The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Calgary Stampeders by a score of 24-11 on Friday night at IG Field in front of an announced crowd of 30,561. Below are my thoughts on the game.
Big play McCrae
Greg McCrae made easily the two biggest plays of the game on Friday night and they proved to be the difference in a tough West Division matchup.
The 25-year-old recorded a 68-yard touchdown catch-and-run late in the first half, which tied the score at 11 going into halftime. Winnipeg had previously called a hitch screen to the wideout and appeared to be running the same play as McCrae slowed from his waggle, feigning a block for Rasheed Bailey.
McCrae then exploded back into a full stride, catching defensive back Branden Dozier flat-footed. Zach Collaros, who’d pump-faked to sell the quick screen, simply lobbed the ball up to let McCrae run underneath it for the score. Winnipeg had already reversed their early field position woes and made a few big plays on defence, but this was the spark that really turned the tide for the rest of the game.
The Nighthawk takes flight 🦅@NikeheadGreg #CFL #Bombers #ForTheW
pic.twitter.com/m3ucJvACzz— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) July 8, 2023
McCrae later took over return duties from an injured Janarion Grant and made the most of the opportunity, bringing back a missed field goal for 102 yards early in the fourth quarter. He initially caught the ball to the left of the uprights before breaking contain to the right and sprinting up the sideline. He reversed field around Winnipeg’s 50-yard line and came close to scoring before finally being tackled by defensive end Julian Howsare.
The Nighthawk Returns (literally)🦅@NikeheadGreg #CFL #Bombers #ForTheW
pic.twitter.com/PwTqzCNMvV— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) July 8, 2023
“I was just assessing the kick team and seeing where their guys were set up. I knew the call that we had and once I assessed everything, I felt like I was able to get out and make a good run for the team and put us in good position,” said McCrae. “It was great blocking by our return team to get out in front of me and fight to get blocks. They were running just as hard as me to spring me free.”
McCrae also lamented not scoring a touchdown on the play, acknowledging that he was out of breath by the end of the return.
Head coach Mike O’Shea credited McCrae for replacing Grant so effectively while also giving props to those who blocked in front of him.
“It’s obviously cool and his teammates really appreciate that,” said O’Shea. “You’re gonna find there’s lots of guys that can do a bunch of different things for us that are always ready. Our coaching staff does a great job of making sure guys are prepared and on that big field return, the blocking was superb. They’ve gotta give him a good clean run and they did.”
McCrae doesn’t have a traditional position. He’s kind of a running back, sort of a receiver, and a bit of a return specialist. Regardless, it’s clear that Winnipeg needs to find a way to keep him on the roster to continue allowing him to make big plays.
Willie or won’t he
Willie Jefferson had another strong performance on Friday night, recording another two sacks. He’s now up to six on the season, which puts him one shy of Mathieu Betts for the league lead. The two edge rushers are on a level all to themselves right now, as no other player in the CFL has more than three sacks on the year.
Jackson Jeffcoat also had his best game since returning from injury, enveloping Jake Maier in almost perfect synchronization with Jefferson on his second sack. He also had a late knockdown after chasing Tommy Stevens from the pocket.
Maier didn’t have a strong outing as he completed 14-of-25 pass attempts for 122 yards and one interception. The third-year passer has yet to prove that he’s anything more than a game manager, though he’s not been accurate enough even in Calgary’s horizontal passing attack. He didn’t push the ball downfield until late in the third quarter and the play resulted in an interception by Demerio Houston after he threw into double coverage.
If it weren’t for their excellent run game, Calgary’s offence would be in big trouble. It’s worth noting that Maier was pulled late in favour of Stevens despite not appearing to be injured.
Costly penalty
Deatrick Nichols is arguably the best defensive back in the CFL but he took a very costly penalty late in the first quarter when he was charged with illegal contact on Marken Michel. The receiver ran a short out route and Nichols appeared to shove him to the ground from behind as he came out of his break, though it’s possible Michel slipped and lost his footing as the replay was somewhat unclear.
The penalty came on an unsuccessful third-down gamble from the Stampeders that would have seen the Blue Bombers take possession at their own 21-yard line with the score 3-0 for Calgary. Instead, the Stampeders were awarded a first down and punched the ball into the end zone two plays later, making it 10-0.
Game of inches
Winnipeg elected not to try a 51-yard field goal attempt at the end of the first quarter and sent punter Jamieson Sheahan out to try and bury the Stampeders deep in their own end. The ball landed near Calgary’s 15-yard line and rolled slowly to the corner where it plunked the pylon, ruling it in-bounds.
The play resulted in a rouge and allowed the Stampeders to take possession at their 40-yard line, which eliminated the field position advantage Mike O’Shea was clearly hoping to achieve. Had the punt rolled an extra six inches to the right, it would have been perfect. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a punt roll directly into one of the pylons at the front of the end zone.
It was interesting to see Sergio Castillo not given a chance to make the long field goal, which would have been kicked into a light breeze. It’s worth noting that Peyton Logan, Calgary’s star return specialist, didn’t dress due to a hamstring injury.
Field position killed Winnipeg for most of the first half as they were frequently backed up near their own end zone.
It’s not a coincidence that the team got its first field goal of the game after Calgary was forced to punt from their own 25-yard line and took a 15-yard no yards penalty. The club scored its first touchdown on the following drive after taking possession at their 37-yard line after Cody Grace’s punt was partially blocked by Brian Cole.
General Mills
The first big play of the game came on a 33-yard carry from Calgary running back Dedrick Mills, which led to a 30-yard field goal from Rene Paredes. Weak-side linebacker Malik Clements appeared to overcommit to an inside rushing lane, while middle linebacker Adam Bighill was taken out of the play by centre Sean McEwen.
Mills finished the first quarter with seven carries for 74 yards and one touchdown, accounting for the vast majority of Calgary’s offensive production. Winnipeg’s defence tightened up well, limiting him to only 23 rushing yards over the final three quarters.
Cole-ateral damage
Brian Cole had an excellent game, recording three special teams and the partial punt block. He also appeared to force a fumble and recover it on a Calgary kickoff return late in the third quarter, though returner Floyd Allen was ruled down by contact following a review by the command centre.
For a player who went down to the practice roster early in the year and has since made his way back into the lineup, Cole certainly earned his keep.
North Dakota
Dakota Prukop saw the field for the first time since returning to Winnipeg following a stint in the USFL, converting on third-and-short with a gain of four yards late in the third quarter. He finished the game with four carries for nine yards. His most impressive carry of the night came late in the fourth quarter when linebacker Micah Awe leapt on his back and he powered through to covert on third down.
The 29-year-old was the only backup quarterback dressed on Friday as Dru Brown was scratched for a non-injury-related reason. CFL teams have to use three roster spots on quarterbacks each week, which is why Winnipeg wasn’t able to dress anyone in Brown’s place. The team would be wise to add a quarterback to the practice roster, perhaps even preseason sensation Tyrrell Pigrome.
Stacking wins
Mike O’Shea is now tied for second all-time in regular season wins as the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, matching Cal Murphy’s mark of 86. Bud Grant sits first with 102, which seems attainable for O’Shea going forward.
Unsurprisingly, O’Shea didn’t want to discuss his milestone postgame but praised those with whom he’s worked for many years in the organization.
The Blue Bombers have already built a statue of Grant outside of IG Field. If O’Shea isn’t careful, the club might just build one of him, too.
Janari-on the mend
Return specialist Janarion Grant left the game late in the third quarter with what appeared to be an ankle injury. He got hurt after being tackled by T.J. Rayam, whose 291-pound frame came down awkwardly on Grant’s ankle during the tackle. O’Shea did not provide an update on Grant’s status after the game.
Greg McCrae performed admirably in Grant’s place but there’s no replacing arguably the best return specialist in the league. If Grant is out long-term, that’ll negatively affect Winnipeg’s special teams units.
Fri-yay
The Blue Bombers had their biggest crowd of the season on Friday night with 30,561 fans in attendance. This was a slight improvement over the crowd of 29,057 that attended the team’s home-opening win over Hamilton on June 9 and much larger than the crowd of 25,662 that witnessed the team’s loss to B.C. on June 22.
The biggest factor in attendance appears to be the night of the week as the smallest crowd came on a Thursday, while the two larger crowds were drawn on Fridays. Team president and CEO Wade Miller recently indicated in an interview that the club would prefer to have fewer Thursday night home games and this year’s attendance figures clearly illustrate why.
For what it’s worth, Winnipeg’s next three home games, which make up the rest of the team’s home summer schedule, will all be played on Thursdays.
Pass the popcorn
Ahead of Friday’s game, fellow reporter Judy Owen commented that Calgary’s new road uniforms look like popcorn boxes. I took the liberty of putting images of the two side by side and the resemblance is pretty uncanny. Once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it.
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Next up
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-1) will visit the Ottawa Redblacks (1-2) on Saturday, July 15 for their first and only meeting this season. The Redblacks have yet to play in Week 5 as they’re set to visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday, July 8 in what will be Jeremiah Masoli’s long-anticipated return from a leg injury he sustained last summer.
The Blue Bombers swept a season-opening home-and-home against the Redblacks last season and are 7-1 versus the team dating back to 2017.
On a programming note, I will be unavailable to write a postgame column next week as I will be attending a friend’s wedding. Stay tuned to my social media feeds for some instant analysis, while my colleague JC Abbott will write an article on the game in my absence.
