Bombers ‘not nearly good enough' in third straight loss

Winnipeg Free Press

28-07-2025

TORONTO — It's hard to imagine a worse sentiment surrounding a team that is .500 this early in the season.
After running out of the gates to three straight victories, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers find themselves in a freefall down the CFL standings as losers of three in a row, while the same issues continue to plague the team.
Their latest defeat, a 31-17 shellacking at the hands of the Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field on Saturday, was the club's third straight multi-touchdown loss. It's the first time Winnipeg has dropped three in a row since the beginning of the 2024 season, when they opened the campaign 0-4.
Toronto Argonauts running back Khalan Laborn (30) breaks a tackle from Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive back Marquise Bridges (9) during first half CFL football action in Toronto on Saturday. (Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press files)
Head coach Mike O'Shea said he remains 'very relaxed' about his club's recent stretch because 'the answers are easy.'
However, uncovering the solution could prove difficult without the services of the team's starting quarterback, Zach Collaros, who exited the contest early for the second week in a row with an undisclosed injury.
Collaros, who was not playing well prior to his injury — he completed five of his 10 passes for 79 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions — emerged from the locker room after halftime without pads on. It's difficult to pinpoint which play he might've sustained an injury on, and O'Shea did not provide an update after the game.
It's been the same song and dance over the last three games for the Bombers. The numbers that are most concerning during this stretch: 11 explosive plays allowed on defence; eight interceptions and 17 total turnovers (minus-14 margin); and 18 penalties for 183 yards, several of which have been untimely and proved costly.
'Not nearly good enough. We got to prepare our guys to play smarter, right from the hop. Shouldn't have put ourselves in a bit of a hole early, but it's nothing that's insurmountable,' O'Shea said. 'It's just one of those weird, tough games, and we certainly didn't play well enough to overcome any of the little weird stuff that was going to happen in a game like this.'
The Argos (2-5) and Bombers (3-3) will run it back in Winnipeg for the second half of a home-and-home at Princess Auto Stadium on Friday (7:30 p.m.), but before we look ahead, let's put a bow on Week 8 with the latest edition of Five Takeaways.
Let's begin with something positive.
This was undoubtedly the best performance of the season from the Bombers' pass rush, which entered the week with six sacks collectively, the second-fewest in the league.
Toronto Argonauts quarterback Nick Arbuckle (4) gets tackled by Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive back Trey Vaval (23) during the first half. (Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press files)
Winnipeg sacked Nick Arbuckle five times and constantly pressured him. Although Arbuckle hung in tough, navigating the pocket and using his legs on three occasions for positive gains, this is something the Bombers can build on.
The Argonauts entered the contest allowing the most sacks in the CFL with 16, and the Bombers took full advantage of the offensive line.
It was the first time James Vaughters made his presence felt in a Bomber uniform, as he finished a 29-yard scoop-and-score in the first quarter and doubled down on the following drive with his first sack of the campaign.
Tony Jones paced all players with two sacks, while Devin Adams and rookie defensive end Jay Person also dropped Arbuckle.
The Bombers' defence continues to be susceptible to explosive plays, but the pass rush can help limit those chances by getting home more often.
Defensive co-ordinator Jordan Younger had seen enough.
After a rough outing against the Calgary Stampeders in Week 7, second-year cornerback Marquise Bridges was once again the culprit on a few big gains for the Argos and found himself on the bench before halftime.
Bridges' biggest blip came on Toronto's first offensive play of the game, as the club opened with a trick play that saw Arbuckle lateral to Janarion Grant, who found Damonte Coxie for a 41-yard gain.
Bridges was caught looking in the backfield as Coxie ran by him. Frankly, he was fortunate that the ball was severely under thrown, or else Coxie would've scored.
He got back into the game in the fourth quarter after Trey Vaval exited with a lower-body injury, but it's the first time this season that the Bombers have shaken up the lineup.
With the way this team is playing in all three phases, perhaps the coaching staff will consider a change at other positions in search of different results.
However, O'Shea, who said co-ordinators have full control of in-game personnel changes, wasn't interested in that idea.
'Knee-jerk reaction change of personnel doesn't necessarily mean everything changes,' he said. 'I think having faith and trust in coaching and coaching hard and working to get results with young guys is pretty important stuff.'
Winnipeg couldn't possibly keep Dillon Mitchell off the field any longer, right?
The Bombers will be trying out bodies at slotback for the second time in three weeks after Cody Kase suffered what appeared to be a broken leg in the fourth quarter. Case, who replaced Dalton Schoen (six-game injured list) in the lineup, had one catch for nine yards on Saturday.
Rookie Joey Corcoran replaced Case, and based on what the Bombers have practised this season, he is perhaps the favourite to suit up in Week 9.
Waiting in the shadows is Mitchell, the 28-year-old receiver who hasn't played in a game since being paid a pretty penny to come to Winnipeg in the off-season.
It's been one of the great mysteries of the club's season, so far.
If Mitchell can't get on the field now, it's hard to imagine what it will take for him to see time.
Offensive co-ordinator Jason Hogan has said he views Mitchell as a wideout, even though he does carry 14 games of experience playing in the slot.
However, if Mitchell is the talent the Bombers thought they were getting when they signed him, then now feels like a good time to inject his skill set into the lineup.
It seemed like the perfect opportunity for Brady Oliveira to have one of those signature games.
The Argos were fielding the CFL's worst run defence, giving up 118 yards per game, while the Bombers were looking to find some consistency on offence.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira (20) tries to break through the Toronto Argonauts defence. (Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press files)
Yet, Olivera ran the ball just 13 times.
He was efficient again, as he's been all season, amassing 82 yards (6.3 per carry), but Hogan appeared disinterested in leaning on his bell cow even when backup quarterback Christ Streveler entered the contest.
Whether Hogan is trying his best to protect Oliveira, who exited the season-opener and missed two games with a shoulder injury, or the large deficits are preventing him from running the ball as much as he'd like to, is up for debate, but it's odd that the reigning Most Outstanding Player has yet to truly make his impact felt this season.
The Bombers need better play from their quarterbacks.
Collaros and Streveler have combined for an eye-watering 4:8 touchdown-interception ratio over the last three contests.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Chris Streveler (17) scrambles to recover the football during the first half. (Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press files)
It all starts with the quarterback, and if Winnipeg is going to get back on the winning trail, it will need whoever is under centre to make better decisions moving forward.
Streveler, whose two interceptions in Week 7 crippled the Bombers, was better in relief against the Argos, completing 11 of his 18 passes for 148 yards while connecting with Jerreth Sterns on a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
However, those numbers still weren't good enough. If it's him at the helm again, the club will need him to drive the offence, much like he did back in Week 2.
If it's Collaros, who has thrown two interceptions in four of his five starts this season, protecting the ball must take precedence over looking for the big play.
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Joshua Frey-SamReporter
Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.
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