momentum shift to gain back some of that.

“It’s just (a matter of) fixing all of the mistakes that we made and then going from there.”

Elks running back Justin Rankin was a focal point going into the contest and he ran wild during the first half, piling up 95 yards on the ground as the Blue Bombers simply weren’t as sharp as they needed to be when it came to tackling.

“It’s just (a matter of) fixing all of the mistakes that we made and then going from there.”

Trailing 17-7 at halftime (even after a pair of missed field goals from the typically reliable Sergio Castillo), the Bombers’ defence found its groove, limiting the effectiveness of Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo during the second half and holding Rankin to 11 rushing yards in the final 30 minutes of play.

“Defensively, we bounced back in the second half. We just came in at halftime, talked about a couple of things and made some corrections. We knew that they wanted to lean on the run,” said Blue Bombers defensive end Willie Jefferson. “It came down to the fourth quarter, to that last drive. We had them second and 12 or something like that and we just couldn’t convert. Once they got that first down, it kind of just started snowballing for them.”

Late drives have been problematic in the early portion of this season, as the Blue and Gold allowed the Calgary Stampeders to march down the field late in the fourth quarter in Week 1 before a late drive of their own was capped by a field goal from Castillo as time expired.

But in the 37-27 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats the Bombers were unable to come up with an important late stop, and that occurred once again in Thursday’s loss to the Elks, who put together a 10-play, 57-yard touchdown drive capped by an eight-yard pass from Fajardo to TJ Luther.

It’s too early to call it a trend, but it’s certainly something Winnipeg will look to improve upon as the team returns to the field on Tuesday to prepare for Sunday’s rematch with Bo Levi Mitchell and the Tabbies.

While it’s important to be taking steps forward, the Bombers also recognize they’ve allowed opposing rushers to eclipse 100 yards in each of the first three games and that there are other areas that still need to be tightened up to reach the high standard the club has set for itself.

“Most definitely. You can see some positives in there,” said Jefferson. “Again, we just have to be better. In the second half. Especially when we take the lead, we’ve got to be able to go out there and play Winnipeg defence.”

There’s no doubt Winnipeg’s early struggles on offence and special teams put the defence in a hole on several occasions, especially during the first half.

“That’s two (games) in a row now we’ve put ourselves in a hole like that. And that’s on us on offence.”

“You can’t put yourself in a hole,” said Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros. “That’s two (games) in a row now we’ve put ourselves in a hole like that. And that’s on us on offence.

“Our defence, I thought, was unbelievable all night, with respect to us putting them in really bad situations. They battled all night long.”

One of the things to monitor this week is the status of Blue Bombers defensive end Jake Ceresna, who left Thursday’s game with an undisclosed injury.

Ceresna, who was one of the headliners of the 2026 free agent class, had three sacks against the Stampeders in his debut with the Blue and Gold.

O’Shea was frustrated his group “didn’t start on time” in all three phases of the game and while he was encouraged by a lot of what he saw during the second half, he’s looking for more from the entire group.

“These guys are pros. They understand what they’re capable of, based on the second half,” said O’Shea. “And they’re not going to look at that and say, ‘Oh, we should build on the second half, that was really good.’ They’re going to look at it from the lens of ‘if we did that in the first half, this is a different story.’”

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