The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders by a score of 38-22 in the West Final in front of a sold-out crowd of 32,343 at Princess Auto Stadium. Below are my thoughts on the game.
Rest in peace
In media, we’re taught not to bury the lede. Typically, I’d put a note like this at the end of a column, but it felt wrong to do that with this particular news. As such, I’ll start with it.
Longtime sports reporter Ted Wyman passed away on Saturday morning following a courageous battle with cancer. If you’re a sports fan in Winnipeg — or from anywhere in Canada, really — you’ve read and appreciated Ted’s work. Tears were shed in the press box before Saturday’s game as Ted’s colleagues remembered his jovial nature and thoughtful reporting. It was a sad afternoon.
“I want to say condolence to Ted Wyman’s family,” said quarterback Zach Collaros postgame, adding he learned of Wyman’s passing just before coin toss. “Ted is one of the first people that I met here in Winnipeg and I can remember dealing with over the years, just such a familiar face and easy person to talk to.”
“We wanted to send our condolences to his family and to everybody in here who spent so much time with him. We thought about him all season long.”
“Cancer is just the worst, sh*tty thing,” said head coach Mike O’Shea postgame. “Losing Ted hits home.”
We’ll miss you, Ted, and we wish you’d been there with us to cover the West Final. Sports media is a people business and Ted was good people.
Line up shuffle
Winnipeg and Saskatchewan entered Saturday’s game with starkly different depth charts, illustrating how both teams planned to attack on defence.
The Blue Bombers fielded 11 defensive backs, while the Roughriders dressed eight defensive linemen. Based on those numbers alone, it seemed clear that Winnipeg planned to consistently drop nine defenders into coverage on passing downs and Saskatchewan was intent on stopping Brady Oliveira.
In the end, the game plan panned out for the home side. The visitors? Not so much.
Zach Collaros was nearly perfect in the West Final, completing 19-of-26 pass attempts for 301 yards and four touchdowns. Most of that production came in the first half as there was little need to push the ball downfield once his team built a substantial lead.
The two-time CFL M.O.P. took advantage of a mismatch in coverage on Kenny Lawler for a 65-yard gain late in the first quarter and picked through Saskatchewan’s secondary with ease for much of the game. He found Lawler for a deep score in the third quarter, the receiver’s third touchdown of the game, which ultimately put the game out of reach.
Lawler, who made four catches for 177 yards and three scores, didn’t have any inkling that he was going to have a special performance in the biggest game of the year thus far.
“Today was just a regular night,” said Lawler. “It was just another game. I don’t go into any game thinking that ‘tonight’s the night’ or ‘this is the West Final’ or anything. I’ve been playing this game since I was five years old, so nothing doesn’t faze me.”
“I got the best locker room, I got the best quarterback, and we put in work — we prepare like no other.”
Oliveira didn’t get his first touch until the midway point of the first quarter but was highly productive when utilized, finishing with 20 carries for 119 yards and one touchdown. After failing to reach 50 rushing yards in any of his three regular-season games against Saskatchewan, Oliveira ran over the league’s best run defence when it mattered most.
“I took it personally hearing about it all week that we can’t run the ball against them. I took it personally, I know the (offensive) line up front took it personally,” said Oliveira. “There was an article about how their plan is to stop me and stop us. I took a screenshot and looked at that every single day as I prepared for this game. I took a personally and I went out there and ran hard every single play and left my mark on that field.”
“I know I’m capable of that, I’m that type of back. Come playoffs, I might get a little bit heavier, I need that weight for moments like that. That’s what I’m capable of doing — I get north and south and I’m gonna try to always initiate contact first and look for it. You’re not gonna hit me first, I’m gonna hit you first and that’s what happens.”
“I would say they had our number tonight,” said Saskatchewan linebacker Jameer Thurman. “Once you get that momentum, it just carries throughout the rest of the game, so they definitely had our number tonight.”
As for Winnipeg’s defence, the unit gave up only one play of over 30 yards and contested virtually every catch. Outside of an error that appeared to come as a result of an injury substitution — more on that in a moment — it was a truly outstanding effort. Celestin Haba and Redha Kramdi both recorded sacks, while Evan Holm made four knockdowns.
Coaching is everything come playoff time and Winnipeg’s staff did a better job of setting their players up for success.
