Bombers bring A-game in avenging Labour Day loss

This season hasn’t been overly pretty at times for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

But if they’ve proven anything over their last four games, including Saturday’s 19-6 Banjo Bowl victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, it’s that they’re capable of beating the CFL’s best when they come to play.

“The sky’s the limit for this team. We can hang with anyone, and we know that,” said receiver Tommy Nield. “It’s just a matter of being consistent and playing team football.”

The Bombers, now 7-6, avenged their Labour Day Classic loss and won the season series with the Riders (8-5) thanks to point differential in their head-to-head meetings.

The Blue and Gold are on a bye this week but will continue their pursuit of the post-season on Sept. 25 when they host Toronto (7-6).

Before we kick our feet up for the break, let’s revisit the Banjo Bowl with another edition of 5 Takeaways.

COLLAROS LEAVES EARLY

For the third year in a row, Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros has suffered an injury in the annual back-to-back series.

He suffered a shoulder-to-helmet hit in the 2024 Labour Day Classic and missed the second half. He was drilled in the side of the facemask by a blitzing defender at the end of the third quarter in the 2025 Banjo Bowl before leaving the game. And on Saturday, his streak of bad luck continued — only this time, the play appeared to be much more innocent.

With just over five minutes left in the third quarter, Collaros threw a questionable interception to Riders defensive back Seyi Oladipo Jr. Collaros chased after Oladipo and fell on top of him as Nield tackled him near the sideline. The 38-year-old remained on the ground for a moment before eventually jogging to the locker room.

It wasn’t a big collision, nor did Collaros seem to hit the turf awkwardly, so it was a shock to see backup pivot Dru Brown enter the game and finish it.

Thankfully for the Bombers, the bye gives Collaros time to recover. The bad news is that it’s concerning, to say the least, that a play like that was enough to take him out in the first place.

That said, it’s possible Collaros was already banged up, considering he was sacked four times.

Regardless of when he was injured or how serious the injury is, the Bombers need to do a better job of keeping him clean. Collaros might also want to consider leaving the tackling to his teammates.

BRADY IS BALLIN’

It wasn’t that long ago when a young Brady Oliveira was given the near-impossible task of filling the shoes of one of the greatest players in CFL history — and a fellow Winnipegger — in Andrew Harris.

Fast forward a few years, and Oliveira has also built himself a Hall of Fame-calibre career and is accomplishing things that no one, not even Harris, has done before.

Oliveira made history on Saturday by becoming the first Canadian to run for 1,000-plus yards in five consecutive seasons.

The 29-year-old had 14 carries for 100 yards and now has 1,084 on the year, which is 161 yards more than second-place Dedrick Mills of Calgary.

The feat should feel even more satisfying considering it came against Saskatchewan — a team that had limited him to fewer than five yards per carry in their last six matchups.

“I’m proud. But I still think there’s still lots for me to do,” said Oliveira. “And that excites me and that drives me, gives me more hunger to keep going.”

Harris is the all-time leading Canadian rusher with 10,380 yards. Oliveira is at 6,564, and if he stays healthy and plays at a similar level into his 30s, he has a chance to make even more history in the coming years.

KRAMDI’S BIG RETURN

Redha Kramdi might not be a household name — at least not yet.

But the Bombers safety showed on Saturday why his teammates and coaches have been raving about him for years.

From start to finish, it felt like Kramdi knew what was coming and how to stop it. He also made two of the biggest plays of the contest with a forced fumble and an interception.

It was the first time in his six-year career that he caused two turnovers in a game.

The 29-year-old from Montreal returned to the lineup after missing six games with a broken bone in his left hand.

“He’s not underrated in this building. I don’t think he’s underrated in the league, either,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.

“I think guys understand how good he is.”

Kramdi is one of the best draft picks general manager Kyle Walters has made during his tenure.

When they selected him in the second round, 16th overall, in the 2021 CFL Draft, they figured he’d be a significant contributor on special teams. Kramdi has gone on to blow those expectations out of the water and establish himself as one of the most valuable Canadians in the league.

He’s not the biggest, strongest or fastest, but Kramdi is consistently referred to as a ‘coach on the field’ for his in-depth knowledge of the game.

“He’s amazing,” said halfback Evan Holm. “He’s a good, vocal leader, but also makes plays.”

TESTING TEXADA

The Riders went out of their way to attack rookie Bombers corner Ridge Texada early and often.

Riders QB Trevor Harris took a deep shot at Texada, who was making just the second start of his career in place of veteran Jonathan Moxey, on the third play of the game, but the defender broke it up.

Texada also had a key pass breakup in the end zone in the third quarter to preserve a 13-3 lead.

The Bombers had a whopping 10 pass breakups, with Holm leading the way with three. Fellow halfback Deatrick Nichols also impressed with a forced fumble.

It was a brilliant performance all the way around by the defence, as six points is the fewest any team has scored in the CFL this season. It’s also the fewest points the Riders have scored since Corey Mace became head coach in 2024.

TOUCHDOWN TOMMY

The Tommy Nield signing has not panned out thus far.

After establishing himself as a fan favourite in Riderville, the 27-year-old receiver inked a two-year deal worth $175,000-plus per season with Winnipeg.

The man known as “Touchdown Tommy” was still searching for his first TD in blue and gold entering the weekend, and he finally snapped his drought in the second quarter with a 30-yard catch-and-run on a play where he was wide open.

The Bombers are hoping that’ll get him going, especially with Ontaria Wilson on the six-game injured list.

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