The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-4) hosted the Ottawa Redblacks (2-2) from Princess Auto Stadium on Friday night. These two teams met three weeks ago where the Redblacks won the game 23-19. Chris Streveler was the starting quarterback for Winnipeg for the first time since 2019.
The Blue Bombers were looking to avoid a 0-5 start, something that has not happened since 1998. On the other side, Ottawa head coach Bob Dyce was 3-1 against Winnipeg and was looking to add another win to the column.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Winnipeg went on a nine-play drive for 56 yards before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 28-yard field goal putting the Blue Bombers up 3-0 with 9:05 left.
On Ottawa’s second possession of the game, the Redblacks went on a four-play drive for 42 yards, including an illegal contact penalty on Winnipeg before kicker Lewis Ward made an 18-yard field goal tying the game 3-3 with 3:10 left of the first quarter.
On the final play of the first quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Chris Streveler threw a three-yard pass to Ontaria Wilson on their 32-yard line. The game remained tied 3-3. Winnipeg quarterback Chris Streveler completed 4 of 7 passes for 36 yards, and two carries for 30 yards.
Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown completed 2 of 4 passes for 24 yards, and one carry for five yards. Winnipeg had 84 yards on offense (36 yards passing, 52 yards rushing), and Ottawa had 43 yards on offense (24 yards passing, 19 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Winnipeg went on a three-play drive for 40 yards but quarterback Chris Streveler’s illegal forward pass penalty got them to the Redblacks’ 37-yard line before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 52-yard field goal giving them a 6-3 lead with 9:41 left.
When Winnipeg went back out on the field for their next series, they used the running game going 11 plays for 70 yards ending with quarterback Chris Streveler scoring a one-yard touchdown using the quarterback sneak extending their lead to 13-3 with 2:09 left. During that drive, Ottawa’s defense did not make any adjustments and could not stop the running game.
Ottawa suffered a major blow with 1:22 left when quarterback Dru Brown took off for a gain of seven yards before sliding and getting hit on the head by Winnipeg defensive back Redha Kramdi. Brown was injured and did not return to the game. Dustin Crum was the new quarterback for Ottawa.
On the same drive, quarterback Dustin Crum threw a forward pass which was briefly caught by Ryquell Armstead but he fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Winnipeg defensive back Evan Holm. Winnipeg could not take advantage of the turnover and punted it back to Ottawa.
On the final play of the second quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum threw a short pass to Ryquell Armstead for a gain of 33 yards as time expired to end the second quarter. The Blue Bombers led the Redblacks 13-3 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Winnipeg had 196 yards on offense (70 yards passing, 130 yards rushing, four yards lost). Quarterback Chris Streveler completed 7 of 12 passes (58.3%) for 70 yards, nine carries for 55 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Brady Oliveira had 11 carries for 75 yards and made two catches for 17 yards.
Wide receiver Kevens Clercius made one catch for 18 yards, and Drew Wolitarsky made one catch for 17 yards. Winnipeg was penalized six times for 65 yards and dominated the time of possession (21:16). Winnipeg’s defense made one fumble recovery.
Ottawa had 129 yards on offense (76 yards passing, 53 yards rushing). Quarterback Dru Brown completed 2 of 6 passes (33%) for 24 yards, and two carries for 12 yards. Backup quarterback Dustin Crum completed 2 of 3 passes (66%) for 52 yards, and one carry for seven yards. Running back Ryquell Armstead had seven carries for 24 yards and made one catch for 33 yards.
Wide receiver Jaelon Acklin made one catch for 22 yards, and Justin Hardy made one catch for 19 yards. Ottawa’s defense made one sack, and one tackle for loss. Ottawa was penalized two times for 20 yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Ottawa marched down to the Blue Bombers’ 44-yard line until Winnipeg defensive end Willie Jefferson blew by Ottawa right tackler Dariusz Bladek and stripped the ball away from Dustin Crum before he could throw the football and Jefferson recovered it on their 52-yard line.
The Blue Bombers took advantage of the turnover by going on an eight-play drive for 45 yards resulting in kicker Sergio Castillo making a 13-yard field goal for a 16-3 lead with 6:45 left of the third quarter.
Ottawa came back when the offense went on an eight-play drive for 70 yards ending when running back Ryquell Armstead rushed up the middle to score a four-yard touchdown. The score was now 16-10 Winnipeg with 1:59 left of the third quarter.
