Photo: Samantha Keen/3DownNation.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday night by a score of 33-21 in front of 31,312 fans at Princess Auto Stadium. Below are my thoughts on the game.
Brady’s ball
If you’re familiar with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, you know how Samwise Gamgee valiantly hauled an emaciated Frodo Baggins to the peak of Mount Doom.
The way Brady Oliveira carried his hometown Blue Bombers on Friday night was no less heroic.
The 28-year-0ld repeatedly broke tackles, spun off defenders, and powered through contact to churn out yardage. He finished the game with 11 carries for 74 yards, eight catches for 80 yards, and one touchdown, looking every bit like a recent Most Outstanding Player.
At halftime, Winnipeg had 198 net yards. Oliveira accounted for 132 of them.
The five-foot-ten, 228-pound ball-carrier was a non-factor in Winnipeg’s passing game during five matchups in July, making five catches for 15 yards. Evidently, getting him involved again as a receiver worked out well.
With his team coming off two embarrassing home losses, Oliveira was the best player on the field when his teammates needed him to be. The longer he remains the focal point of this offence, the more productive the attack is going to be.
Lucky to be good
Winnipeg’s defence was excellent for most of the second half, though the unit was lucky before it was good.
The Redblacks drove the field well on their first possession until Cade McDonald was unable to corral a pass from Jake Maier. The rookie receiver bobbled the ball and inadvertently batted it into the arms of defensive end David Reese for his first career interception. It was an unforced error.
On Ottawa’s next possession, Ayden Eberhardt got behind coverage in the end zone when Maier’s pass bounced off the uprights. The veteran passer faced some pressure from Michael Fletcher but he still got the throw off cleanly. Again, this was lucky break for Winnipeg as the visitors were forced to settle for a 37-yard field goal from Brett Lauther.
Early in the second quarter, tight end Jevoni Robinson got behind coverage for a 32-yard gain. The six-foot-five, 240-pounder may have scored a touchdown had he not crumpled to the turf with a non-contact injury. This was yet another lucky break for the Blue Bombers.
The defence was lights out for most of the second half, allowing only two first downs over a span of 20 minutes. Greg Bell was held at bay along the ground, Jake Maier was pressured several times, and defenders on the back end consistently contested catches.
Michael Fletcher got home for two sacks, though the second was negated by a roughing the passer penalty. This wasn’t the first time Fletcher has been charged with hitting the quarterback too high. At a smidge over six-foot-five, he needs to learn to get lower and avoid the quarterback’s facemask.
Winnipeg’s defence faltered near the end of the game, giving up two long drives. After giving up a touchdown pass to Eberhardt on the first, the defence then slammed the door on the second as Evan Holm got a knockdown to force a turnover on downs.
Zach returns (twice)
Zach Collaros returned to the lineup on Friday night after missing four games due to a neck injury, and it momentarily appeared his night would be cut short.
The soon-to-be 38-year-old was sacked off his blindside by Lucas Cormier near the midway point of the second quarter. He laid on the turf in apparent distress, received attention from medical staff momentarily, and then left the field under his own power.
Collaros was sidelined for five plays. His helmet remained on the entire time as spoke with members of the training staff. He then threw a few times, seemingly decided he was good to go, and reentered the contest.
Though he made some great throws after returning to play, the game couldn’t have started much worse for Collaros.
On Winnipeg’s first offensive play, he pulled the ball from Brady Oliveira in play-action and had lots of time to throw. He rolled out to his right and heaved the ball to a wide-open Gavin Cobb.
The little-used receiver was well behind his defender but had to stop running to wait for the ball, which travelled only 35 yards downfield. The pass was easily broken up.
If nothing else, the play proved that Collaros was willing to look deep. In Winnipeg’s recent loss to the B.C. Lions, neither Dru Brown nor Taylor Elgersma attempted a pass that travelled more than 20 yards downfield through the air.
On the next play, Collaros took a coverage sack from Habakkuk Baldonado. It looked like Tim White came open on a speed out to the boundary but Collaros never looked his way.
On the next possession, the veteran passer looked deep on first down for a receiver that wasn’t there. Ontaria Wilson got tangled up with a defender on a deep route to the opposite side of the field but the ball hit the turf in no man’s land.
On the next play, Collaros took another sack. The offensive line could have done a better job against five-man pressure, but there was still a reasonable amount of time to throw.
Collaros got better as the game went on, finishing 21-of-31 on his pass attempts for 222 yards. His best throw came late in the fourth quarter when he hit Nic Demski on a 33-yard strike near the goal line to set-up the game-sealing touchdown. It was a particularly nice catch from Demski, who drew a pass interference penalty on the pay from Dionté Ruffin.
The native of Steubenville, Ohio would have had a touchdown pass to Ontaria Wilson near the midway point of the third quarter, but the receiver let the ball slip right through his hands. It was a costly mistake, as the team was forced to settle for a 31-yard field goal from Sergio Castillo two plays later.
Second chance
Sometimes all anyone needs is a second chance, which is exactly what Trey Vaval got in the dying moments of the fourth quarter.
After initially returning a kickoff 27 yards to Winnipeg’s 37-yard line, Vaval got another shot to return the ball after the Redblacks were charged with offside. Working against a tired cover unit, Vaval picked up 50 yards along the sideline to give his team possession at Ottawa’s 47-yard line.
Four plays later, Bryce Perkins scored a two-yard touchdown run that ultimately iced the game.
Vaval had a strong night overall, returning six punts for 85 yards and four kickoffs for 136 yards. Sergio Castillo was also sharp, going four-for-four on field goals and three-for-three on converts.
However, it wasn’t a great night for Winnipeg’s cover units.
