The Hamilton Tiger-Cats fell 31-10 at the hands of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday night at Tim Hortons Field. The loss is a big blow to Hamilton’s playoff chances, as they will need some help in the final three weeks if they are going to secure their spot in the postseason for a sixth consecutive season.
Below are my thoughts on the game.
Missed opportunities
This loss will be remembered for the amount of missed opportunities the Ticats had, specifically in the first half. Tim White dropped what would have been a sure touchdown early in the second quarter, and defensive backs Destin Talbert and Jonathan Moxey dropped a pair of interceptions which would have taken points off the board for Winnipeg, as well as added to Hamilton’s point total. Winnipeg found paydirt two plays after Moxey’s dropped interception on a 25-yard touchdown by Kevens Clercius and Talbert’s drop happened deep in Winnipeg territory, which could have resulted in at least a field goal for Hamilton.
Another example of a missed opportunity for the Ticats was late in the second quarter when Brendan O’Leary-Orange took a Bo Levi Mitchell pass and romped 71 yards to Winnipeg’s three-yard line. Hamilton stalled out and had to settle for a field goal, going into halftime down 17-10 instead of 17-14.
Football games usually come down to a series of five or six plays and those key plays didn’t go in Hamilton’s favour, resulting in defeat.
Ground and pound
Another major difference in Friday’s loss was the stark contrast in each team’s run game. Brady Oliveira rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries as the Bombers came up just short of breaking the 200-yard rushing barrier, while Hamilton was only able to muster 30 yards on 10 total carries. 18 of those yards came on a James Butler touchdown run.
Winnipeg dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage and as the game went on, they were able to wear down the Ticats’ front four, controlling both the clock and the game. Hamilton’s defence has been vastly improved under Chris Jones, and they did their best to keep the team in the game while the offence went through a second-half lull, but I’d imagine this is a result that the unit would like a redo on.
Stagnant offence
Hamilton’s offence was struck with some bad injury news ahead of Friday’s game, as it was announced star rookie receiver Shemar Bridges would miss the remainder of the season and running back Greg Bell would also miss the game against Winnipeg.
Their presence appeared to be sorely missed as Hamilton’s run game lacked the dynamism it’s had since Bell was inserted into the lineup. Their second-down efficiency was also poor, converting just five of the 19 attempts they had. Bridges was key for Hamilton in that aspect, as he is a reliable, sure-handed option that Mitchell routinely went to on second down when the team needed to move the chains. If Hamilton is going to have any hopes of making the playoffs, someone is going to have to step up in those scenarios because a 26 percent conversion rate isn’t going to cut it.
Hamilton’s offence was OK in the first half, where they scored their only points, but went completely quiet in the second half, while being outscored 14-0 in the process.
End of the Boveralls?
Friday is likely a game that Bo Levi Mitchell would like to forget, as the Most Outstanding Player candidate went 15 of 28 for 217 yards and two interceptions.
Winnipeg’s defence is among the best in the league and that was proven against the Ticats, as Mitchell seemingly had a hard time dissecting the Blue Bombers secondary, while also being sacked three times.
Mitchell has returned to the player fans watched for the better part of the last decade over the team’s previous five games, so I’m chalking this up as a one-off against a very strong defence. Still, I’m sure there will still be questions about who Hamilton’s quarterback should be moving forward as they head into the bye week.
Honouring the greats
One thing the Ticats do very well is honour their former greats and remind fans what a rich history the team has going back to the mid-1900s. That continued on Friday when the team recognized Bernie Custis and Mike Walker with enshrinement on the Tiger-Cats’ Wall of Honour.
Custis only played four seasons with the team but was named an all-star at two positions — quarterback and running back. He became the first Black quarterback in modern-day history. Walker was a mainstay along the Ticats’ defensive line, where he played for eight seasons and registered 82 sacks, third most in franchise history. In 1986, he amassed 21 sacks, which is the third most in team history in a single season and eleventh eleventh-highest in league history.
I wasn’t old enough to witness either of these players suit up, but I think the team does an excellent job of recognizing their contributions both on and off the field and connecting younger generations of fans through these celebrations.
Up next
The Ticats will head into a bye next week but will get set to take on the Calgary Stampeders at Tim Hortons Field on Oct. 18 in what could be a crucial game for Hamilton’s playoff hopes — depending on what happens around the league next week.
Calgary and Hamilton last met in the season opener, which Calgary won 32-24 in Bo Levi Mitchell’s return to Calgary. Hamilton will need to exact revenge on Mitchell’s old squad or else their playoff chances will vanish into thin air.