Winnipeg Blue Bombers can’t stop Tiger-Cats in home-opening loss (& 10 other thoughts)

Photo: Samantha Keen/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by a score of 37-27 in front of 32,343 fans at Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday night. Below are my thoughts on the game.

D-readful start

As was the case last week in Calgary, Winnipeg’s defence got shredded early by the opposition.

The Tiger-Cats scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions and may have found the end zone again before halftime had the clock not forced them into a 53-yard field goal from Marc Liegghio.

Bo Levi Mitchell worked safely from the pocket throughout the half, completing 15-of-19 pass attempts for 233 yards and three touchdowns, while Larry Rountree III ripped off 10 carries for 57 yards. Over just 30 minutes of work, those numbers are pretty staggering.

Winnipeg had no pass rush, contested relatively few passes, and got pushed around at the line of scrimmage. The unit even allowed a 15-yard run from Mitchell, which is the equivalent of giving up a 60-yard run to almost any other quarterback in the CFL.

Like last week, the unit started the second half strong, getting a quick two-and-out. David Reese, a rookie defensive end making his regular-season CFL debut, walked left tackle Trevor Reid back into Mitchell’s throwing lane on second down, forcing an incompletion and a punt.

From there, the defence mostly regressed to its first-half form.

Jake Dolegala scored on a one-yard touchdown plunge, and Rountree III broke several more tackles to finish the game with 124 yards along the ground. Winnipeg didn’t register its first sack until the last five minutes of the game — a coverage sack from Tony Jones.

The defence also appeared caught off guard when speedy backup quarterback Tre Ford entered the game on Hamilton’s last possession to kill the clock. The native of Niagara Falls, Ont., pulled the ball on an apparent read option and ripped off a 23-yard run.

After excellent performances last week, Willie Jefferson and Jake Ceresna were mostly non-factors. It’s also extraordinarily rare that Deatrick Nichols receives criticism in this space, but the usually dominant defensive back had a game to forget.

The 32-year-old missed multiple tackles on Rountree III in run support, gave up a back-breaking 34-yard catch to Kiondré Smith late in the fourth quarter, and got badly burnt on a double-move by Kenny Lawler near the end of the first quarter. Mitchell overthrew the star receiver by a few yards. Had he thrown the ball accurately, the play would have likely resulted in a 102-yard touchdown.

Good but not great

Zach Collaros played well, completing 28-of-35 passes for 421 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

The veteran passer spread the ball around effectively and worked the intermediate game well despite shaky pass protection at times. The first score came on a deep shot to Nic Demski, while the second occurred on a quick timing route to Ontaria Wilson.

It was a good performance. Collaros just had to be ever better, given how much the defence struggled.

Brady Oliveira was kept in check along the ground, managing only 32 yards on eight carries. This was somewhat surprising, as the visitors were without star linebacker Wynton McManis.

Tiger-Cats head coach Scott Milanovich spoke all week about how the team’s top priority was shutting down the run. Hamilton did just that, and it paid off with an impressive win.

It’s rare that a team throws two opportunities away on the same play, but that’s exactly what Winnipeg did in the late stages of the first half on what turned out to be arguably the most costly play of the game.

Collaros looked for Ontaria Wilson in the end zone despite double coverage from two Hamilton defenders — one of whom, Stavros Katsantonis, is the best ball hawk in the CFL.

Katsantonis appeared to make the interception, though the officials ruled the play incomplete. Hamilton then successfully challenged the ruling on the field, resulting in a turnover.

There’s no excuse for throwing an interception in field goal range — especially on first down. It was a big mistake from Collaros.

The next error came from head coach Mike O’Shea, who went fishing for a pass interference penalty. After a very short review, the ruling on the field stood. There was no penalty. This meant that Winnipeg had no challenge in the second half, which may have proved useful.

Seeking revenge

Keric Wheatfall and Jonathan Moxey had quite the head-to-head battle on Thursday night in a rare matchup of players both looking for revenge against their former clubs.

Wheatfall had a step or two on Moxey on Hamilton’s second possession when Bo Levi Mitchell unloaded for a deep shot. Moxey partly closed the gap and timed his swat well, but the receiver ultimately made the catch for 47 yards. Two plays later, Kiondré Smith scored on an 11-yard touchdown catch.

Early in the second quarter, Mitchell went back to Wheatfall on a 30-yard bomb, but Moxey was in great position this time. He broke up the play, forcing the Tiger-Cats into second-and-10.

Late in the first half, Wheatfall made a second 47-yard reception on another deep shot from Mitchell. Moxey was in good position, but Wheatfall simply made a brilliant play, tracking the ball into his body with his left arm and securing it before he hit the turf.

Wheatfall had two 100-yard games over two seasons with Winnipeg. He now has one against the team, too.

Thursday also marked Tim White’s first game against his former team. Though the veteran hasn’t said much about the Tiger-Cats since signing in Winnipeg, he looked awfully fired up, ripping through arm tackles on his first catch of the game.

