Playing full 60 key to Bombers victory

Fourteen points isn’t going to cut it this week.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-2) clash with the Toronto Argonauts’ (2-2) high-powered offence Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

The Bombers grinded out a 14-13 victory in Hamilton on Sunday in a game where both starting quarterbacks — Zach Collaros and Bo Levi Mitchell — left with injuries. Toronto’s previous outing couldn’t have been more different as the Argos were torched 58-36 by the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.

With the Argos ranked second in scoring (37.5 points per game) and dead last in points allowed (38.3), the scoreboard operator could be busy for this one.

“Whatever the outcome of the game is going to be, or however many points are scored, I think if we can go out there and play a full 60 (minutes) and three-phase football, I think we’ll be all right by the end of it,” said Bombers running back Brady Oliveira.

To get you ready for kickoff, here’s the latest edition of 5 Storylines.

Brown’s debut

Welcome back to Winnipeg, Dru Brown.

The Bombers acquired the 29-year-old quarterback from the Ottawa Redblacks on June 23 for moments like this. With Collaros (neck) out, Brown — who was in street clothes in Hamilton — has leapfrogged rookie Taylor Elgersma for QB1 duties.

The last time Brown started for Winnipeg was in the 2023 regular-season finale in Calgary, when he completed 13-of-17 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns. He spent three seasons with the Bombers but never started a game at Princess Auto Stadium.

The last time he faced the Argos was last August with Ottawa, when he carved up Toronto for 373 yards and five touchdowns.

The Bombers rank last in the CFL in scoring at 22.3 points per game. The club will likely need to exceed that average with Brown under centre to keep pace with its East Division opponent.

Must stop Kelly

Argos quarterback Chad Kelly is putting up historic numbers through four games.

The CFL’s leading passer (1,484 yards) and touchdown thrower (12) is on pace to eclipse Doug Flutie’s single-season record of 6,619 yards set with the B.C. Lions in 1991.

Kelly has made just one career start against Winnipeg — on Oct. 11, 2024, when he threw for 203 yards and a touchdown in a 14-11 victory.

The Argos lead the league with 14 offensive big plays and passing yards per attempt (10.5).

“Chad is playing amazing football. Their offence is executing at a high level,” said Bombers safety Redha Kramdi.

“Even if you’re in a good position, he’ll throw it up. Regardless of the scheme, and who’s where and who has to do what, the ball is going up and we have to make plays.”

The knock on Kelly is he also leads the CFL in interceptions — racking up eight over four games. Something will have to give because the Bombers have only intercepted one pass all season.

Air attack

Kelly’s numbers are even more impressive considering how dreadful Toronto’s secondary has been.

The Argos allowed Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. to throw for 405 yards and six touchdowns last week. Through four games, Toronto has surrendered a league-worst 384 passing yards per game.

The Bombers, then, have a chance to do some damage through the air, even without Collaros at the helm — something the club hasn’t done much of in 2026. Winnipeg ranks last in passing yards, and you have to scroll all the way down to No. 20 on the league leaderboard to find the team’s leading receiver, Nic Demski, with 16 catches for 228 yards.

The Bombers will, of course, lean heavily on Oliveira, but the Argos boast the CFL’s second-best run defence, allowing just 69.3 rushing yards per game.

Vaval v. Grant

Trey Vaval and Janarion Grant might be worth the price of admission alone.

Arguably the two best returners in the CFL, Vaval was the league’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player last season, while Grant won the award with Toronto in 2024.

Grant, who played for the Bombers from 2019-23, returned a punt for a touchdown two weeks ago against Saskatchewan, giving him 15 return touchdowns in his seven-year career.

It’ll be a challenge for Grant to make it No. 16 against Winnipeg, however. The Bombers are the only team this season that hasn’t allowed a kickoff return, while every other club has surrendered at least two.

It’s only a matter of time before Vaval finds the end zone. He leads the CFL in punt-return yards and ranks second on kickoffs. Grant — arguably the greatest returner in Bombers history — sits third in both categories.

Defend home turf

The Bombers are in danger of losing a third straight game at Princess Auto Stadium. The last time Winnipeg opened a campaign 0-3 on Chancellor Matheson Road was 2016.

“It’s brutal. We gotta win,” said Oliveira.

“Obviously, we have high standards here and we’ve won a lot of football games at home. Us starting out the season 0-2 at home is pretty rare and we’ve got to switch that — we’ve got to get back in the win column at home.”

Win or lose, chances are this one will come down to the wire. All four of Winnipeg’s games have been decided in the final three minutes, and the Bombers have yet to hold a lead larger than eight points at any point this year.

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