The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Edmonton Eskimos by a score of 34-28 in front of 34,217 fans at Commonwealth Stadium on Friday night. Below are my thoughts on the game.
The CFL’s Tim Tebow
Chris Streveler recorded one of ugliest quarterback stat lines in the recent history of the CFL, completing just 7-of-17 pass attempts for 89 yards and zero touchdowns.
And his team won.
Tim Tebow famously won eight of 14 starts in the NFL despite being almost incapable of passing the ball downfield. Retiring with 2,422 career passing yards and a 47.9 completion percentage, Tebow used his abilities as a runner to lead his team to victory.
Streveler can pass more effectively than Tebow, but his performance on Friday night was highly reminiscent of the former NCAA star. The second-year man rushed 14 times for 95 yards and a six-yard touchdown that would become the game’s winning score.
Like Calgary’s Nick Arbuckle and Saskatchewan’s Cody Fajardo, Streveler is a young quarterback slated to become a free agent after this season. How the 24-year-old performs has the potential to earn him a big payday should a CFL team — Winnipeg or otherwise — choose to pay him like a starting quarterback in the off-season.
His performance as a passer on Friday won’t blow any future suitors away but, as in the case of Tebow, you can’t argue with wins. Streveler helped his team earn a victory against a talented squad at Commonwealth Stadium and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.
Forced to three
The Bombers didn’t allow a touchdown in their first meeting with Edmonton back in June, forcing Sean Whyte to boot seven field goals.
That trend continued on Friday night with the Eskimos going 58 minutes and 42 seconds without a touchdown until Tevaun Smith caught a 75-yard bomb from Trevor Harris. Whyte booted another seven field goals, his longest coming from 48 yards out.
Harris shattered the 300-yard mark against Winnipeg for the second time this season, completing 26-of-40 pass attempts for 430 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The pivot also enjoyed an uncharacteristically productive night on the ground, rushing four times for 40 yards.
Edmonton’s lack of major scores wasn’t due to poor offensive production. It was about a lack of finish in the red zone, something that has plagued the Eskimos at time this season.
Credit to the Bombers’ defence for shutting Edmonton’s offence down when it mattered most. “Bend but don’t break” has become an unpopular phrase in Winnipeg, but it got the job done against the green and gold. Twice.
Ad-Rios, amigo
First-year players are always looking to make a splash in their first start. Field-side halfback Marcus Rios accomplished that late in the first quarter with this spectacular pick-six.
https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1165077362632998912
That’s one of the most acrobatic interceptions I’ve ever seen. Rios was beaten by Smith for Edmonton’s lone touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but that play won’t get shown on highlight packages come the end of the season. His pick-six will.
Rookie reward
Jonathan Kongbo made his first career CFL start on Friday, recording four tackles and applying plenty of pressure from his defensive end spot.
The Tennessee product was chosen fifth overall in May’s CFL draft with a selection acquired via trade from the B.C. Lions. Had it not been for the ACL tear he suffered early in his senior season, many believe Kongbo would currently be playing in the NFL.
Fourth overall selection Drew Desjarlais made his first career start last week, becoming the sixth member of the 2019 CFL draft class to start a game. Kongbo became the eighth draft pick to start a contest after Wilfrid Laurier product Robbie Smith did so for the Argonauts last Friday.
Sideline smackdown
Phillip Lolley has done a spectacular job in his first season as Edmonton’s defensive coordinator. He’s coached his unit through key injuries and has rejuvenated the career of veteran defensive back Josh Johnson.
I imagine Lolley’s success feels particularly sweet after the 65-year-old was unable to find work last season. Lolley did a great job with Hamilton’s defence in 2017 following the firing of Jeff Reinebold, but wasn’t retained when June Jones hired Jerry Glanville to coach the unit the following year.
https://twitter.com/jonathanwhudson/status/1165087514488475648
Lolley was mentioned on Friday night’s broadcast when an official collided with him in front of the Edmonton sideline during the second quarter.
There’s a reason why coaches are asked to stay off the field. Clearly, the official caught him Lolley-gagging.