Before the third quarter ended, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 53-yard field goal making it 19-10 Blue Bombers with three seconds left. On the final play of the third quarter, Ottawa running back Ryquell Armstead rushed for a gain of six yards before getting tackled on their 46-yard line. Winnipeg led Ottawa 19-10 at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum attempted to throw the ball to Dominique Rhymes but Terrell Bonds cut him off to make the interception before taking it for 28 yards on their 48-yard line with 14:25 left. However, Winnipeg’s offense could not capitalize and punted the ball back to Ottawa.
Winnipeg’s defense made quick work on Ottawa’s offense going two-and-out. Winnipeg’s offense went on a three-play drive for 19 yards before kicker Sergio Castillo made his fifth field goal of the night for 49 yards making it 22-10 with 9:06 left in the game.
Then, Ottawa’s offense went on a three-play drive for 26 yards before kicker Lewis Ward made a 51-yard field goal and the score was now 22-13 with 6:36 left of the fourth quarter. When Ottawa got the ball back, they marched down the field for eight plays going 58 yards before kicker Lewis Ward made a 35-yard field goal to get to a six-point game 22-16 with 2:25 left.
Winnipeg got the ball for the final 2:19 of the game. They took their time killing the clock while marching down the field for eight plays going 58 yards, including a face mask penalty on Ottawa linebacker Davion Taylor. Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo put the game away kicking his sixth field goal for 18 yards for a 25-16 lead with five seconds left.
The game ended on the kickoff where Ottawa returner DeVonte Dedmon ran out of the bounds for a gain of 15 yards. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers picked up their first win of the season with a 25-16 win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
Final Stats:
Winnipeg had 335 yards on offense (127 yards passing, 212 yards rushing, four yards lost). Quarterback Chris Streveler completed 13 of 21 passes (62%) for 127 yards, 13 carries for 79 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Brady Oliveira had 23 carries for 129 yards, and made five catches for 37 yards.
Wide receiver Kevens Clercius made three catches for 34 yards, while Nic Demski made one catch for 21 yards. Kicker Sergio Castillo made six field goals with a long of 53 yards. Winnipeg’s defense made 39 tackles, seven tackles for loss, nine tackles on special teams, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and three sacks. Winnipeg was penalized 8 times for 95 yards.
Ottawa had 283 yards on offense (126 yards passing, 180 yards rushing, 23 yards lost). Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 8 of 11 passes (73%) for 102 yards, one interception, and eight carries for 55 yards. Running back Ryquell Armstead had 17 carries for 103 yards, one touchdown, and made one catch for 33 yards.
Wide receiver Justin Hardy made three catches for 43 yards, while Jaelon Acklin made three catches for 41 yards. Kicker Lewis Ward made three field goals with a long of 51 yards. Ottawa’s defense made 53 tackles, two tackles for loss, eight tackles on special teams, and one sack. Ottawa was penalized five times for 52 yards.
Final Thoughts:
The running game was in full effect with both teams combing for 392 yards on the ground. It was the only good thing about this game because the rest of the game was not great. This game was a tale of two bad teams on an episode of Survivor.
The CFL, along with the rest of football changed rules substantially to favor the quarterbacks and making it harder for defenses to make tackles. The quarterbacks in today’s football love to take advantage of the rules by sliding and getting hit risking them being put out of the game.
Ottawa quarterback Dru Bown got his bell rung by Redha Kramdi. Kramdi committed to the tackle at the same time Brown was committed to sliding. I don’t think Kramdi should have been penalized for the hit on Brown. The same goes for Ottawa defensive back Tobias Harris for his hit on Chris Streveler who too should not have been penalized.
Quarterbacks need to quit sliding and either take the hit or run out of bounds. Had Brown decided to take the hit instead of sliding, he would’ve played the entire game. Instead, the Redblacks will now rely on Dustin Crum until Brown is cleared to return.
Ottawa’s defense was not good. They did not make adjustments to counter Winnipeg’s running game. They had chance after chance to change it up but the defensive coaches failed them. The lack of preparation from Ottawa showed in the game.
Lastly, kicker Lewis Ward and Sergio Castillo combined to score 28 points. The kickers in the CFL should be paid a lot more than what they are making right now. If it weren’t for the kickers, the score would be much worse. Both offenses need to improve for next weekend.
Next Friday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers host the Calgary Stampeders at 8:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Ottawa Redblacks visit the Edmonton Elks on Sunday at 7 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
