HAMILTON — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are nearly untouchable when they’re at their best.
But when they’re not — which was the case Saturday in Hamilton — they’re capable of playing some ugly football.
They’ve gotten away with not playing a full 60 minutes before, but on this occasion, the Bombers couldn’t overcome their mistakes and fell 29-23 to the Tiger-Cats in front of 22,610 fans at Tim Hortons Field.
Hamilton Tiger Cats defensive back Javien Elliott (7) and Hamilton Tiger Cats defensive back Kenneth George Jr. (3) celebrate after a turnover during second half CFL football game action against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Hamilton, Ont., Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. (Peter Power / The Canadian Press)
Winnipeg heads into their second bye with a 10-4 record, while the result improved Hamilton to 6-7.
Head coach Mike O’Shea told reporters postgame that he hopes his troops forget about it and enjoy their rest week.
Before the rest of us forget about it, let’s revisit the game with the latest edition of 5 Takeaways.
From 51 to 23
The Bombers aren’t going to score 51 points every week.
But the team that took the field against the Ticats looked nothing like the one that steamrolled the Saskatchewan Roughriders at the Banjo Bowl.
Quarterback Zach Collaros had his worst game of the season with three costly interceptions. He also had another pair of throws that could’ve been picked.
The reigning, two-time Most Outstanding Player has thrown 13 picks this year which matches his 2022 total and ties a career high (he also threw 13 in 2018 with Saskatchewan).
The ground game didn’t fare much better with Brady Oliveira — the league’s leading rusher — having just nine carries for 46 yards. The 26-year-old from Winnipeg will now need to average 156 yards per game in the final four weeks to pass Calgary Stampeders legend Jon Cornish (1,813 in 2013) for most rushing yards in a season by a Canadian.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros (8) on the field after being sacked by the Hamilton Tiger Cats Hamilton, Ont., Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. (Peter Power / The Canadian Press)
Despite their struggles, they still, somehow, had a chance to steal the game at the end. Collaros and Co. had the ball with 1:40 left but went nowhere with it as the drive started with a sack before two incomplete passes.
Heading into Week 15, the Bombers were averaging a league-high 31.4 points on offence.
Hamilton surprise
Taylor Powell might just be Hamilton’s best option at quarterback even if Bo Levi Mitchell and Matthew Shiltz were healthy.
The rookie, who started the year as the third-string pivot, didn’t take many shots down field, but was sharp nonetheless. The 24-year-old out of Eastern Michigan completed 20-of-26 passes for 236 yards, one touchdown, and an interception to go along with 23 rushing yards on four attempts. The Bombers sacked him three times, but that number would’ve been higher if it wasn’t for Powell’s ability to get out of the pocket. He also caught a break with the Bombers not having star defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat. Backup Celestin Haba got a sack on the first drive, but wasn’t much of a fact after that.
Hamilton is starting to show signs of life with 11 touchdowns in the last four games. They only had four in the four games prior to that.
Now tied for second in the East with the slumping Montreal Alouettes, the Grey Cup might not be the only postseason game played at Tim Hortons Field.
Not so special
Special teams continues to be an area of concern for the Bombers.
Hamilton Tiger Cats quarterback Taylor Powell (0) scrambles during second half CFL football game action against the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Hamilton, Ont., Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. (Peter Power / The Canadian Press)
Their big mishap came at the end of the of the first quarter when Sergio Castillo’s extra point attempt sailed wide right and was returned 126 yards by Tyreik McAllister for two points.
Castillo also misfired at the end of the half on a 48-yard field goal and McAllister came oh-so-close to making the Bombers pay again. He took the miss across midfield on a 67-yard return before linebacker Brian Cole II laid him out to prevent the touchdown.
As for Marc Liegghio, who lost his kicking job to Castillo at the end of training camp, he was perfect on the day. The Ticats kicker drilled both of his field goal tries and went 3-for-3 on extra points.
Liegghio has to be on cloud nine after sticking it to his former team.
The Bombers, once again, got next to nothing from their return game. Jamal Parker has proven to be no upgrade over Greg McCrae as the second-year defensive back returned two kickoffs for a total of 35 yards. He was no better on punt return duty as his five attempts averaged 5.6 yards.
The Bombers need Janarion Grant back in a hurry.
Most Outstanding Canadians
It’s a shame Brady Oliveira and receiver Nic Demski both can’t be finalists for the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian award.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers wide receiver Kenny Lawler (89) is tripped up by Hamilton Tiger Cats defensive back Kenneth George Jr. (3) during second half CFL football game action in Hamilton, Ont., Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. (Peter Power / The Canadian Press)
Demski was a bright spot for the blue and gold with six catches for 137 receiving yards and a touchdown. The big play threat terrorized the Ticats secondary for two 50-plus yard catches. It was a nice bounceback effort for the former Manitoba Bison who was held to one grab for eight yards in the Labour Day rematch.
Demski leads the league in 30-plus yard receptions with 11 and now has a career-high 931 receiving yards this season.
The Bombers have had a lot of great receivers over the years, but they haven’t had a Canadian one reach 1,000 yards receiving in a season since 1995 when Gerald Wilcox accomplished the feat. All signs point to Demski snapping that drought.
Big finish
The West Division race is headed towards a photo finish.
With the Bombers losing and the B.C. Lions (9-4) overcoming a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Ottawa 41-37 on Saturday, things just got that much more interesting.
The previous two years saw the Bombers clinch the No. 1 seed with three games left to play, but that’s not a luxury this team will get to enjoy as their final four tilts could end up being significant.
The next one on the schedule is a highly anticipated meeting at IG Field on Sept. 29 against the Toronto Argonauts (11-1) in a Grey Cup rematch and quite possibly a 2023 championship game preview. It will also be Andrew Harris’s first contest in Winnipeg after the Bombers parted ways with the future hall of fame after the 2021 season.
Hamilton Tiger Cats defensive back Lawrence Woods III (8) and Hamilton Tiger Cats defensive back Javien Elliott (7) celebrate after a late game turnover during CFL football game action against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Hamilton, Ont., Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. (Peter Power / The Canadian Press)
It doesn’t get any easier after that as the Bombers will then hit the road to take on the Lions at B.C. Place in a game that could decide who earns the postseason bye out of the West. With the season series tied 1-1, the stakes will be high in Vancouver.
It’ll be stressful times in Bomberland down the stretch, but this is a win for the CFL. The league is coming off of two years where the final week of the regular season meant nothing in the standings for all nine teams. Some added excitement is always good for business.
Twitter: @TaylorAllen31
Taylor Allen
Reporter
Eighteen years old and still in high school, Taylor got his start with the Free Press on June 1, 2011. Well, sort of…
