Winnipeg Blue Bombers can’t complete comeback, lose Labour Day Classic (& 13 other thoughts)

Photo: Tanner Piper/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders by a score of 32-26 in front of 34,352 fans at Mosaic Stadium in the Labour Day Classic on Sunday. Below are my thoughts on the game.

Breaking down

There were a few missed tackles early on — Jaiden Woodbey had a particularly bad one on a 72-yard catch-and-run from Daniel Wiebe — but Winnipeg’s defence played relatively well through three quarters in Regina.

The unit spent a lot of time on the field, as the offence struggled to sustain drives (more on that in a moment). Despite the workload, the Blue Bombers allowed only 13 points, shut down Saskatchewan’s run game, and contested a number of catches through 45 minutes of work. It was a solid performance against a talented offence.

Then everything broke down.

Saskatchewan put together a nine-play, 55-yard touchdown drive thanks in part to a costly face-masking penalty from Evan Holm. Tommy Stevens eventually capped the drive with touchdown plunge on third down.

The Roughriders scored even faster on their next possession.

Ridge Texada, who was dressed for only his second career regular-season CFL game, got fooled on a double-move and Trevor Harris hit Dhel Duncan-Busby for a big gain. Two plays later, Texada gave up a bust in coverage and Duncan-Busby made another long catch.

Stevens capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run after he broke contain around the right side.

The defence floundered again in overtime, giving up 35 yards and a touchdown on five plays for what turned out to be the game-winning score. There simply wasn’t enough resistance.

Thanks to the CFL’s new clock system, defences have struggled to get stops in the fourth quarter. Whether it was due to physical fatigue, mental fatigue, or a combination of both, Winnipeg’s unit faltered late and squandered a promising effort.

Offensive struggles

Zach Collaros was brilliant on Winnipeg’s last possession in regulation but he struggled to handle the pressure from Saskatchewan’s blitz-happy front on Sunday afternoon.

Saskatchewan sent six-man pressure early and often. It was generally well picked up by the blockers up front, save for one play on which Aubrey Miller Jr. came free for a sack that was negated by a horse collar tackle.

With that said, Collaros didn’t operate very effectively under duress.

The Roughriders sent six-man pressure on back-to-back plays on Winnipeg’s second-last possession and the veteran passer ate the ball both times for a sack. It looked like he had a drag route open in front of him on first down but didn’t throw it.

Collaros has made it clear that avoiding hits isn’t his style, but the quarterback has to get the ball out quickly against six-man pressure. If you’ve got five receivers working against six defenders, someone has to be open — and if you can’t find them, the defence will only keep sending heat until you make them pay.

The 38-year-old finished the game 27-of-40 for 279 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. It certainly wasn’t a bad performance, and his toss to Dorian Singer on the final play of regulation was sensational.

However, with these same two teams set to play again next week, Collaros will have to prove he can get rid of the football sooner. The Roughriders simply have too many good pass-rushers to stave off for long when they send six.

Correct calls

Rider Nation was livid with a couple of late-game calls by the officials, but they were both correct.

The crowd in Regina wanted a penalty for intentional grounding on Winnipeg’s last drive when Collaros fired the ball away while being brought to the turf.

According to the CFL’s official play-by-play, the ball traveled 10 yards downfield. Any pass that crosses the line of scrimmage cannot be ruled intentional grounding, even if there’s no receiver in the area. It was a good non-call.

Two plays later, Saskatchewan was called for roughing the passer.

According to the CFL’s official rulebook, roughing the passer occurs when a defender “deliver(s) a blow to the neck or head of the passer.”

Anyone who has recently watched the CFL knows that officials consider virtually any contact to the helmet to be “a blow.” Based on how his helmet jerked back, Collaros was clearly contacted in the head.

One could argue that the standard for roughing the passer in the CFL is too low. However, based on precedent, the correct call was made, and it was upheld when Saskatchewan unsuccessfully challenged it.

Emotions always run high on Labour Day, but the officials got both calls right at a critical juncture of the game. It’s not like the penalties cost the Roughriders anything, either, as they eventually won the game fair and square.

Getting dropped

Tommy Nield has had a few drops this season and he had a bad one on Sunday.

Zach Collaros hit the veteran receiver in the hands 25 yards downfield on Winnipeg’s second possession but he was unable to catch the ball cleanly. When he double-clutched it, Jameer Thurman delivered a hit to knock the ball to the turf.

Gavin Cobb also had a costly drop in the first quarter. He was hemmed against the sideline on second down but on replay, it was clear that Collaros hit him perfectly in the hands. The University of Manitoba product should have made the catch.

Cobb appeared to have another key mistake late in the game, when he wasn’t on the line of scrimmage, leaving the offence with no end. His teammates were able to usher him to the line but the delay forced the offence to take a time-count violation.

Clearly, the Blue Bombers grew sick of the drops, as Kevens Clercius came off the bench and made an immediate impact. He finished the game with two receptions for 25 yards and a touchdown, which gave Winnipeg the lead heading into halftime.

Clercius, a former second-round draft pick out of the University of Connecticut, has been productive when given opportunities in the past. He had to wait far too long to get his first real action of 2026.

Moving forward, Winnipeg should be quicker to make lineup changes when someone is underperforming. You never know when a potential breakout player could be lying in wait.

Speaking of…

Lead Singer

Dorian Singer made his much-anticipated regular-season debut on Sunday, starting in place of injured slotback Nic Demski.

The 23-year-old wasted no time making a name for himself, as he notched five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown, which sent the game to overtime.

Though CFL fans outside of Winnipeg have likely never heard of Singer, diehards in the city will remember his strong play from the preseason. He has also consistently garnered glowing remarks from head coach Mike O’Shea for his work in practice.

Singer was targeted nine times on Sunday. For the record, nine targets is Demski’s season-high. Zach Collaros was clearly eager to throw the ball his way.

The rookie caught 66 passes for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns at the University of Arizona in 2022, which remains the eighth-best receiving season in school history.

There’s always a surprise breakout player on Labour Day, and this year it was Singer. He needs to stay in the lineup.

Timing the jump

Tommy Stevens has been virtually unstoppable in short-yardage this season, which is why it was so impressive to see Tanner Cadwallader keep him out of the end zone early in the fourth quarter.

Stevens plunged through the right side of the line and Cadwallader timed his jump perfectly to knock him back. If you squinted your eyes, you’d swear it was Adam Bighill making the play. It was exceptional.

Saskatchewan ended up scoring on the following play when Stevens plunged again on third down. Even so, it was a heck of a play from a veteran player who has never been afraid of doing the dirty work.

Falling short

Brady Oliveira had a relatively quiet game, rushing nine times for 28 yards.

The 29-year-old entered this week 44 rushing yards shy of 1,000 on the year. Had he hit the mark, he would have become the first Canadian player ever to record five consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He’ll now have to wait another week.

It didn’t look like much on the box score, but Oliveira made a great play midway through the fourth quarter when he caught a check-down pass on second-and-twelve. He was quickly surrounded but split two defenders, maintained his balance through a spin, and picked up the first down.

Winnipeg was forced to settle for a field goal, but it was a heck of a play nonetheless.

Taking it away

Until the final play of overtime, there was only one takeaway on Sunday and it came when Tony Jones stripped D’Sean Mimbs in the first quarter. Evan Holm jumped on the loose ball and Sergio Castillo booted a 46-yard field goal moments later.

When you win the turnover battle, you usually win the game. The Blue Bombers are is 3-1 this year when they win the turnover battle and 1-4 when they lose it.

As an aside, Mimbs has strong family ties to the Labour Day Classic.

His father, Robert, played with Winnipeg from 1990 to 1992, and with Saskatchewan from 1994 to 1996. He was a great running back with both teams, earning All-CFL selections with both squads.

Wild, wild West

It’d be tough to overstate the importance of this game in the West Division standings. Only six points separate five teams, all of whom still have a shot at hosting a playoff game given how many divisional games remain on the schedule.

With the loss on Sunday, Winnipeg will have to win next week’s Banjo Bowl by more than six points to capture the season series. If they don’t, it’s tough to imagine them catching Saskatchewan in the standings even with a win on Saturday.

Rouge-riders

Alex Hale’s struggles continued for Saskatchewan on Sunday, as he went one-for-three on his field goal attempts.

In past years, teams were rewarded with a rouge when a missed field goal sailed through the back of the end zone. This year, the rule was changed so a rouge would only be scored when the ball was touched by a returner.

On Hale’s miss early in the second half, Trey Vaval tried to field the ball near the back of the end zone. He got a hand on it but was unable to secure possession before it traveled across the dead line.

As a result of the play, Saskatchewan received a single point to tie the game 13-13. Had Vaval not touched the ball, Winnipeg would have maintained a 13-12 lead.

I’m not suggesting for a moment that Vaval cost the Blue Bombers the game — he’s one of the team’s best players — but the point ended up being a big deal, as the game eventually went to overtime.

Walking wounded

Jaiden Woodbey suffered what appeared to be a lower-body non-contact injury late in the second quarter and did not return.

Trey Vaval got shaken up after taking a big shot from Caleb Sanders on the final play of the first half but was able to return. He finished the game with four punt returns for 76 yards, three kickoff returns for 67 yards, and two missed field goal returns for 20 yards.

Looking sharp

I write this every year after the Labour Day Classic, and will continue to do so until the change is made: the Roughriders should permanently switch to their retro uniforms.

Saskatchewan’s current home and away uniforms are decent, but nothing to write home about. Their retros, on the other hand, are some of the best in CFL history. Between their aesthetic value and the history they carry, they should be worn all the time.

Next up

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-6) will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-4) for the Banjo Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 12 with kickoff scheduled for 4:00 p.m. EDT.

The Roughriders won last year’s rivalry game by a score of 21-13 after C.J. Reavis knocked Zach Collaros from the game on an illegal hit. The loss snapped Winnipeg’s five-game Banjo Bowl winning streak, and was later cited by Saskatchewan general manager Jeremy O’Day as the moment his team realized it had Grey Cup potential. 10 weeks later, the Roughriders returned to Princess Auto Stadium to win the 112th Grey Cup.

The Blue Bombers are 13–8 all-time in the Banjo Bowl dating back to its inception in 2004. After dropping the Labour Day Classic, next week’s game has become a must-win.