Big Blue taste victory Big Blue taste victory — Bombers finally in win column after gutsy effort against Redblacks By: Jeff Hamilton Posted: 10:57 PM CDT Friday, Jul. 5, 2024 Last Modified: 12:21 AM CDT Saturday, Jul. 6, 2024 Updates

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This article was published 05/07/2024 (790 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It took longer than anyone could have expected, and it might not have been the prettiest of performances, but the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have finally hit the win column.

The Bombers had come close the last few weeks but were finally able to gut out a victory, downing the Ottawa Redblacks 25-16 in front of 28,719 at Princess Auto Stadium Friday night.

With the win, Winnipeg improved to 1-4, while the Redblacks dropped to 2-2.

“It’s hard to win in this league, and to get that monkey off our back, we now have some momentum going into next week,” Bombers receiver Nic Demski said. “We just got to keep the pedal to the metal and just keep going and stacking up these wins.”

After making the last four Grey Cups, many had the Bombers to continue their dominance again this season. But an 0-4 start soon changed the narrative, with critics claiming Winnipeg had finally taken a step back.

That seemed to be the case following a dismal 27-12 season-opening loss to the Montreal Alouettes. The noise didn’t exactly soften with three more defeats that followed, but the Bombers improved their play each week, losing their last three games by a combined nine points.

Injuries had also started to pile up, including losing receivers Kenny Lawler (arm) and Dalton Schoen (knee), as well as several starters on defence, particularly across the defensive line. Then came the loss to star quarterback, Zach Collaros, who was ruled out against the Redblacks with a thorax injury suffered in the first half of last week’s loss to the Calgary Stampeders.

That cleared the way for Chris Streveler to take over and the Bombers backup pivot came just short of completing a fourth-quarter comeback, falling to the Stamps in overtime. But Streveler vowed to be better, and he would eventually get the chance to redeem himself against the Redblacks.

Streveler had spent two years with the Bombers before spending the next few trying to make a name for himself in the NFL. When interest down south dried up, he re-signed with the Bombers on a team-friendly deal.

It was Streveler’s first professional football start in almost five years, with the last one coming late into the 2019 CFL season, as a member of the Blue and Gold.

By night’s end, Streveler was a modest 13-for-21 passing for 127 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. Most of the offence’s damage was done on ground, with Streveler earning 79 yards on 13 carries and running back Brady Oliveira torching the Redblacks for 129 rushing yards on 23 rushes, adding a team-high 37 receiving yards on five catches.

“Not having started a game in five years and not having played a ton of football and being out of football for a year last year, I don’t take these opportunities for granted, I don’t take these moments for granted and it makes it that much sweeter being able to go out there with these guys and fight like we did,” Streveler said. “It just honestly makes me emotional because I just know how rare these opportunities are and it’s really special.”

The Bombers finished with 335 yards of net offence, outduelling the Redblacks’ 283. Winnipeg forced three turnovers and a trio of sacks, while Ottawa had no turnovers and one sack.

Streveler’s rust from a long layoff was evident early on, as he struggled to find his touch against a stingy Redblacks defence. But he would settle in as the game wore on leading the Bombers to a 13-3 lead at halftime.

Winnipeg opened the game with a 10-play, 56-yard drive that was capped with a 28-yard field goal from Sergio Castillo and a 3-0 lead for the home side. Streveler threw for 16 yards and rushed for 30, which would become a theme of the game.

Up 6-3 after another Castillo field goal, this one from 53 yards out, Streveler and the offence went to the ground game to register the first touchdown of the night.

The drive started at the Bombers’ 40-yard line and consisted of 11 runs, without a single pass thrown. Oliveira had five rushes totalling 54 yards, while Streveler ran six times for 16 yards, his final rush a one-yard plunge into the end zone to go up 13-3.

Streveler finished the first half seven-for-12 passing for 70 yards, along with nine rushes for 55 yards. Oliveira reached a season-high 75 rushing yards on 11 carries through two quarters.