White had a relatively quiet night, making three catches for 64 yards. He also dropped a pass late in the fourth quarter that would have resulted in a first down.

The streak

Winnipeg’s sell-out streak reached 15 games on Thursday, extending a run that began on August 23, 2024, against the Tiger-Cats.

After disappointing attendance at all three games in Week 1, it was nice to see a packed house in Bomberland. Hopefully, other buildings across the country start to fill up as the season gets into full swing.

For what it’s worth, 3DownNation has been told that the season ticket base grew year-over-year in Edmonton, Calgary, and Saskatchewan.

Missed it by that much

Tommy Nield came very close to capping his own solo scoring drive early on Thursday night.

The 27-year-old made three receptions for 53 yards on Winnipeg’s opening possession of the game before being targeted in the end zone. Nield sprinted to the west sideline in the south end zone and had a good chance to make the grab, but was unable to squeeze the ball, allowing it to awkwardly fly from his hands.

Zach Collaros threw an incompletion short of the end zone on second down, after which Sergio Castillo made a 19-yard field goal.

Had he not dropped a would-be touchdown, Nield would have had his score in blue and gold and completed a solo touchdown drive.

What an adjustment

Speaking of plays that didn’t happen — or, at least, didn’t count — how about Nic Demski’s adjustment to the ball early in the fourth quarter?

The Winnipeg native was charged with offensive pass interference on Reggie Stubblefield, which was probably warranted. However, the play he made was still incredible.

Demski broke free from the defender, realized the ball was underthrown, and fell flat onto his back, where the ball hit him in the chest. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a receiver adjust to a throw in quite that fashion. It was phenomenally athletic.

The Strevolution

Chris Streveler attended Thursday’s game to celebrate his recent retirement, doing a slew of media appearances and sporting his signature fur coat and cowboy hat.

Most CFL fans don’t fully grasp how popular Streveler is in Winnipeg. For a player with a mediocre record as a starter (9-9) and a negative career touchdown-to-interception ratio (26-to-31), he’s absolutely beloved and will likely remain that way for years to come.

The native of Crystal Lake, Ill., arguably became the face of the team’s championship run in 2019 when he ran over the Calgary Stampeders in the West Semi-Final, threw a touchdown pass to Andrew Harris in the Grey Cup, then celebrated the title so enthusiastically. The fact that he did it all on a distal tibia fracture and severe high-ankle sprain — ailments that weren’t detailed until the ensuing offseason — made it all the more iconic.

There are plenty of stars who will be remembered as faces of one of the best eras in Blue Bombers history — Adam Bighill, Stanley Bryant, Zach Collaros, Nic Demski, Janarion Grant, Jermarcus Hardrick, Andrew Harris, Evan Holm, Jackson Jeffcoat, Willie Jefferson, Kenny Lawler, Patrick Neufeld, Deatrick Nichols, Brady Oliveira, and Jake Thomas, to name a few. You can probably throw Mike O’Shea into that mix as well, though he’ll be abhorred when they build him a statue someday.

Despite not being destined for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Streveler is right up there with all those guys and arguably more popular than many.

I’d love to hear from Blue Bombers fans on this topic. Where does Streveler rank among the team’s modern legends? Let me know on social media or via email (jhodge@3downnation.com).

Football sucks

Football is one of my favourite things in the world. If you’re reading this, that’s probably true for you, too.

With that said, football really sucks sometimes.

Jamal Peters, a star defensive back for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, went down late on Winnipeg’s opening possession after delivering a hit on Tommy Nield. It initially looked like a normal, innocuous play, but Peters appeared unresponsive when his teammates tried to rouse him from the turf. Moments later, the two-time All-CFL selection was taken off on a stretcher.

Fortunately, the Tiger-Cats later announced that Peters was “conscious and in good spirits” en route to a local medical facility. He was cleared and released from the hospital later in the night. Here’s hoping he makes a quick and painless recovery.

Weather watch

The Winnipeg weather forecast called for rain all week until Thursday morning, when suddenly the day’s projection became dry — possibly helping sell the final few available tickets.

Of course, there was then a downpour 10 minutes prior to kickoff, soaking both teams and leading thousands of fans to seek shelter. The skies opened again midway through the third quarter, which didn’t help Winnipeg’s passing game as they tried to mount a comeback.

Next up

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-1) are off this upcoming week as they’ll enjoy the first of three bye weeks.

When the club returns to the field in Week 4, it will be to host the Edmonton Elks (1-0) at Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday, June 25.

The Elks opened the 2026 season with a 29-21 win over the Ottawa Redblacks and are currently on a bye of their own. In Week 3, they’ll host the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday, June 20, which means they’ll travel to Winnipeg on a short week.

John Hodge is a longtime Canadian football reporter, insider, and podcaster for 3DownNation. Based in Winnipeg, Hodge is also a freelance television and radio broadcaster and curling reporter for Rock Channel.