Winnipeg Blue Bombers overcome awful start to clinch playoff spot (& eight other thoughts)

Paul Yates/B.C. Lions

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the B.C. Lions by a score of 34-10 in front of 30,833 fans at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver on Friday night. Below are my thoughts on the game.

Playoff ticket punched

Winnipeg’s mandate for Friday’s game couldn’t have been simpler: win and get in.

Did it look good? No.

Did it go according to plan? No.

Did it inspire confidence about next week? Uh, heck no.

Despite all that, the Blue Bombers accomplished their goal, and deserve credit for doing so. Making the playoffs shouldn’t be taken for granted in the CFL — until next year, when almost every team will qualify — and fans should be pleased.

Winnipeg caught a break well before this game began, as the Lions had nothing to play for in the standings. As a result, B.C. rested nine offensive starters, including star quarterback Nathan Rourke, plus defensive stalwarts Mathieu Betts and Deontai Williams.

One might even say the Lions played their B and C teams (pause for laughter).

The Blue Bombers took full advantage — in the fourth quarter, at least — and got the win. They have a lot to work for next week’s playoff game, but for at least the next 24 hours, they deserve to celebrate.

Going to the bullpen

“Relief” is the best word to describe this game — not only because Winnipeg could breathe a sigh of relief once it was done, but because it was Dru Brown’s relief performance that lifted them to victory.

Zach Collaros struggled badly through the first three quarters of this game, completing nine-of-20 pass attempts for 105 yards and one interception.

The offence looked miserably out of sorts, particularly in the passing game. The timing was off, balls were dropped, and far too many second downs went unconverted. If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was a preseason game.

The interception came late in the second quarter when Collaros under-threw a deep shot to Nic Demski and defensive back Stantley Thomas-Oliver III made a nice play on the ball. It was a poorly executed play all around, as Demski was offside at the snap, meaning the touchdown wouldn’t have stood even if he’d managed to muscle the ball out of the defender’s grasp.

Collaros also missed Tim White on a would-be deep shot midway through the third quarter. The receiver had a step on two defenders, and the play would have resulted in a gain of at least 41 yards.

At one point, the veteran quarterback one-hopped a check-down to Brady Oliveira, forcing the team to punt. TSN’s camera captured offensive coordinator Tommy Condell shaking his head in the booth as he removed his headset.

It was ugly.

Collaros was forced to leave the game late in the third quarter after he was sacked by defensive lineman Nathan Cherry, who was flagged for roughing the passer. It seemed to be a precautionary move, as the 38-year-old watched the fourth quarter from the sidelines with his helmet on.

Collaros was far from the only one to blame for the offence’s woes, as his supporting cast struggled.

Jarell Broxton, the team’s top offensive lineman, gave up an uncharacteristic sack. Tui Eli took a holding penalty when he was late to pick up a stunt in pass protection. Bryce Perkins was stuffed on a third-down plunge, resulting in a turnover on downs deep in Winnipeg territory.

Nic Demski had an uncharacteristically bad game, as he failed to reel-in a second-down throw in the second quarter. He also appeared unaware he’d been targeted on a pass to the end zone moments before halftime, took a holding penalty, and was held to no gain on a late jet sweep.

Everything changed when Dru Brown took over the controls in place of Collaros.

The veteran quarterback played the final 18 minutes of the game and channelled prime Anthony Calvillo, going 11-of-11 for 185 yards and two touchdowns. The scores went to Dorian Singer and Demski, who made up for his previous mistakes.

The Lions led 10-3 when Brown entered the game. Winnipeg then scored 31 unanswered points with a little over a quarter remaining. It was shocking.

The state of B.C.’s defence surely played a role in the visitor’s offensive outpouring, as the Lions played their veterans less and less as the game wore on. This meant that the Blue Bombers were not only competing against backups — they were competing against tired backups.

With that said, Winnipeg still took advantage, and they’re now off to the playoffs as a result. More on their quarterback situation in a moment.

Bad start, strong finish

Kaidon Salter has only started two CFL games, but he’s already a household name in Winnipeg.

The 23-year-old made his first start at Princess Auto Stadium in July, and absolutely torched the Blue Bombers along the ground. He rushed 10 times for 160, while Zander Horvath and Emani Bailey combined for 217 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries.

It was the worst performance of the season from any run defence in the CFL, and arguably the biggest upset of the entire regular-season. Winnipeg had a few low points this year, but this was the lowest.

This time around, Jordan Younger’s unit looked ready for the run. The problem is that B.C. clearly anticipated this, and opted for the pass on their first drive.

Salter hit Jaden Williams for a 38-yard gain when Trey Vaval slipped in coverage, then found Nate DeMontagnac for a 36-yard touchdown two plays later. There was a clear bust in coverage on the play with Major Williams and Jake Kelly being the two closest defenders to the rookie receiver.

