As the Calgary Stampeders prepared to host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at McMahon Stadium on Thursday night, questions remained about what kind of team head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson had rebuilt from scratch during the offseason.
Were they the team that tied for the most points while also having the second-best point differential through the first two weeks? Or, were they the team that got rained out and run over by the Ottawa Redblacks before the bye week?
While some will still want more proof, the Stampeders answered that question for themselves as they walloped Winnipeg by a score of 37-16 in the inaugural Stampede Bowl.
Here’s what I saw from the stands of McMahon.
Adams efficient
Much was made during the pre-game build-up about Vernon Adams Jr. having yet to throw a touchdown pass this season.
Adams came into the week with 803 passing yards, the same as Davis Alexander in Montreal and three yards behind Trevor Harris, both of whom had also started three games this season.
He would only add 222 yards to his total, but would get his first two passing touchdowns of the season. He was robbed of a third when Jalen Philpot was tackled on the two-yard line following a 66-yard catch and run.
The first came on a magnificent catch from Clark Barnes, who went up and pulled it down in coverage and dragged two Bombers the final few yards into the endzone for the major. The second was the first career touchdown for 2025 first-overall draft pick Damien Alford, who came across the field on a crosser in the red zone.
Adams only attempted 18 throws in the contest, completing 13 to seven different receivers. The score was so out of hand by halftime that in the third and early fourth quarters, VA only attempted five passes. He was replaced late by P.J. Walker, who only handed the ball off.
Adams hasn’t put up the gaudy numbers from his time with the Lions quite yet, but he hasn’t needed to and has been very efficient with the ball. He is leading the league in completions of over 30 yards.
After the game, Adams was awarded a custom belt buckle as the first-ever Stampede Bowl MVP.
Mills grinds it out
Dederick Mills was called upon more frequently in this game with 18 carries for a total of 93 yards.
As of this writing, Mills leads the league in explosive runs of ten or more yards through four games and is tied with A.J. Ouellette for runs of 20-plus yards. He also leads all rushers with five majors, after scoring just once last year.
Mills is currently on pace for more than 1,300 rushing yards as we approach the quarterpole of the season.
Pick a pair of pick-sixes
To say the Stampeders’ defence held Zach Collaros in check would be an understatement.
The wholly new Calgary secondary not only held Collaros to just 288 yards on 48 attempts, but they also collected a pair of touchdowns off of interceptions.
The first came from Damon “Spider” Webb, a 31-yard return across the goal line after baiting a hook route in the middle of the field. Later, Derrick Moncrief would traipse down the sidelines virtually untouched on a 70-yard score when Collaros threw late to the sideline. Both were tremendous defensive plays.
Nowhere to run to
Collaros wasn’t the only one with numbers below expectations; Brady Oliveira also underperformed by his own historical metrics.
13 carries for just 61 yards aren’t the numbers you’d expect from the reigning Most Outstanding Player, but the game script got away from the Bombers so quickly that he was largely removed from the plan.
Oliveira added six catches for 51 yards, which helped make the stat line look a little fatter, but, again, was below his typical output.
Climbing the rankings
The timing of this week’s action in the CFL allows for some apples-to-apples comparisons with other teams. Both Winnipeg and Calgary played their fourth game of the year, something other squads have already done.
After the contest, the Stampeders have surrendered the fewest total points, the fewest offensive points, and the fewest touchdowns.
They have allowed the most field goals, however; a testament to the “keep them in front of you” style of defence that the team has employed so far.
Also, the Stamps went another game without allowing a touchdown in the first three quarters, something they have done in every game so far this season.
Stampede Bowl
When the Stampede Bowl concept was first announced, many cynics online and in the media, including me, compared the promotion to the “Flint, Michigan Mega Bowl” from the Will Ferrell classic Semi-Pro.
If you haven’t seen it, Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, a franchise owner in the 1970s American Basketball Association. Struggling to sell tickets, he invents a trophy and begins promoting the game as an event not to be missed. As in most sports movies, the hero’s plan is an absolute success, driving interest and selling more tickets than ever.
Stampeders president Jay McNeil embraced his own internal Jackie Moon with this Stampede Bowl concept, officially tying together the CFL with the Calgary Stampede for the first time.
The addition of Bret Michaels, formerly of the band Poison, as the halftime act was an inspired choice. The 62-year-old frontman came out and delivered four of his biggest hits as the crowd rocked and sang along. He finished with “Nothing But a Good Time,” and it is safe to say the 22,485 in attendance agreed.
Given its success, you have to imagine the Stampede Bowl will be on the schedule in 2025 and beyond.
In a league that sometimes suffers from a lack of marquee moments, McNeil and the crew behind the game hit a massive home run.
Next up
The Stampeders will be looking ahead to a clash next week in Saskatchewan, who will be coming off a bye week.
A win over the Riders would move Calgary into first place, something even the most optimistic fans may not have suggested they were capable of when the season started.