“We played well in all three phases, and we ran the ball well,” Streveler said. “Our defence played amazing. They made big plays, big takeaways, sacks in critical moments. That was our brand of football. I’m just really proud of the way the guys fought tonight.”

Meanwhile, the Bombers defence put on a clinic through the first two quarters, limiting the Redblacks to 129 yards of offence. Of Ottawa’s six drives in the first half, four resulted in a two-and-out.

Former Bomber quarterback Dru Brown made his return to Winnipeg for the first time since signing a two-year contract with Ottawa over the winter. Brown was pressured all half, unable to get much going outside of a six-play, 32-yard drive that led to an 18-yard field goal on the club’s second series of the game.

Things would go from bad to worse for Brown, who was on the receiving end of a hit to the helmet from Bombers strong-side linebacker Redha Kramdi. Kramdi caught Brown in the head as he was attempting to slide following a run attempt. Brown stayed on the field for a while and was later ruled out of the game.

“First and foremost, Dru is functioning normally and so we’re happy with that,” Redblacks head coach Bob Dyce said. “Obviously, I didn’t like the hit. It seemed to me to be someone leading with their head on a player who was defenceless, but I can’t control that.”

Dustin Crum, who finished the night eight-for-11 passing and one interception, would take over with good field position, first-and-10 from Winnipeg’s 34. The Redblacks would get as far as the 22-yard line, but a lateral pass to running back Ryquell Armstead was fumbled and the Bombers took over the ball on their own 33.

The Bombers carried the momentum into the second half, with the defence opening the third quarter by forcing a fumble.

Willie Jefferson, the Bombers usually dominant defensive end, has had a slow start to the year, with just one sack through the first four games. He doubled his total with a strip sack on Crum, which he also recovered, giving Winnipeg the ball back on their own 52-yard line.

Streveler and the offence would muscle their way towards Ottawa’s end zone, getting as far as the five-yard line. The drive was aided by a spearing penalty on Redblacks defensive back Tobias Harris, who connected with Streveler’s head on a similar play that knocked Brown from the game.

“That’s a guy who understands gratitude. He’s a guy who just gets it,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said of Streveler. “He’s been plugging away and plugging away and not probably getting to exactly where he wanted to be, and now he’s exactly where he should be.”

A two-yard run by Oliveira, followed by a pass to the Bombers running back on the next play that would lose a yard, eventually stalled the drive. Castillo cleaned up with a 13-yard field goal, extending Winnipeg’s lead to 16-3 midway through the third quarter.

Just when it looked like the Bombers might run away with the game, the Redblacks, led by Crum, answered back with an eight-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a four-yard rushing touchdown by Armstead. Suddenly, it was a one-score game, the Bombers lead cut to 16-10.

Up 19-10 following another 53-yard field goal from Castillo, the Bombers defence went back to work, forcing a third turnover of the game. Terrell Bonds intercepted a deep pass from Crum, picking the ball at Winnipeg’s 20 before returning it 28 yards to the 48.

The Bombers offence couldn’t take advantage of the strong field position, punting it back three plays later. It wouldn’t matter, though, with the Bombers forcing another two-and-out for the Redblacks.

Winnipeg added to their lead on the ensuing series, with Castillo connecting on his fifth field goal of the evening. The 49-yard boot made it 22-10 with fewer than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Redblacks refused to go away quietly.

A 51-field goal by Lewis Ward cut the Bombers lead to 22-13 and then the Redblacks forced a quick two-and-out to get the ball back with just more than five minutes remaining. They added another field goal, this one from 35 yards, to make it a 22-16 game with 2:27 remaining in the fourth.

That’s when the Bombers really looked like the team of old, bullying the Redblacks all the way to their own 11-yard line before sealing the game with an 18-yard field goal with seconds remaining.

“We battled out there,” Oliveira said. “Man, that feels good. When you truly go out there and fight every single play, all three phases going out there doing their part, battling, and when you go out there and get a ‘W,’ it feels good.”

The Bombers will enjoy the victory and then move on quickly to next week, where they’ll welcome the Stampeders to town for a Week 6 tilt Friday night.