Photo Scott Grant / CFLPhotoArchive.com
Hey, it’s Franklin
I wrote this past week about why the Bombers should trade for Argonaut quarterback James Franklin.
Check the piece out if you haven’t already, but it ultimately comes down to this: Franklin was once considered the league’s next great quarterback and it’s worth seeing if he can still reach his full potential.
Chris Streveler is able to run at an elite level, but there’s no doubt that Franklin is a better passer. If Toronto is willing to part with their former starter — and I believe they are — the Bombers should pull the trigger on a trade.
Sack attack
Edmonton allowed just three sacks through their first nine games this season, which is pretty remarkable.
The Eskimos don’t have any standouts along the offensive line, a testament to their work as a unit. SirVincent Rogers and Matt O’Donnell are all-star calibre players, but both have spent most of the season on the six-game injured list.
Jason Maas’ use of run-pass option, Trevor Harris’ quick decision-making, and C.J. Gable’s hard running have all helped Edmonton’s allow so few sacks this season. That’s complementary football at its finest.
With that said, Harris’ protection broke down repeatedly against Winnipeg. Willie Jefferson got home for three sacks and two forced fumbles, single-handedly doubling the number of sacks allowed by Edmonton this season to six.
Credit to Blue Bomber defensive coordinator Richie Hall for exploiting the weaknesses in Edmonton’s protection, particularly with Jackson Jeffcoat and Craig Roh out of the line-up.
Don’t call it a comeback
The CFL doesn’t have a comeback player of the year award, but Ricky Collins Jr. would be the front-runner if it did.
The Texas A&M Commerce product recorded just two receptions for 19 yards on Friday night, but he still leads the league in receiving. It’s been a breakout season for a player some personnel people thought would be out of the league this year.
Collins Jr. is with his fifth team in four years, having been cut twice (once by Winnipeg) and traded once. Currently on pace for 1,348 receiving yards this season, the 27-year-old is finally garnering the attention he deserves.
Century mark
Mike O’Shea became just the third head coach in Blue Bomber history to reach his 100th game with the team on Friday night. Following the victory in Edmonton, the 48-year-old has a 53-47 record as Winnipeg’s bench boss.
Bud Grant (144 games) and Cal Murphy (138 games) remain ahead of O’Shea.
Season series
Friday’s game was the second and final meeting between the Bombers and Eskimos this season. Winnipeg won the first match-up at IG Field on June 27 by a score of 28-21 and beat Edmonton again on Friday night, securing the season series.
The West Division standings are tight at the top with Winnipeg (8-2), Edmonton (6-4), Saskatchewan (5-3), and Calgary (5-4) separated by just six points.
Winning the season series against Edmonton is a major advantage for the Blue Bombers. Should the two teams finish with the same record, Winnipeg would finish ahead of the Eskimos by virtue of the tiebreaker. That could be huge.
Butts in seats
The Eskimos announced a crowd of 34,217 on Friday night, the largest of the CFL season thus far. The previous high was a crowd of 31,602 at New Mosaic Stadium who watched the Riders beat the Lions on July 20.
Edmonton averaged just 24,640 fans through their first two games this season, which was a troubling trend. It’s nice to see the club’s attendance figures bouncing back.
The Bombers will travel to Regina for the annual Labour Day Classic next Sunday at New Mosaic Stadium.
The Roughriders (5-3) host the struggling Ottawa Redblacks (3-6) tomorrow with defensive end AC Leonard slated to draw back into the line-up. Zack Evans and Micah Johnson remain out due to injury, though Johnson may return by the time Winnipeg comes to town.
Winnipeg beat Saskatchewan in last year’s West Semi-Final, but the club has traditionally struggled on Labour Day. The Riders have won 13 of the last 14 contests with the lone loss coming in 2016.
The teams will meet again on Saturday, September 7 for the annual Banjo Bowl. Saskatchewan won last year’s game 32-27 in a contest that saw Matt Nichols and Chris Streveler combine for five interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
Willie Jefferson’s pick-six in that game became one of the CFL’s top defensive plays of the year. That interception had a lot to do with why the Bombers pursued Jefferson so aggressively in free agency, signing the pass rusher to a one-year contract.
