Inconsistency plagues Bombers as season hangs in balance

It’s reached a point where members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers can no longer hide their frustration.

They’ve been inconsistent all season, and it caught up with them again Friday at Commonwealth Stadium in a 35-27 loss to the Edmonton Elks.

The Bombers (8-9) could’ve clinched a playoff berth with a win. With both the Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-8) and Calgary Stampeders (9-9) winning Saturday, Winnipeg must now beat the B.C. Lions (10-7) in Vancouver on Friday to qualify for the post-season.

Meanwhile, the Elks improved to 13-4 and secured first place in the West Division for the first time since 2015.

Bombers safety Redha Kramdi summed it up best in a post-game chat with the Free Press.

“This is annoying to keep saying ‘We gotta find a way to figure it out’ because the season is almost over,” he said.

“We gotta find a way to become a good team and we don’t have time. We need to figure it out now. It’s really frustrating because we have the right people in this room and we’ve got the right coaches. We just need to put everything together which is the same thing I’ve been saying over and over again.”

The silver lining for Winnipeg is that B.C. is locked into the No. 2 seed in the West and has nothing to play for in the regular-season finale.

Before looking ahead to the Lions, let’s revisit Friday with 5 Takeaways.

THROWING IT AWAY

Zach Collaros made some brilliant throws.

Unfortunately, two poor decisions overshadowed much of his good work.

The Bombers were backed up at their own nine-yard line in the second quarter when the 38-year-old quarterback stared down rookie receiver Dorian Singer, allowing defensive back Kenny Logan Jr., to make an easy interception.

Then, in the fourth quarter, Winnipeg trailed 28-24 but had worked its way into field-goal range when Collaros chucked up a deep pass to Nic Demski off his back foot. The pass was badly under thrown and ended up in the arms of linebacker Nick Anderson.

The Elks didn’t turn the ball over once. Winnipeg is now 2-5 this season when it loses the turnover battle.

Collaros finished 28-of-33 for 331 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Ontaria Wilson was his go-to target, hauling in 11 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown.

The Bombers entered the week with a dreadful 44.7 per cent second-down conversion rate. They were much better at moving the chains Friday, converting 11 of 18 second-down opportunities for a 61.1 per cent success rate.

The passing attack has thrived since Collaros returned from a head injury last week. But that production means little when Winnipeg keeps shooting itself in the foot and its opponent avoids the same mistakes.

UNNECESSARY ERRORS

Collaros wasn’t the only one making mistakes on offence.

Short-yardage quarterback Bryce Perkins picked up a first down near midfield on a third-and-one in the second quarter, but the Bombers were forced to punt after rookie offensive lineman Tyler Elsbury was flagged for being offside, spoiling the drive.

Winnipeg also squandered a prime opportunity in the fourth quarter when they had a second-and-two at Edmonton’s 14-yard line. Rather than using Perkins or attempting a pass, Collaros handed the ball to Brady Oliveira from the shotgun. The play was blown up immediately and Oliveira lost a yard.

The Bombers settled for a Sergio Castillo chip-shot field goal, cutting Edmonton’s lead to 28-27 with 2:32 remaining.

It’s possible that offensive co-ordinator Tommy Condell called a pass and Collaros audibled to a run. Either way, it was a terrible idea no matter who made the call.

“I felt like that was a crucial moment,” said Oliveira.

“The play that’s called we gotta go execute and we didn’t.”

TURNING POINT

The Bombers led 21-10 with less than a minute to go in the first half before disaster struck.

Elks returner Montrell Washington broke loose for a 65-yard kickoff return, putting the home side in scoring position before the break.

“It’s just not up to our standard,” said special teams ace Nick Hallett.

“We have the guys that know how to cover, we’ve shown that all year. So, in important moments, we need to do better.”

A few plays later, Edmonton faced third-and-goal from the four-yard line. Rather than settle for a field goal, the Elks gambled — and it paid off with Zac Fajardo connecting with Austin Mack for a touchdown, shifting the momentum in their favour.

Edmonton took the lead on its first possession of the second half and never looked back.

ELKS ON TOP

The West runs through Edmonton.

It’s been a long time since that sentence rang true.

Owner Deb Thompson, who took over after her husband, Larry, died last year, second-year head coach Mark Kilam and veteran quarterback Cody Fajardo deserve plenty of credit for getting the franchise back on track.

The Elks are only a few years removed from setting a CFL record with 22 consecutive home losses, making their turnaround all the more remarkable.

Their first-place finish is even more impressive given how competitive the West Division has been this season.

While the Montreal Alouettes are a popular pick to win it all, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Edmonton hoist the Grey Cup next month in Calgary.

The Elks boast the CFL’s top-ranked defence and a formidable trio on offence in Fajardo, receiver Austin Mack and running back Justin Rankin.

“I’ll say this, not one single person outside of this building thought we could do what we did tonight, and we did that, so there’s more to accomplish, but we’ll keep the critics where they’re at and we’re just going to keep winning football games,” said Fajardo.

Not long ago, Fajardo was being written off. He signed with Edmonton last season as a backup before taking over for an underwhelming Tre Ford.

Fajardo beat the Bombers in the 2023 Grey Cup as Montreal’s starting quarterback. He would surely welcome the chance to face his former team on the three-down game’s biggest stage.

GROUND GAME

Cody Fajardo didn’t do much with his arm, and he didn’t have to.

He completed 12 of 17 passes for a season-low 120 yards and two touchdowns.

The 34-year-old, however, gave the Bombers headaches with his legs, turning back the clock with 72 rushing yards on eight attempts and two more scores.

Justin Rankin was equally impressive, rushing for 133 yards on 23 carries. He accounted for 69 yards on 10 carries during Edmonton’s game-clinching, 13-play, 91-yard drive.

“Cody and Rankin found ways to keep that offence on the field. We knew Cody is the type of quarterback to do whatever it takes to win, he don’t care about the statline,” said Kramdi.

“We have to tighten up on defence. It’s unacceptable, honestly.”

For the third consecutive week, Brady Oliveira was held to fewer than 45 yards. The league’s leading rusher managed just nine carries for 37 yards as Condell’s offence continues to lean more heavily on the passing game.

The Bombers need to get Oliveira more involved if they want to play beyond this week.

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