Everything clicks for Hamilton Tiger-Cats in road win over Winnipeg (& six other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Jonathan Kozub/CFL.ca

In their first road game of the season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats evened their season record to 1-1 with a 37-27 win over Winnipeg. With heavy rain to begin the game and some more to be seen in the second half, the Ticats did not falter en route to a victory.

They did it all — through the air, on the ground and finding a way to get off the field defensively when they needed to. Winnipeg put up a tough fight with Zach Collaros throwing for over 400 yards in the contest, but it did not break Hamilton.

Here are the key takeaways from the victory for the Tiger-Cats.

INJURIES

The worst part about sports is the injuries. On Winnipeg’s first drive of the game, everything was clicking for the Blue Bombers. Tommy Nield had hauled in three receptions for 53 yards, and Winnipeg got deep into Hamilton territory. On Nield’s third reception of the drive, Jamal Peters dropped his shoulder to take out Nield’s legs and get him on the ground. Nield, attempting to avoid the hit, hurdled into the air. His right knee contacted the side of Peters’ head. The veteran cornerback would not get up under his own power and was stretchered off the field. Following the game, the Ticats announced he was cleared and released from a local hospital.

Head injuries are serious, and the precautions around them are to protect the players. First and foremost, you hope for a healthy recovery for Peters, without constraining him to a timeline. Not all injuries are created equal; it is difficult to determine when a player is healthy enough to play in these circumstances. Whenever the return is for Hamilton, it will be welcome.

AIR DEFENCE

With that said, Peters left a hole on the field. Devodric Bynum, who did not dress for the Tiger-Cats in Week 1, replaced him following the injury. While Hamilton performed well, limiting the Blue Bombers from capitalizing on their long drives, there were miscues in the defensive secondary.

Not all of that is directed at Bynum, who made plays and limited some potential run-after-the-catch chances for the Bombers. It has been a common theme in the first two weeks of the season that the Tiger-Cats have struggled to hand players off in match coverage. This is magnified when it happens when passing players off to the safety, the last line of defence.

Match coverage is a hybrid between zone and man defence. There are specific rules on when to pass off a player and when to follow them and turn it into man-to-man. The concept allows for more deception on the quarterback. Initially, quarterbacks can see the coverage as zone, but as the ball is being delivered, it can turn to man coverage. While it can increase the chances of balls being thrown incomplete or turned over, if not executed properly, it leads to big plays for the offence.

Last week, Stavros Katsantonis was left guessing on plays that led to major gains for the Alouettes. The same happened on Thursday in Winnipeg. A surefire Tommy Nield touchdown was negated after he bobbled the ball and failed to maintain possession on the ground, but the Ticats did not get away with the next one. Nic Demski ran a corner route and connected with Collaros for a 41-yard touchdown to get the Bombers their first major of the game. Katsantonis was slow getting to the read, while both Reggie Stubblefield and Quavian White were covering the same area in the flat. Without the proper handoff and a bad jump, Katsantonis was a step too slow.

While that was a dark spot, Katsantonis also forced the lone turnover of the game when coming over in support. With just over a minute to go in the opening half, the Tiger-Cats successfully challenged that Katsantonis intercepted the ball in the end zone after it was deemed incomplete initially. This allowed Hamilton to march down the field and Mark Liegghio to connect on a 53-yard field goal to give Hamilton a 24-10 lead at the half.

Overall, the yards allowed by Hamilton were a lot — 421 through the air. However, the Ticats did not allow those big chunk plays and medium passes to convert into major points on the board. When they needed stops, they got off the field, which is the most important thing. The other area to clean up is the 136 yards after the catch Hamilton allowed in the game. One of their strengths as a defence should be rallying to the football and limiting the YAC.

COMPLETE CONTROL

Through the preseason and Week 1, we have discussed the importance of a rushing attack. Last week, it was limited substantially and made Hamilton one-dimensional. Thursday night in Winnipeg, the ground game was on full display early and often.

The Ticats did not attempt a pass until the sixth play of their opening drive. Larry Rountree III carried the ball four times for 27 yards, planting the seed in the Bombers’ minds early. Hamilton may have been restricted with play calling in the early parts of the game as the rain was heavily pouring onto the field, but the offensive line was creating holes for Rountree to get consistent yards on the ground. While that first drive did not finish with points, Hamilton set the tone for how they wanted to control the game.