From there, the defence played relatively well. Major Williams notched two interceptions, while Tony Jones, Jake Ceresna, Willie Jefferson, and Kydran Jenkins each recorded a sack. Jefferson’s sack was his first since Week 9 — the last time Winnipeg and B.C. played — while the sack from Jenkins resulted in a turnover on downs.

The Blue Bombers did a nice job of keeping Salter in the pocket, and didn’t allow him to break contain on any read-option plays. He finished the night with only two carries for 11 yards.

As was the case with Winnipeg’s offence, the team’s defence also benefitted from B.C.’s late-game management. Chris Oladokun, who signed with the Lions only a month ago, took over the controls from Salter late in the game and didn’t look remotely ready for live bullets.

In the end, Winnipeg held the opposition to 10 points and 287 yards of net offence. When you do that, you should win.

Extending the Olive-ira branch

Brady Oliveira saved his best game of the season for last.

The Winnipeg native, who earned the team’s nominations for Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian earlier this week, rushed 15 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns. He broke the game open with a 63-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, which was not only the longest run of his career, but also arguably the most significant. It turned out to be the game-winning score.

It can be hard to appreciate dominant players when they put up great numbers year after year, but Oliveira should be recognized for another great season.

The 29-year-old has finished the year with 237 carries for 1,493 yards, 42 catches for 348 yards, and eight touchdowns over 18 starts. It’s the second-best rushing total of his career, and more than he had in 2024 when he was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player. He won his third rushing title, and averaged 6.3 yards per carry, which is almost a half-yard better than his previous career high.

Oliveira moved up the CFL’s record book with the performance, surpassing Jon Cornish for third all-time among Canadian rushers at nearly 7,000 yards. If he keeps it up, the bruising back should move up another one or two spots before his career is over.

Some critics still feel the Blue Bombers overpaid Oliveira this past offseason, but I think it was a fair deal. He’s a future Hall of Fame player, and a local star.

There are a few players on Winnipeg’s roster who haven’t lived up to their contracts, but Oliveira isn’t one of them.

More mistakes

Special teams have been by far Winnipeg’s strongest phase all year long, but they were a bit of a letdown on Friday night.

Trey Vaval muffed a punt return midway through the first quarter, and B.C. receiver Kieran Poissant recovered in Winnipeg territory. Fortunately for Vaval, his team’s defence got a sack to move the Lions out of field goal range, then forced a punt two plays later.

Sergio Castillo went two-for-three on his field goal attempts, missing short from 54 yards out. There’s no shame in missing such a long field goal, but it was odd to see Castillo miss short. Perhaps his leg is starting to get tired, considering how many field goals he’s tried this season.

Winnipeg ended up getting the special teams turnover back when Seven McGee muffed a punt midway through the second quarter and Nick Hallett recovered. The offence squandered the takeaway as Zach Collaros threw an interception, but it at least evened the ledger.

QB controvery

If Zach Collaros is cleared to play in next week’s playoff game — head coach Mike O’Shea did not provide an update on his status postgame — there will be plenty of discussion regarding whether he or Dru Brown should start under centre.

To me, the choice is easy: Collaros. He played well in recent weeks, and deserves a chance to bounce back from his poor performance in Vancouver. Brown has also been far better this season in a relief role, rather than as a starter.

Here’s my question: if Collaros were to start next week and struggle, would O’Shea have the nerve to pull him in favour of Brown?

Record chase

B.C. running back Zander Horvath entered Friday’s game with 21 touchdowns on the season, putting him two short of Milt Stegall’s all-time single-season record, which was set in 2002.

It was a good night for the Blue Bombers legend, as Horvath recorded only two touches and did not reach the end zone. Stegall’s record has officially stood for another year.

Next up

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have finished the 2026 regular-season at 9-9. This marks the tenth-straight season that the team did not finish with a losing record, though it also marks the first time since 2015 that the team did not post a winning record.

As for next week’s game, it remains unclear who their opponent will be.

If the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat the Edmonton Elks on Saturday afternoon, Winnipeg will visit the Toronto Argonauts in the East Semi-Final. If the Roughriders lose, Winnipeg will visit B.C. in the West Semi-Final.

If you ask me, B.C. is a tougher opponent than Toronto, but the Montreal Alouettes are the best team in the CFL. In other words, there is no “easy” path to the Grey Cup. Both roads are tough.

Winnipeg will have to be at its very best from here on out to have any chance of winning a championship this year. Friday night’s game was a de facto playoff game for the Blue Bombers, but it was essentially a preseason game for the Lions.

Whether it’s Toronto or B.C. next week, the matchup will be a lot tougher.