43 seconds before halftime, Kalil Pimpleton ripped off a 75-yard kickoff return to put the Redblacks in scoring position. Were it not for the speed of Evan Holm, who took a great angle on the play, Pimpleton would likely have scored.
It was just the second “big play” return Winnipeg has allowed all season. Every other team in the CFL has given up at least four.
One play later, Jake Maier hit Greg Bell for a 12-yard touchdown to give Ottawa a big boost heading into halftime.
Looking confused
Coming off a bye week, one would expect a veteran-laden football team to look polished. The more time you have to prepare, the better you should play.
Despite this, Winnipeg took a penalty for too many players on Ottawa’s first possession. It appears the coaching staff didn’t notice the issue before the snap as they would have likely called a timeout to avoid the infraction.
Early in the second quarter, there was confusion on a convert attempt. Tyler Elsbury, the team’s starting centre, flew onto the field after most of his teammates had already lined up. He then appeared unsure of where to line up, which led to a time count violation.
Sergio Castillo still made the kick despite the extra five yards, but it was still an odd mistake. How do you not have 12 players on the field for a convert?
These are relatively small details but they’re the type of errors Winnipeg didn’t used to make. Head coach Mike O’Shea talks all the time about playing “clean football.”
Too many men penalties and time count violations don’t fit that definition.
Added wrinkle
The Blue Bombers got creative in short-yardage on Friday night, as Bryce Perkins rolled out to his right instead of plunging forward on second-and-short late in the first quarter.
The 29-year-old hit Nic Demski in the flat, who picked up 10 yards before being tackled out of bounds by King Ambers. It was the first career CFL completion for Perkins.
It was a nice wrinkle from an offence that has felt stagnant and predictable at times this season.
Firing early
Brady Oliveira caught a 13-yard pass from Zach Collaros on the second play of the second quarter to give Winnipeg a first down on Ottawa’s two-yard line.
It was fairly evident that Oliveira was tackled before the goal line, and there was no indication from the officials that a touchdown had been scored.
However, nearly 200 yards away behind the north end zone, the cannon located under the video screen was fired to signify a score.
There was some confusion in the stadium, as the cannon’s firing led some fans to believe a touchdown had been scored. Instead, it was first-and-goal from the two-yard line.
Fans didn’t have to wait long to celebrate again, as Bryce Perkins scored on a two-yard touchdown plunge on the very next play.
Evidently, someone got a little too excited and fired early.
Hey, it happens.
Free Singer
The Blue Bombers started nine Canadian players on Friday night, which means it would have been easy to get Dorian Singer onto the roster and into the starting lineup.
Most CFL fans don’t know his name, but Singer put up almost 2,500 receiving yards over a four-year collegiate career at Arizona, USC, and Utah. He looked great during training camp and the preseason, though he’s been stuck on the practice roster ever since.
Given how quiet Tommy Nield and Gavin Cobb have been in recent weeks — the pair made 19 catches combined during the month of July — it would be nice to see Singer get a shot.
Is there any guarantee Singer would be a difference-maker? Of course not. Plenty of guys have flashed during practice, then wilted when the lights come on.
With that said, he deserves an opportunity. Winnipeg’s seventh-ranked passing game needs to improve in the second half of the regular-season.
Sick bay
Canadian defensive back Ethan Ball left the game early in the fourth quarter unable to put any weight on one of his legs. The Regina native is a promising young player who saw significant playing time on defence for the first time in his young career.
Despite a couple of other alarming moments, Winnipeg appears to have escaped Friday’s game otherwise unscathed on the injury front.
As mentioned above, Zach Collaros momentarily left the game in the second quarter but returned later that same drive. Deatrick Nichols also briefly left the game that same quarter but returned looking no worse for wear. He almost came down with an interception late in the third quarter, though he was unable to secure the ball near the sideline.
It’s remarkable how healthy the Blue Bombers are at the midway point of the season with just five players on injured reserve: defensive lineman De’Shaan Dixon, linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox, and defensive backs Cam Allen, Michael Griffin II, and Redha Kramdi.
There are zero injuries on the offensive side of the ball.
For context, the CFL’s other eight teams are dealing with an average of around 12 injuries. The league-high belongs to the Ottawa Redblacks, who had 17 players out for Friday’s game in Winnipeg.
Home cookin’
Though he’s no stranger to Princess Auto Stadium, Ottawa Redblacks offensive lineman Giordano Vaccaro played there for the first time as a professional on Friday night.
The Winnipeg native and University of Manitoba product was the first-overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft and immediately won a starting job in Ottawa at right guard.
On draft night in April, he and his family hosted nearly 300 people for a party at the Caboto Centre. I spoke with Vaccaro on Thursday afternoon and he told me that virtually everyone who attended the party bought tickets to Friday’s game that very night.
Between them, the entire Manitoba Bisons football team, and other family members and friends, he estimated there could be up to 500 people at the game to support him.
Vaccaro also told me his grandmother hosted the Redblacks offensive line and quarterbacks for dinner on Thursday. The menu: lasagna, cutlets, salad, and “a whole bunch more.”
Here’s hoping the big boys up front didn’t eat nonna out of house and home.
Next up
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-4) are in for an ultra-tough test next week, as they’ll visit the Montreal Alouettes (8-1) at Percival Molson Stadium.
The Alouettes have been the CFL’s best team all season long, led by Most Outstanding Player candidates Davis Alexander and Tyson Philpot. The team has won six straight games and will be rested next week, coming off a bye.
Winnipeg swept Montreal during the regular-season last year, though Alexander didn’t start either of those games. When the teams met in the East Semi-Final, the dual-threat quarterback led his team to a 42-33 win over the Blue Bombers, preventing the club from reaching a sixth-straight Grey Cup.
