Stakes high for Big Blue

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This article was published 27/08/2021 (1474 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been a long time since the Winnipeg Blue Bombers faced a West Division foe.

But the wait is officially over as the Blue and Gold welcome the Calgary Stampeders (1-2) to IG Field on Sunday at 6 p.m.

“It’s been forever since we’ve played a rival,” said Bombers receiver Drew Wolitarsky. “It’s something that we have gratitude for now to be able to play this game again and go out there and have an atmosphere like we do here. I’m excited.”

After starting the season with wins against East Division opponents in Hamilton and Toronto, the Bombers got knocked down a few pegs last week as the Argos rebounded from a Week 2 defeat to beat Winnipeg 30-23 in Toronto.

Through three weeks, they’ve shown glimpses of being a similar team to the squad that hoisted the Grey Cup in 2019, but at the same time, there are some questions in Bomberland.

Here are five storylines to watch for in Week 4 as the Bombers and Stampeders meet for the first time since the 2019 West Division semi-final.

IT’S STILL EARLY, BUT THIS ONE’S IMPORTANT

It’s only Week 4, but the stakes are already high at this point in the season.

Not to look past this weekend, but the Bombers play back to back games against the undefeated Saskatchewan Roughriders after Sunday’s date with the Stamps. Don’t you think they’d feel quite a bit better heading into that with a 3-1 record as opposed to sitting at .500? A Bombers win Sunday would also keep Calgary in the basement of the West Division standings and put them in a dangerous 1-3 hole.

Regardless of what the standings say, the intensity always feels like it’s ramped up a bit when it’s a showdown with Calgary. It’s a rivalry the Bombers have fared well in as of late as they won three of four meetings in 2019.

“It’s always intense, man. I know we have a thing with Sask. and the Banjo Bowl is crazy, but Calgary, especially in the playoffs my first couple years, was that team we couldn’t get past,” said Wolitarsky.

“It kind of had this bad blood, like these guys are frustrating, right?… I would say it’s up there with Sask. for players. I don’t know for fans, but definitely for us it’s a game that we take very seriously.”

SPECIAL TEAMS FAR FROM SPECIAL

Justin Medlock is at home and Janarion Grant is out with an injury and the Bombers are feeling the sting of both losses.

Medlock’s replacement Tyler Crapigna, who sat out Friday’s practice with a hamstring injury, had a rough game last week in Toronto as he had a 37-yarder partially blocked and another attempt from 47 yards sail wide.

The team’s rookie punter Marc Liegghio has attempted more punts (28) than anybody in the CFL through three games, but his average of 43.5 yards is the second worst in the league.

In case you haven’t heard, the Dallas Cowboys released Canadian kicker and former Bomber Lirim Hajrullahu this week.

Just saying.

If Crapigna and Liegghio struggle on Sunday, the calls for Medlock, Hajrullahu, or anyone else for that matter, will only get louder.

It’s not just the legs, as the Bombers return game has also been lacklustre since Grant went down with an injury in Week 1, forcing the team to put him on the six-game injured list.

Charles Nelson has taken over punt-return duties and is only averaging 8.9 yards on 16 attempts. It’s been quite the drop off from Grant, a Rutgers University product that torched Calgary for a pair of punt return touchdowns in his CFL debut in 2019.

The Stamps will be thrilled to see Grant out of the lineup, but it’s time for Nelson to do a better job at filling those shoes.

MAKE MAIER MISERABLE

It’s Jake Maier time in Calgary as star quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is out with a broken leg.

Maier proved he can steer the Stamps to victory as he overcame two early interceptions to help the team to a 28-22 victory over Montreal last week in his first career start.

The Bombers can’t afford to let the rookie get comfortable and build up his confidence. Their defensive unit, that sacked Toronto pivot Nick Arbuckle four times in Week 3, will need to get after Maier early and often.

“They have the true identity of rushing the passer and they believe in what they’re doing. You could see that with just the body language and the swag that they all have,” Maier said Friday.

“…There’s things that we can do to help slow that down a little bit (and) we’re gonna need to be able to at least limit what their greatest strength is. I think that goes with any game plan against any football team — you want to try to limit what makes the other team great. It’s gonna be a great challenge but we’re up for it.”

RUN GAME WOES

Andrew Harris was moving around pretty well at the beginning of the week, but the 34-year-old running back didn’t participate in practice Friday.

Don’t expect No. 33 to make his season debut this week.

The last thing the Bombers need is for Harris to have a setback as their ground game has been non-existent for two weeks. Brady Oliveira and O’Shea downplayed the rushing struggles after Thursday’s practice, but whether they want to admit it or not, it needs to be better. Toronto put the clamps on Oliveira as the Winnipegger only averaged 2.8 yards per carry in two games against the Boatmen.

The Bombers averaged a league-high 147.9 yards rushing in 2019 (to be fair, Chris Streveler was a huge reason for that). They’re now averaging just over half of their 2019 total as they’re sixth in the league, averageing 78 yards rushing per game after three weeks of play.

The good news for Winnipeg is that Calgary hasn’t stuffed the run like Toronto has this season. Through three weeks, the Stampeders are giving up 103.3 yards on the ground per contest.

PASS RUSH ADVANTAGE GOES TO WINNIPEG

There’s more good news for Winnipeg: Calgary only has three sacks in three games.

Derek Wiggan, Shawn Lemon and Mike Rose each has a sack to their name, but overall, the group has been flat in 2021.

Bombers defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat has three sacks all by himself.

You don’t need to tell Calgary that, though. They’re well aware of Jeffcoat’s dominant start.

Earlier this week, Stamps left-tackle Ucambre Williams was asked about going up against Willie Jefferson, but Williams shifted the focus to Jeffcoat.

“Honestly, right now I’d say (Jeffcoat) is looking like the best one in the league right now,” Williams said. “Both of those guys are making hay, being disruptive, being active. You’ve gotta compete with those guys, lock into the details, really film-study and gameplan. They’re great players and they get paid, as well. They’re going to make their plays but it’s how you bounce back and how you compete with those guys.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @TaylorAllen31