Winnipeg Blue Bombers shock Argonauts to win East Semi-Final (& nine other thoughts)

Photo: Guang Quan/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Toronto Argonauts by a score of 25-22 in the East Semi-Final on Saturday in front of 21,786 fans at BMO Field. Below are my thoughts on the game.

Dru and Gold

Dru Brown started under centre for Winnipeg in place of Zach Collaros, who suffered an injury to his ribs last week against the B.C. Lions.

With Collaros’ future unclear, the Blue Bombers were surely hoping that Brown would grab this opportunity by the horns and establish himself as the quarterback who should lead this franchise into the future.

That’s not exactly what happened.

The 29-year-old completed 18-of-30 pass attempts for 206 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He made the throw that mattered most with a 23-yard game-winner to Nic Demski late in the fourth quarter, but missed a bunch before that.

Statistics don’t always tell the full story, and this game was no exception.

Brown’s first touchdown pass came on a drag route to Ontaria Wilson in the first quarter. The veteran quarterback had pressure in his face and was forced to throw off his back foot. The ball almost sailed out of Wilson’s reach but he made a one-handed grab, then ran 32 yards for the score.

In other words, the success of the play was all on Wilson. Had he not made the tough catch, Brown’s pass would likely have been intercepted.

Ironically, the interception Brown threw later that quarter wasn’t his fault at all.

Dorian Singer was open on a deep curl but lost his footing coming back to the ball and fell to the ground. The pass hit DaShaun Amos in the chest, and he returned it 19 yards to put the Argonauts in scoring range. Three plays later, Lirim Hajrullahu hit a 42-yard field goal.

However, Brown’s second interception was entirely on him.

Late in the second quarter, he forced a throw into double coverage and it was intercepted by Dathan Hickey. The decision made little sense, as Singer was well-covered.

If you watch the play back, Tommy Nield was wide open on a short in route. His defender abandoned him to provide low coverage on Singer’s intermediate route. The pass ended up being high — possibly to ensure the low defender couldn’t knock it down — and Hickey, the high defender, made the pick.

The Blue Bombers only needed six yards for a first down, and they were already in field goal range. There was no need to put the ball in harm’s way, and the mistake took points off the board.

Moments later, Brown fumbled when he was hit from behind by Soane Toia, and Shawn Lemon returned the loose ball 22 yards into field goal range. It’d be wrong to blame Brown entirely for the giveaway, since he couldn’t see that he was being chased by a defender. Even so, his internal clock needed to work a little quicker.

Though it didn’t result in a turnover, Brown also had a key miss early in the second quarter.

Tim White was wide open down the seam but Brown overthrew the veteran receiver. Brown looked visibly angry with himself after the miss, clearly aware he’d cost his team a possible touchdown. They were forced to punt.

In all, Brown’s performance wasn’t a complete disaster, but it also fell well short of what one would expect from a top quarterback. If it weren’t for a defensive touchdown and a key turnover on special teams — more on those in a moment — Winnipeg would not have won this game.

Heading into next week, the big question will be whether or not Collaros is ready to return. Officially, he was a limited participant in practice on Thursday and listed as questionable for Saturday’s game, though he did not end up dressing.

Slamming the door

Winnipeg’s defence came to play in the East Semi-Final.

Toronto had one of the most explosive offences in the CFL this year but you wouldn’t have known that based on Saturday’s game. Despite having to deal with four giveaways from the offence, Winnipeg’s defence allowed only one explosion play all game. It was an admirable performance.

The unit’s best play came late in the third quarter. Michael Fletcher, working against former Blue Bombers centre Chris Kolankowski, knocked the ball loose from Chad Kelly’s grip, and David Reese recovered for a 58-yard return touchdown.

Winnipeg’s defence took more than its fair share of criticism this year. Though not great against the run, the unit finished No. 1 against the pass. It played well against both on Saturday, as Cam Porter and Isaiah Smith combined for only 41 yards on 13 carries, and Chad Kelly and Nick Arbuckle combined for only 217 yards and one touchdown through the air.

The Blue Bombers didn’t tally any interceptions this week, but their one takeaway proved to be enough. Playing one of the most explosive offences in the CFL, the unit allowed only 22 points and 257 net yards. Any team would be happy with those numbers.

It seems fair to question if things might have been different had Kelly finished the game, but Arbuckle only played the last nine minutes of the contest. The vast majority of this game was best-on-best, and Winnipeg’s defence came out on top.

Special teams comes through

Special teams have been Winnipeg’s strength all season long, but the unit was mediocre at best on Saturday — until a key play late in the fourth quarter.

With just under two minutes to play, Janarion Grant found a seam on a punt return when Nick Hallett got his hand on the ball. It popped loose, and Thiadric Hansen recovered to give Winnipeg possession in Toronto territory.

It was exactly the play the Blue Bombers needed. Winnipeg’s offence hadn’t scored on its last nine possessions, including three two-and-outs, and two giveaways. Without the spark from special teams, the offence almost surely wouldn’t have managed the late score.

It hadn’t been a great day for Winnipeg’s special teams units up to that point. Sergio Castillo missed a 47-yard field goal attempt, while Jamieson Sheahan booted a late punt illegally out of bounds, resulting in a net of only 34 yards.

Trey Vaval, who was recently named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player for the second straight year, averaged a respectable 11.3 yards on six punt returns, but only 18.5 yards on two kickoff returns. Toronto had the CFL’s worst kickoff cover teams during the regular-season, so the latter was a surprise.

Lack of support

Dru Brown didn’t play a great game on Saturday (see above) but his supporting cast didn’t do enough to help him.

Tim White took a holding penalty and lost a fumble. Tommy Nield dropped what should have been an 18-yard completion late in the fourth quarter. Dorian Singer failed to reel-in a contested deep shot in the first quarter. Jarell Broxton, Tyler Elsbury, and Stanley Bryant each took illegal procedure penalties.

Bryant also gave up a sack to former Blue Bombers first-round draft pick Jonathan Kongbo. It’s worth noting that Kendall Randolph, who Winnipeg cut at the end of training camp, did not allow a sack starting at right tackle for Toronto.

Winnipeg simply failed to play clean football offensively. There were far too many mistakes.

Brady Oliveira played well, rushing 20 times for 95 yards, and Nic Demski was sensational, catching all four of his targets for 72 yards and one touchdown.

However, if this team wants to have a reasonable shot at winning the East Final, the offensive supporting cast will have to be much better next week.

Wasted opportunity

The Blue Bombers were unable to convert on second-and-five midway through the third quarter, forcing them to punt in Argonauts territory. The team caught a huge break when the Boatmen were flagged for too many players, giving Winnipeg a first down at their 38-yard line.

The play wasn’t considered a turnover on the box score, but it was as good as one. Instead of being off the field, the Blue Bombers not only got the ball back, but they were moved into field goal range. It was a great chance to score.

Instead, they wasted the opportunity.

Tim White took a holding penalty on first down, and Winnipeg needed two plays to get the lost yardage back. Sergio Castillo was then asked to kick a 47-yard field goal, and missed wide left.

When the other team makes an error, it’s important to capitalize — especially in the playoffs. This was a huge missed opportunity, especially considering how few mistakes the Argonauts made.

Ties that bind

For teams from two different divisions and two very different cities, it’s funny to think about the coaching connections between Winnipeg and Toronto.

After the 2024 season, Winnipeg interviewed then-Argonauts quarterbacks coach Mike Miller for their vacant offensive coordinator position. The Blue Bombers didn’t end up hiring him, choosing instead to promote then-running backs coach Jason Hogan.

After the 2025 season, Mike O’Shea interviewed for the head coaching job in Toronto. There was strong speculation that the native of North Bay, Ont. would make the move, but he eventually chose to return to Winnipeg on a new three-year deal.

A little over one week later, Miller was again interviewed to potentially become Winnipeg’s offensive coordinator. However, Miller was then introduced as the new head coach of the Argonauts after Ryan Dinwiddie departed for the Ottawa Redblacks.

It’s fitting that this game was played on Halloween because the off-field connections between these clubs is a little bit spooky.

The crossover lives

With a new playoff format coming next year, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will forever be the last crossover playoff team in CFL history.

Fans and members of the media sometimes make a big deal out of the fact that no crossover team has ever reached the Grey Cup. However, to me, this is hardly shocking.

By definition, crossover teams weren’t good enough to make the playoffs in their own division. The fact that they didn’t have a lot of success in the other division is hardly shocking.

With that said, Winnipeg has a chance to become the first-ever crossover team to reach the Grey Cup next week. All they have to do is beat the insanely good Montreal Alouettes.

Heal up, DT

Derek Taylor, Winnipeg’s play-by-play voice on 680 CJOB, was unable to call Saturday’s game after he announced he underwent emergency eye surgery earlier this week.

DT is one of the best in the business. Heal up soon!

Next up

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will visit the Montreal Alouettes in the East Final on Saturday, November 7 with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET.

The teams met twice during the regular-season with very different results.

In August, Winnipeg won 44-28 at Princess Auto Stadium in what was arguably the most surprising result of the CFL season. Davis Alexander threw four touchdown passes but the Blue Bombers owned the time of possession battle, as Zach Collaros threw two touchdown passes to Ontaria Wilson, Brady Oliveira ran for 106 yards and one score, and Bryce Perkins added two touchdowns in short yardage.

Earlier this month, Montreal crushed Winnipeg at Percival Molson Stadium by a score of 37-10. Alexander threw for 440 yards and one touchdown in the win, while Stevie Scott III ran for 83 yards and one score, and Caleb Evans added two scores in short yardage. The Blue Bombers generated only six first downs on offence and a pathetic 19:22 in time of possession.

Obviously, the Blue and Gold will be looking for a much better trip to Montreal this time around. Zach Collaros didn’t play in the beatdown loss earlier this month. Will he play this time? Only time will tell.