The Bombers are still fighting for the last spot in the post-season. A win or tie against Calgary in Week 20 would secure a playoff date for Winnipeg and officially eliminate the Edmonton Eskimos. However, a loss at the hands of the Stamps would set up a winner takes all showdown between the Esks and Bombers in Week 21.
Meanwhile, the Stampeders can clinch top spot in the West Division with a victory or tie against the Bombers.
The Stamps have struggled down the stretch, dropping their last two games against a pair of tough divisional opponents.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders stayed in the hunt for first place in the West by topping the Stamps 29-24 at McMahon Stadium last week. The Riders defence was able to contain former MOP Bo Levi Mitchell to just 48 passing yards in the opening half. Mitchell finished the game with 221 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while Markeith Ambles had a team high 84 receiving yards and one major.
It is hard not to blame the Stamps’ recent slide on injury woes. Calgary’s receiving corps is down a number of starters with DaVaris Daniels, Kamar Jorden and Reggie Begelton all on the six-game injury list and likely out for the rest of the season.
Despite the back-to-back losses, Head Coach Dave Dickenson is remaining optimistic.
“I like our team a lot,” Dickenson told Stampeders.com after the loss. “I think the guys in that room just keep fighting. It may not always look pretty but I really like our team. We’ve lost two in a row but I think, personally, we’re going to make a good run at it here and hopefully clinch the West.”
The Stamps know that one of the keys to beating the Bombers lies in slowing down running back Andrew Harris. It appears that Calgary has the edge in that matchup.
The Stampeders are giving up a league low 84.8 yards on the ground per game this year. Calgary was also able to contain Harris to just 13 rushing yards on seven carries when the two teams met in August.
“I think Andrew [Harris] is one of their best players,” said Dickenson. “If you’re going to have success against their offence, you’ve got to be able to try to limit his [yards after catch]. He catches a lot of balls, so you’re not just trying to stop the run. You’re trying to make sure that he doesn’t get a lot of yards after touches.”
The Stamps will try to do just that despite a handful of injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Standout rookie corner Tre Roberson is out of the lineup along with linebacker Jameer Thurman, defensive end James Vaughters and defensive tackle Derek Wiggan.
Meanwhile, despite their injured receivers, the Stamps will wait at least another week to debut veteran Bakari Grant, who signed with the club last week.
The Bombers have the advantage of rest over the Stamps as they are coming off their last bye week of the season.
Their most recent win was a dominant 31-0 display against Saskatchewan back in Week 18. Adam Bighill wreaked havoc on the Riders’ offence all game. The four-time CFL all star racked up three sacks and a forced fumble, which was returned by Anthony Gaitor for a touchdown.
Matt Nichols finished the game with 155 yards and one major with no interceptions through three quarters. Nearly half of those yards came on a 72-yard touchdown pass to Darvin Adams.
The Bombers know they are playing their best football at the right time of the year.
“We didn’t lose our process in the face of a little bit of adversity,” said Nichols. “We stuck to what we’ve been doing and guys started coming together and playing better football overall. It just keeps showing up week in and week out what kind of team we have here if go out and just do what we’re supposed to do.”
The Bombers head into their matchup with the Stamps on a four game winning streak. During that span, Winnipeg has outscored its opponents 132-49. It is a stark contrast compared to just over a month ago when the Bombers were trying to snap a four game losing skid.
Still, even in a battle of hot vs. not, the Bombers know better than anyone not to take the struggling Stamps lightly.
“They’re a great football team regardless of what the favourites are and what people are talking about,” said Harris. “They’ve been great for a lot of years, and especially this year. We respect them a lot no matter what the last two or three games they’ve been going through. We were in the same position a month ago and we found a way to come back. Now we’re on a four game win streak. It can definitely switch and change.”
The Bombers will have to keep on rolling without defensive back Maurice Leggett. The 32-year-old defensive back returned to practice this week after a long stint on the six-game injured list only to be carted off the field. Head Coach Mike O’Shea said that the injury suffered in practice is not related to his previous injury.
By The Numbers:
14 – Years in a row that the Stamps have made the playoffs, the longest active streak in the CFL.
31.1 – League leading average points per game this season for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
33 – League leading passing touchdowns by Bo Levi Mitchell.
208 – Combined tackles between Stamps linebacker Alex Singleton and Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill. They rank first and second in the league in tackles respectively.
The Bombers have not had a lot of recent success against the Stamps.
Since 2011, Calgary is 15-2 against Winnipeg. The teams have split their last two meetings.
The Bombers seem to struggle even more against the Stamps in Winnipeg. The Blue and Gold have not won a home game against the Stamps dating back to 2009, a streak of 10 straight games.
Can the Bombers break their home curse against the Stampeders? Or will Calgary continue turn their luck around in Winnipeg?
– With files from Stampeders.com/BlueBombers.com
AFI, Yare Media and the CFL
American Football International is collaborating with Yare Media and the Canadian Football League to present 2018 CFL games live. This is more than a livestream. This is a stream of the top flight TSN network television broadcast.