Protection is key
Winnipeg’s offensive line of Stanley Bryant, Liam Dobson, Chris Kolankowski, Patrick Neufeld, and Eric Lofton was sensational on Saturday night, allowing zero sacks. Zach Collaros was pulled to the ground on his first touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler but went virtually untouched for the rest of the game as he consistently had time to make throws deep down the field.
“We have belief in ourselves,” said left guard Liam Dobson. “That is a talented group, so anytime you go against them, it’s gonna be a battle. They have guys all across that line that can play good football but we prepare, too. We had a great game plan and we were able to go and execute that game plan.”
“We were dialed in,” said left tackle Stanley Bryant. “We knew what to expect, we’d seen a lot of them this season. We knew what they were gonna do, so we just had to stick to our guys, win our one-on-ones, move bodies, and open holes for Brady (Oliveria) and protect Zach (Collaros).
“Once we get both of them going, I think we’re unstoppable, so gotta be ready for next week and get it going.”
Saskatchewan’s defensive line is one of the best in the league as Micah Johnson earned an All-CFL selection this year and Malik Carney and Miles Brown disrupted opposing passers throughout the regular season. You wouldn’t know that based on Saturday’s game, however, as Winnipeg won the battle in the trenches.
Punt miscues
Caleb Sanders made Saskatchewan’s first big play of the game when he blocked Jamieson Sheahan’s punt to start the second quarter, giving the Roughriders possession deep in Winnipeg territory. Though the defence held up — A.J. Ouellette got stuffed before Trevor Harris was off the mark on second down — Saskatchewan got three points out of the play and saved a ton of field position, as Sheahan’s punt would have gone with the wind.
“They attacked a weakness of our scheme and they did it well but I’m proud of the guys for going back in there and fixing it,” said veteran linebacker Shayne Gauthier. “They tried doing it again and we were able to block it afterwards. The guys stayed locked in — they didn’t let (the blocked punt) affect the rest of the game, so we’re pretty happy about that.”
Winnipeg had another special teams error — this time on a punt return — early in the third quarterback when Adam Korsak took off for six yards around the right side of Saskatchewan’s formation to convert on third-and-three. It didn’t appear to be a designed fake — instead, it looked like Korsak simply recognized there was no defender setting the edge and took off accordingly.
The Blue Bombers made a third punt-related error as Lucky Whitehead muffed a return near the start of the fourth quarter, which was recovered by Rolan Milligan Jr.
As good as the Blue Bombers were on offence and defence in the West Final, there are some details left to clean up on special teams ahead of next week’s Grey Cup. Toronto will have Janarion Grant, who scored yet another return touchdown in the East Final, returning punts and kickoffs next week, putting pressure on Winnipeg’s cover units.
Getting gifts
Corey Mace made a poor decision early in the fourth quarter when he gambled on third-and-three from his own 24-yard line. Trevor Harris threw a pass intended for KeeSean Johnson but the defender drove hard on the receiver, breaking up the play.
Winnipeg took only two plays to capitalize as Brady Oliveira rumbled for a touchdown to make it 38-16, ultimately putting the game out of reach.
Rookie mistakes don’t just happen from first-year players — they happen from first-year head coaches, too. Mike O’Shea made plenty during his early days in Winnipeg and this was a big one from Mace.
Adam Korsak’s punt would have been into the wind, though it had greatly dissipated by that point of the game. Saskatchewan would probably have still netted between 30 and 35 yards on the punt, pushing Winnipeg out of field goal range.
Instead, the Blue Bombers could have gone two-and-out and still scored a field goal to make it a three-score game. Rider Nation will be debating Mace’s decision for the next six months and I wouldn’t be surprised if he spends some time reconsidering it, too.
Unnecessary gamble
Head coach Mike O’Shea made an odd choice in the final moments of the second quarter when he gambled on third-and-short with 11 seconds left. Terry Wilson got the first down but only eight seconds remained on the clock, which led to a 30-yard field goal from Sergio Castillo on the following play of the half.
If Winnipeg was going to kick the field goal anyway, why gamble on third down? Had the Roughriders gotten a stop, it would have taken three points off the board and given them momentum heading into halftime.
The Blue Bombers had two timeouts remaining — had they used one after the first down, they may have been able to take a shot to the end zone before the field goal. This appeared to be the plan until Castillo trotted onto the field after Wilson got the first down.
O’Shea’s decision didn’t end up impacting the result, but it could have been a game-changing play had things swung the other way.