When you can run the ball effectively early in a game, it can wear down a defence over four quarters. On the final drive of the game, Hamilton ran the ball four times for 33 yards, clinching the victory. That is not just the result of execution in the fourth quarter. It stems from owning the line of scrimmage consistently from the beginning, while owning the ball for 33:08 of game time. As the game wore on and Winnipeg remained on the field, the Bombers’ defence broke down, allowing for the ground game for Hamilton to seal a victory.

BO KNOWS

A first-half masterclass from Bo Levi Mitchell was on display in Week 2. The same could be said for Zach Collaros, with the two veteran quarterbacks going shot-for-shot in the early going. How much longer will we be able to see those two lined up across the field from each other? Right now, that is unknown, so enjoy the games while we still can.

The first miss from either quarterback in the first half was by Mitchell with seven seconds to go in the first quarter. An open Kenny Lawler got behind the defence, but was overthrown by a few yards and forced the Ticats into second-and-10 from their own eight-yard line. What impressed me was the ensuing 13-play, 102-yard drive for a touchdown. Slow and methodical, taking what the Winnipeg defence was giving them and not forcing the ball into bad spots.

The running game played a factor as establishing it early led to two major plays on the drive. On a play action, the entire Winnipeg defence flowed to the fake and allowed Mitchell to break the pocket to his right. Bo Levi was able to find Myron Mitchell for a first down after deciding not to use his legs. Later in the drive, a similar play allowed Mitchell to break free and run for a first down. While he is not known for his rushing ability, the threat put even more pressure on the defence to cover their bases.

The touchdown on the drive was also play action to the Tiger-Cats’ left, with Maximilian Mang, the German tight end, slipping across to the flat on the right and Mitchell finding him for his first CFL touchdown. The early run game set up numerous passing plays for the Ticats, where Mitchell was able to capitalize.

All three Ticats quarterbacks contributed in the game, with Jake Dolegala handling short yardage six times for 10 yards and a touchdown. Last week, Tre Ford didn’t take a snap, and I asked how Hamilton would use him effectively. They found a way in Week 2, putting him in on first down during Hamilton’s final drive of the game. On Ford’s first play, he ran a quarterback option, keeping the ball for 22 yards and getting it to the Winnipeg 53-yard line. This set up a Mark Liegghio field goal to extend the lead to 10 and seal the game.

EXORCIZING DEMONS

While the interception for a touchdown was the air let out from the Ticats tires in Week 1, Keric Wheatfall’s fumble in overtime was a focal point. After a strong game, Wheatfall had the largest blunder, and I talked about how what he did next would dictate his success in black and gold.

Wheatfall caught two of the first three balls thrown his way in this contest, each for 47 yards. The one he did not haul in was a one-handed attempt that fell off his fingertips and to the turf. His second catch was one-handed in contested coverage for a major gain to get the Tiger-Cats deep into Winnipeg territory. Wheatfall finished the game with three receptions for 102 yards, leading the team in that category.

After an emotional ending that slipped through his hands on home field a week ago, Wheatfall put the past behind him and refused to look in the rear-view mirror. The former Blue Bomber had a happy return to Princess Auto Stadium for the first time as a visitor. Showing up when his team needed and making big plays, he’s adding to the depth of the Ticats’ receiving corps.

CLOCK CONTROL

We have previously discussed the new modified rouge and how it has affected games in the early going this season. Another big rule change was the play clock going from 20 seconds, blown in on the official’s signal, to a 35-second clock starting when the previous play is over. That takes place until the final three minutes of each half, when the play clock rules return to the old format.

Under the previous setup, if a ball was downed at three minutes and one second in a half, the next play would take place before the three-minute warning. Under the new format, if the three-minute mark hits before a ball is snapped and there is time on the play clock, the officials will blow action dead and hit the three-minute warning. This is like the setup in American football, the only change being that it’s at three minutes in the CFL instead of two south of the border.

Mike O’Shea did not seem happy his team was unable to get one more play off before the three-minute warning in the second half. Facing a fourteen-point deficit, the Bombers wanted to mount a comeback and a home victory. This will surely be a talking point in film rooms across the CFL this coming week. Teams will make sure their players are situationally aware of the new rules and use the stoppage to their advantage.

UP NEXT

The Tiger-Cats return to Hamilton Stadium on Friday, June 19, at 7:30 p.m. EDT to take on the B.C. Lions. The Lions have yet to play and will open their 2026 schedule on Saturday, June 13, at 7:00 p.m. EDT in Regina against the defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders.