Blue Bombers' dominance of cellar-dwelling Elks continues

Winnipeg Free Press

12 hours ago

Never mind a monkey, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a King Kong-sized ape the Edmonton Elks can't seem to get off their back.
The Bombers defeated the winless Elks 36-23 Thursday night in front of a sold-out Princess Auto Stadium to extend their winning streak over the Double Es to 13 games.
It's the longest stretch of consecutive victories the Blue and Gold have ever had over an opponent.
The now 3-0 Bombers will look to continue their Alberta dominance when they head to Calgary to play the Stampeders on Thursday at McMahon Stadium for the first Stampede Bowl.
Before you go searching for your cowboy hat, let's dive into Thursday's result with another edition of 5 Takeaways.
Apparently, practice doesn't make perfect.
An ankle injury kept receiver Nic Demski out of practice all week which left him as a game-time decision.
You never would've guessed it, though, as Demski had a brilliant showing with five catches for a team-high 97 yards and two touchdowns. It's already the second multi-touchdown game of the season — and sixth of his 10-year career — for the 31-year-old Winnipegger as he also had two scores in Week 2 at home vs. B.C.
Demski's biggest play came in the second quarter when he hauled in a pass at the Edmonton 20 and sprinted away from several defenders to the end zone for a 60-yard catch and run. It was the longest catch he's had since Week 7 2023 when he caught a 70-yard bomb against, you guessed it, Edmonton.
Demski, who only had one reception for one yard last week, has made at least one catch in 74 consecutive games which is the longest active streak in the CFL.
Last season it took until Week 17 for Demski to record his fourth touchdown. His best scoring year was in 2022 when he had 10 touchdowns.
It's safe to say Zach Collaros likes to play against the Elks.
Last year in Week 17 at home, Collaros torched the Green and Gold for a career-high six touchdown passes in a 55-27 victory.
JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Bombers QB Zach Collaros crashes into the endzone for a touchdown Thursday against the Edmonton Elks.
JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Bombers QB Zach Collaros crashes into the endzone for a touchdown Thursday against the Edmonton Elks.
Thursday night was the best game the 36-year-old passer has had since as he went 25-for-30 for 334 yards and three touchdowns. His TD passes came on three consecutive drives in the first half.
As great as his arm looked, his best play came with his legs in the fourth quarter when he put things away with an impressive 13-yard touchdown scramble to give the Bombers a 33-23 lead.
Go to YouTube and watch highlights of his days at the University of Cincinnati and you'll see he has a long history of giving defences headaches with his running ability. It's a side to his game Winnipeg doesn't see too often, but he clearly showed he's still capable of being a dual-threat if necessary.
Dating back to his time with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Collaros has now won 12 in a row against Edmonton.
It was a stellar night by the offence, but far from perfect.
The ground attack is missing reigning Most Outstanding Player Brady Oliveira and it shows.
Collaros has the talent to win games on his own, but for this team to make it to a sixth consecutive Grey Cup, they're going to need more out of their ball carriers.
After a breakout debut in Week 2 with 130 yards, backup tailback Matthew Peterson has crashed down to earth. The second-year Canadian, who had a tough outing last Saturday in Vancouver with 42 yards on 11 touches, was practically non-existent for the first three quarters against the Elks before churning out some yards in the fourth to burn out the clock. Peterson ended with 12 carries for 65 yards, while American rookie Quinton Cooley had 19 yards on four attempts to give the Bombers back-to-back games with less 100 total rushing yards. As a group, the Bombers, who averaged 114.8 rushing yards per contest in 2024, only had 10 ground yards at the half.
Oliveira has been out for two weeks with a shoulder injury and it remains to be seen if he'll be ready to rock this Thursday to take on Calgary.
It was a bit of a weird evening for the Bombers' secondary.
They had some miscommunication at the start of the third quarter when they left Elks receiver Kaion Julien-Grant all alone for the easiest 68-yard touchdown you'll ever see. It should've been Julien-Grant's second TD of the game as he dropped a perfect pass in the corner of the end zone right before the first half whistle.
Later in the third with the game tied 23-23, corner back Terrell Bonds jumped a Tre Ford pass that was intended for Elks receiver Zach Mathis and intercepted it to give the Bombers the ball in the red zone.
That is, until the play was reviewed. Bonds failed to maintain possession when he hit the ground, and the call was reversed.
It's the second week in a row Bonds has let an errant pass slip through his fingers as he should've had a pick-six against the Lions in Week 3.
The defence has some room for improvement, but it was still a strong performance. Ford, one of the best athletes in the league, danced behind the line of scrimmage all night but only managed six rushing yards on one attempt. The Canadian passer was fine, completing 18 of 29 passes for 252 yards and one touchdown, but didn't do anything spectactular. He was also sacked three times, which is a step in the right direction for a Winnipeg team that only had two quarterback takedowns in their first two games.
Rookie returner Trey Vaval has been a nice surprise for the Bombers.
The Bombers signed veteran American running back Peyton Logan away from Calgary this winter for him to handle those duties but an injury in training camp has prevented him from suiting up in 2025.
It opened the door for Vaval, a 24-year-old out of Minnesota State, to step in and he's made the most of the opportunity as he had a CFL-best 13.7 yards per punt return average heading into the date with the Elks.
In Thursday's second quarter, Vaval had a punt bounce off his hands and Elks linebacker D.K. Bonhomme happily scooped it up to give the visitors the ball near midfield.
Fortunately for Vaval, his teammate Redha Kramdi bailed him out by causing Elks running back Justin Rankin to fumble two players later and defensive end James Vaughters pounced on it.
It's the second time Vaval has botched a punt this season, although this was the first one that resulted in a turnover. He's new to the Canadian game and life in pro football, so, the Bombers should be patient with him, but two muffed punts in three games isn't what you want to see.
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On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
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Taylor AllenReporter
Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.
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