Walking wounded
Redha Kramdi went down near the start of the third quarter on what appeared to be a routine tackle. The veteran strong-side linebacker stayed down momentarily before leaving the field under his own steam. He eventually returned in the second half.
Kramdi was replaced by Brandon Alexander with Nick Taylor taking over Alexander’s usual spot at safety. Saskatchewan wasted no time attacking the middle of Winnipeg’s secondary as Kian Schaffer-Baker ran a deep crossing route with inside leverage on halfback Evan Holm. There was no inside help from Taylor, who appeared to be focused on a route to the other side of the field, as the receiver made a 37-yard catch.
Two plays later, A.J. Ouellette leaped over the pile for a one-yard touchdown run. Kramdi is one of the CFL’s most underrated players — he was the second-best strong-side linebacker in the league this year, according to Pro Football Focus — and he was sorely missed on Saskatchewan’s touchdown drive.
Noah Hallett, a special teams player and backup defensive back, also left the game but returned not long after.
Putting the ‘wow’ in crowd
Princess Auto Stadium always has a good atmosphere but the West Final felt like it was on another level. The noise was overwhelming even with the windows closed in the press box as Winnipeg’s hot start worked the crowd into a frenzy that never seemed to dissipate.
Saskatchewan took an offside penalty late in the second quarter, which pushed them into a second-and-long they failed to convert.
“Their crowd is great,” said Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris. “They make the CFL great and same thing with our crowd and this rivalry — it makes the CFL great. Those things are awesome but I thought our silent cadence was pretty on point tonight. We weren’t able to use as much cadence as I usually like to but we were fine with execution.”
“(The atmosphere) was fantastic,” said O’Shea. “It was great to get it done in front of (our fans). It was really impressive how well they stuck with us with not the greatest start to the season and they kept showing up.”
Balmy weather
The West Final didn’t feel like a typical prairie playoff game as it was a pleasant 11 degrees at kickoff — feeling like nine — and cooled to six degrees by the end of the contest. This has to be one of the only years in the almost century-long history of the Blue Bombers that they didn’t play a single snap in freezing temperatures.
Taking shots
The Winnipeg Jets beat the Dallas Stars on Saturday afternoon — a game that started early to accommodate the West Final — to improve to 14-1-0 on the year. The Stars took to social media after the game to wish the Saskatchewan Roughriders well as they took on the Blue Bombers.
We hope @sskroughriders has a good day 🫶@Lexus | #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/UMZ23ro39D
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) November 9, 2024
The social media team in Dallas deserves credit for referencing the West Final. The CFL isn’t front-page news in Texas — not since the San Antonio Texans folded, anyway — but it was a fun. I suppose green teams stick together.
Next up
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will face the Toronto Argonauts in the 111th Grey Cup on Sunday, Nov. 17 from B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver. This marks the team’s fifth straight Grey Cup appearance and a rematch of the game from 2022 when Toronto upset Winnipeg by a score of 24-23 in Regina.
“It’s a little redemption. Obviously, I want to get one for this team, everyone wants to get one for this team. I really want to get one for the guys that haven’t experienced the Grey Cup victory, there’s lots of guys on this team that haven’t. We know how the last two have turned out and I think for me, it would be extremely special to cap off a season — that’s all that matters is a Grey Cup win,” said running back Brady Oliveira.
“Being the number one guy — the number one tailback — I haven’t experienced that victory as the guy yet, so it would be very special and I’m just gonna continue to be who I am and do what I do. Hopefully, we can all come together and lead this team to a victory.”
Only twice since the CFL was officially founded in 1958 had a team gone to five or more consecutive Grey Cups: Hamilton went to five in a row from 1961 to 1965 and Edmonton went six times from 1977 to 1982. Winnipeg is now the third team to enter that rarefied air, which is remarkable considering they’re the first to do it in the salary cap era.
If you missed the news from the East Final, Chad Kelly was carted off with a fractured leg. Nick Arbuckle will be under centre for the Argonauts next week after making only one start this season, which feels somewhat reminiscent of 2007 when Kevin Glenn suffered a broken arm late in the East Final. The injury forced Ryan Dinwiddie — who is now the head coach in Toronto — to start for Winnipeg in a 23-19 loss Saskatchewan.
Make sure to stay tuned to 3DownNation throughout Grey Cup week as we’ll have five reporters on the ground, which is pretty remarkable given the current state of the sports media industry.
