Five storylines for Bombers vs. Eskimos

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This article was published 02/10/2015 (3748 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Five storylines to ponder heading into Saturday’s regular-season game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Edmonton Eskimos:

1. Can the Bombers contain the Eskimos’ front seven?

 The Eskimos’ defence is second in the CFL in sacks this season with 37 and is also simultaneously the stingiest rush defence in the league, yielding on average just 69.6 yards on the ground per game.

That’s a deadly combination — you cannot run against them and so you revert to the pass, but then they crush your quarterback.

What’s more, you’re never sure what they’re throwing at you from one down to the next because head coach Chris Jones is considered a guru in disguising his defences and coming up with new twists on a weekly basis that are the stuff of QB’s nightmares.

If you can get to the Eskimos’ secondary, you can have success. But that’s a big ‘if.’

2. Matt Nichols vs. Chris Jones

The Bombers QB spent five-plus seasons in Edmonton before being traded to Winnipeg in early September.

A lot of Nichols’ time in Edmonton was spent as an Eskimos backup and seeing the second-team defence in practice. But Nichols also started seven games for Edmonton this season and in that role saw more of the Eskimos first defence in practice than any opposing QB in league will ever see in a game.

You’d have to think that experience would have given Nichols some insights that could be valuable to the Bombers pivot today. But you also have to think that Edmonton’s Jones knows that and will have come up with a gameplan today to neutralize whatever advantage Nichols might have derived from familiarity.

3. Can the Bombers contain Esks QB Mike Reilly?

Reilly has feasted on Bombers defences in the past, making them pay dearly for their inability to contain him when he takes off out of the pocket.

That kind of mobility is a quality in a QB this Bombers defence has struggled to contain again this season and Winnipeg will be in for a long night if Reilly is torching them through the air and on the ground.

In four career starts against the Bombers, Reilly is a perfect 4-0. Any other questions?

4. Winning the turnover battle

The Bombers have given up more points to their opponents off turnovers this season — 117 — than any other team in the league. And it’s not even close — the Argos have given up the second most points off turnovers at 94.

Making matters worse, the Bombers have scored just 47 points of their own off turnovers — second fewest in the league.

What becomes clear is this Bombers team as presently constituted cannot afford to make mistakes because they pay so dearly when they do.

5. Home cooking

The Bombers are just 1-5 on the road this season but 3-4 at home. With three of their final four regular-season games after today on the road, the Bombers need to take fullest advantage of the friendly confines of Investors Group Field the rest of the way if they’re going to stay alive in the playoff race.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek