The Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders by a score of 19-9 in front of 29,649 fans at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. Below are my thoughts on the game.
Bad Zach and the offensive O
It was a night to forget for Zach Collaros, who entered Friday’s game coming off his best outing of the season. The two-time CFL M.O.P. completed 20-of-31 pass attempts for 266 yards and one interception as the offence struggled to sustain drives, committed three turnovers, and scored a measly nine points.
The pick came late in the third quarter when Collaros tried to force a pass into Nic Demski, threw it behind him, and linebacker Adam Auclair snatched it while sprinting laterally in pursuit of the play. There was no need for Collaros to put the ball in harm’s way as it was first down at Saskatchewan’s 27-yard line. With no targets available, he should have simply thrown the ball away and huddled up for second down.
Saskatchewan’s defence played well — as it has all season — but Collaros appeared to miss some key opportunities. He badly underthrew a 50-yard bomb to Ontaria Wilson near the end of the first quarter, allowing defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. to break up the play. If Collaros put another five yards of air under the ball, the receiver would have jogged into the end zone for a 69-yard touchdown.
Collaros also floated a pass near the sideline to Wilson early in the second quarter, which was also knocked down by Milligan. Had it been thrown with even a little more power, the pass would have gone for a 24-yard gain and a first down in the red zone. Collaros was under pressure as he threw but an elite quarterback should still have been able to zip the ball in for a completion. He wasn’t able to.
The veteran quarterback put the ball in harm’s way early in the third quarter on what appeared to be a post route to Wilson. Milligan was in the receiver’s hip pocket with inside leverage and got his hands up too late to snag the ball, almost appearing surprised when it arrived. He was credited with a knockdown, though it should have been intercepted.
It wasn’t all bad for Collaros. He checked the ball down well to Brady Oliveira, who was the team’s leading receiver with nine catches for 80 yards, and hit Nic Demski for a 50-yard catch-and-run near the end of the game. He also looked comfortable navigating the pocket until late when Saskatchewan’s defensive line pinned its ears back knowing Winnipeg would have to attack downfield.
Regardless, it was still an unacceptable performance from the offence as a whole, especially considering the offensive line had a strong outing against a solid Saskatchewan defensive front. You’re not going to win many games when you score nine points, especially in the CFL. It’s as simple as that.
Turn up the heat
TyJuan Garbutt made his much-anticipated season debut, starting at defensive end opposite Willie Jefferson. The former Virginia Tech standout spent most of last season on Winnipeg’s practice roster, dressing for one game and recording one defensive tackle.
The six-foot-two, 261-pound edge rusher made his presence known in the second quarter, folding Shea Patterson in half after beating left tackle Trevor Reid with a bull rush. The play didn’t result in a sack as Patterson got the ball away a split second before contact, though it ended the drive as the ball fell incomplete on second down.
Late in the third quarter, Garbutt beat right tackle Jacob Brammer with a speed move and flushed Patterson out of the pocket. Though the quarterback evaded Garbutt, he was unable to avoid Willie Jefferson, resulting in a 16-yard sack. It was the only sack Winnipeg had on the night but the defence appeared to generate more consistent pressure, including a nice rep from Owen Hubert in the first quarter.
It’s no secret that Winnipeg’s defensive front didn’t generate enough pressure through the first third of the season, ranking eighth league-wide with seven sacks. Though the CFL doesn’t track quarterback pressures, I’d feel comfortable speculating that Winnipeg’s pressure rate would also be no higher than eighth. Opposing quarterbacks simply had too much time to operate and looked too comfortable standing in the pocket.
Though the defence was far from perfect, there were some encouraging signs from the front and Garbutt, who made one tackle, seems to be a nice find. The unit didn’t generate any takeaways after getting six during a two-game winning streak but, when you limit your opponent to 19 points, you should win, especially in the CFL. It’s as simple as that.
Big-gie ending
Adam Bighill crushed Shea Patterson on the final play of regulation as the quarterback waited until the last possible moment to throw the ball to run down the clock.
By the letter of the law, roughing the passer occurs when a defender “(stuffs an opposing quarterback) to the ground” or “(lands) on them with most of (their) weight,” among other things. As such, the hit should have been flagged for roughing the passer, though this criteria is rarely enforced. Generally, roughing the passer is only called when a defender hits a quarterback too high, too low, or too late, none of which Bighill did.
As a high-up with the CFL Players’ Association, Bighill sits on the league’s rules committee and probably knows the rulebook as well as anyone. He’s also a hard-nosed football player who is going to take advantage of any opportunity to hit the opposing quarterback, regardless of the circumstances. It’s what he gets paid to do.
Though he should have tried to avoid landing on Patterson, I don’t take issue with Bighill making the play. If the Riders didn’t want their quarterback taking a big hit, they should have kneeled the game out. They were up 10 points with three seconds left. There was no reason to put Patterson at risk.
As per CJME’s Britton Gray, Patterson told the media in Regina that he needed to throw the ball sooner, saying, “That’s a veteran linebacker sending me a message — respect to him.” If he’s not upset about the hit, there’s no need for Rider Nation to fly off the handle over it, though I’m sure they will.
Back down to earth
Ontaria Wilson failed to recreate last week’s 200-yard breakout performance, making only two catches for 47 yards.
Now that’s how you do the hokey Pokey!
Ontaria Wilson (@THEFSUMAN) sticks his right foot in and turns himself around for the incredible grab!#CFL #Bombers #ForTheW
pic.twitter.com/mWjJioqkcy— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) July 20, 2024
One of the grabs was a truly sensational 20-yard catch along the sideline that’ll be in the running for play of the week, but he also had a bad drop early in the fourth quarter. Wilson appeared to have inside leverage on a slant route against man coverage and Collaros hit him square in the hands. Instead of squeezing the ball to move the chains, he dropped it.
Last week, I questioned if Wilson was the next Kenny Lawler or the next Carlton Agudosi — in other words, a budding star or a one-hit wonder. It’s a small sample size, of course, but he looked like a one-hit wonder in Regina.
Get your eyes checked
The officiating in Friday night’s game left a lot to be desired. There was a phantom holding call on Kyrie Wilson, a nonsense illegal contact penalty on Deontai Williams, and an awful pass interference penalty on Tyrell Ford.
Though some of the questionable calls balanced out, the Ford penalty was particularly tough on the Blue Bombers as it turned third-and-two at Saskatchewan’s 30-yard line into first-and-ten at Winnipeg’s 51-yard line. The Riders eventually kicked a field goal to take a 10-point lead.
I’m a staunch supporter of CFL officiating, which I generally feel is on par with that of other professional leagues across North America. However, on Friday, Andre Proulx’s crew was poor. There’s no denying it.
Pick on Nich
Saskatchewan employed an offensive strategy on Friday night I’d never seen an opposing CFL offence try: throw at Deatrick Nichols. And, surprisingly, it mostly worked.
The two-time CFL all-star defensive back was in coverage on several completions to Kian Schaffer-Baker in the first half and at least one in the second half after Ajou Ajou had taken over for the injured slotback.
Teams generally ignore Nichols as they test Winnipeg’s other defensive backs. That’s not what happened on Friday as the Riders tested him early and often.
First CFL major for Clint Ratkovich Saskatchewan takes the second half lead! #CFLGameday on TSN 📲: Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/6FkmPCBvWd
— CFL (@CFL) July 20, 2024
Nichols may also have been to blame for the bust in coverage on Shea Patterson’s touchdown pass to Clint Ratkovic, though it’s impossible to say for sure. He and boundary cornerback Terrell Bonds both covered the flat route, which had to have been a mistake. We’ll probably never know which one of them it was, but one of them blew it.
Pass the shovel
Winnipeg spent its recent two-game homestand digging itself out of an 0-4 hole at the bottom of the West Division standings and squandered much of that progress with a poor performance in Riderville.
It’s still relatively early in the season, of course, but the Blue Bombers now trail the Roughriders and B.C. Lions by six points. They’ve also lost the first of three meetings against both clubs, which means they’ll have to be perfect head-to-head from here on out to win the season series against either team. That seems like an awfully tall order.
Shea Patterson made only his third career start on Friday and was protected by two rookie offensive tackles. Saskatchewan’s leading receiver, seventh-round draft pick Ajou Ajou, went for 110 yards in a relief role. If there was ever a time to get a leg up on the Riders, it was Friday night. Winnipeg wasted that opportunity.
Picked off
Sergio Castillo had another strong night for the Blue Bombers, hitting a 56-yard field goal to finish three-for-four on the night with his lone miss coming from 61 yards out shortly before halftime.
Winnipeg caught a break on the miss as return man Mario Alford ran into the official at the goal line while setting up for his return, preventing him from catching the kick. He eventually corralled the bouncing ball and brought it back 32 yards along the left sideline, though his return would likely have gone much further had he caught the ball at full speed.
Receivers sometimes use officials as picks when running routes downfield. This is the first time I’ve ever seen an official inadvertently serve as a pick on a missed field goal return.
On the Case
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers made yet another change at returner, giving rookie Kody Case a chance to handle the duties previously assigned to Myron Mitchell and Chris Smith.
The University of Illinois product returned seven punts for 67 yards and three kickoff returns for 87 yards, the longest of which went for 38 yards near the end of the game. It was a modest debut void of any major mistakes.
Walking wounded
Bailey Feltmate left the game near the start of the second half and didn’t return with what appeared to be an injury to his arm or shoulder. The veteran fullback has been a nice addition for Winnipeg, making six special teams tackles in as many games.
Rookie fullback Michael Chris-Ike recently landed on the six-game injured list, which means the Blue Bombers will be razor-thin at the position if Feltmate misses time.
Fit check
Saskatchewan debuted its new obsidian green uniforms on Friday night. The jerseys drew rave reviews from Rider Nation upon their unveiling in May and appear to have sold well, judging by the crowd shots at Mosaic Stadium.
The uniforms are pretty sharp but, just like the B.C. Lions’ gunmetal uniforms, the numbers are too hard to read. If this look becomes a permanent fixture in Riderville, the numbers should be changed to a bright green colour with a white outline. If you can’t easily tell the players apart, it doesn’t really matter how pretty the jerseys are.
Next up
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-5) will visit the Toronto Argonauts (3-2) on Saturday, July 27 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. This will mark Winnipeg’s first visit to BMO Field since Week 4 of the 2022 season as the club didn’t play in Toronto last year.
The Argonauts have yet to see the field in Week 7 as they’ll visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday, July 20 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Cameron Dukes has been unspectacular but solid in place of the suspended Chad Kelly, while the team’s defence ranks first league-wide in yards allowed per play and third in sacks.
