The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-6) hosted the Edmonton Elks (5-10) on Friday night from Princess Auto Stadium. It was the second meeting of the season. Winnipeg came into this game on a six-game winning streak and a win would not only extend the winning streak but also clinch a playoff spot. The Winnipeg players knew what was at stake and they made a statement.
First Quarter:
Winnipeg got the ball to start the first quarter from their 39-yard line. Quarterback Zach Collaros started the first drive completing 3 of 4 passes for 27 yards to reach the Elks’ 40-yard line. On the next play, Collaros found a wide-open Nic Demski for a 40-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 11:43 left capping off a six-play drive for 71 yards.
Edmonton went two-and-out on their first possession of the game and Winnipeg had the ball on their 27-yard line to begin their next drive. Running back Brady Oliveira led the offense with five carries for 35 yards, and quarterback Zach Collaros completed a pass to Ontaria Wilson for 15 yards to reach the Elks’ 31-yard line. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 39-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 5:08 left of the first quarter.
Edmonton running back Justin Rankin had two carries for 10 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a 9-yard pass to Tevin Jones to reach the Blue Bombers’ 50-yard line facing third down. Backup quarterback Dakota Prukop did not get the first down and Winnipeg took over on their 49-yard line.
On the first play, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros found a wide-open Keric Wheatfall for a 61-yard touchdown extending their lead to 17-0 with 1:55 left of the first quarter. In the two touchdowns allowed, Edmonton’s secondary did not do a good job covering Winnipeg’s receivers leaving them wide-open and Collaros took advantage of them.
After Edmonton went two-and-out again, Winnipeg had the ball on their 36-yard line with 19 seconds left. On the final play of the first quarter, quarterback Zach Collaros completed a 16-yard pass to Kenny Lawler to reach the Elks’ 53-yard line leading 17-0.
Winnipeg had 205 yards on offense (159 yards passing, 46 yards rushing), 8 first downs, no red zone opportunities, and the they were not penalized. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 7 of 8 passes for 159 yards, and two touchdowns. Edmonton had 27 yards on offense (9 yards passing, 18 yards rushing), one first down, no red zone opportunities and the team did not get any penalties.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw a 20-yard pass to Nic Demski to reach the Elks’ 33-yard line. Two plays later, Collaros threw a short pass to running back Brady Oliveira, who ran over several Edmonton players to score a 33-yard touchdown for a 24-0 lead with 13:36 left of the second quarter.
In the next two drives, both teams went two-and-out. Edmonton had the ball on their 48-yard line to begin their next drive. Running back Justin Rankin had two carries for 9 yards, and quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw one pass to Dillon Mitchell for nine yards to reach the Blue Bombers’ 44-yard line.
On the next play, Edmonton quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a pass to Justin Rankin but he did not have complete possession of the football and lost it. Winnipeg defensive end TuJuan Garbutt scooped up the ball and scored a 62-yard touchdown for a 31-0 lead with 7:56 left before halftime.
Edmonton needed to get something going. On the second play, running back Justin Rankin rushed for a gain of 47 yards to reach the Blue Bombers’ 18-yard line. Edmonton moved the ball to the Blue Bombers’ 11-yard line before kicker Boris Bede made an 18-yard field goal and the Elks trailed the Blue Bombers 31-3 with 4:50 left before halftime.
In the next two possessions, both teams went two-and-out. Winnipeg had the ball on their 30-yard line to start the next drive. They went on a four-play drive for 55 yards before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 33-yard field goal restoring a 31-point lead 34-3 with 1:29 left of the second quarter.
Edmonton’s offense had the ball for the final 1:26 left of the second quarter. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed three passes for 28 yards to reach the Blue Bombers’ 23-yard line. Thompson would then complete a six-yard pass to Eugene Lewis to reach the Blue Bombers’ 17-yard line before kicker Boris Bede made a 24-yard field goal and Edmonton trailed Winnipeg 34-6 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Winnipeg had 316 yards on offense (263 yards passing, 53 yards rushing), 11 first downs, no red zone opportunities, and the team did not get any penalties. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 11 of 16 passes (69%) for 263 yards, and three touchdowns. Running back Brady Oliveira had 9 carries for 47 yards, one catch for 33 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Nic Demski made three catches for 106 yards, and one touchdown, while Keric Wheatfall made three catches for 80 yards and one touchdown. Winnipeg’s defense made two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one touchdown.
Edmonton had 160 yards on offense (91 yards passing, 69 yards rushing), six first downs, 0 for 2 in the red zone, and the team did not get any penalties. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 11 of 19 passes (58%) for 91 yards. Running back Justin Rankin had 9 carries for 68 yards and one catch for 4 yards.
Wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made three catches for 36 yards, and Tevin Jones made two catches for 22 yards. Edmonton’s defense made one tackle for loss. One more interesting stat in the first half is both offenses did not allow a sack.
Third Quarter:
Edmonton got the ball to start the third quarter from the Blue Bombers’ 51-yard line. Edmonton running back Justin Rankin started the drive with four carries for 36 yards and caught a pass from McLeod Bethel-Thompson for 8 yards to reach the Blue Bombers’ 7-yard line.
On the next play, Bethel-Thompson threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis and Edmonton trailed Winnipeg 34-13 with 10:36 left capping off a six-play drive for 51 yards. Winnipeg’s defense did not put a ton of pressure on Bethel-Thompson allowing him to lead Edmonton to the touchdown.
Winnipeg’s offense started on their 26-yard line. Running back Brady Oliveria started the drive with two carries for 14 yards to reach their 40-yard line. Next, quarterback Zach Collaros threw two passes for 41 yards and reached the Elks’ 29-yard line. Running back Brady Oliveria got another carry for two yards to the Elks’ 27-yard line.
Then, quarterback Zach Collaros threw two more passes for 27 yards, including a six-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler for a 41-13 lead with 6:06 left of the third quarter capping off a seven-play drive for 84 yards.
Edmonton’s offense started their next drive on their 36-yard line. They went on a six-play drive for 74 yards that ended when quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Tevin Jones and the Elks trailed the Blue Bombers 41-20 with 2:55 left of the third quarter.
Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball with 2:29 left of the third quarter. On the final play, Winnipeg backup quarterback Terry Wilson rushed for a gain of three yards to reach the Elks’ 11-yard line leading 41-20 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Nic Demski for a 48-20 lead with 14:17 left capping off a six-play drive for 62 yards in over three minutes. After Edmonton’s offense went two-and-out, Winnipeg’s offense started on their 35-yard line with 12:39 left of the game.
Winnipeg’s offense took their time running the clock out while going on a seven-play drive for 75 yards that resulted in quarterback Zach Collaros throwing a 7-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler, who made a leaping catch over an Edmonton player getting one foot inbounds for a 55-20 lead with 7:33 left of the game. It was Collaros’s sixth touchdown pass of the game.
Edmonton quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a six-yard pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. but the team went two-and-out again. Winnipeg got the ball on their 40-yard line. With the game out of reach, Terry Wilson was the new quarterback for Winnipeg. Wilson made the most of opportunities completing one pass for four yards, and three carries for 9 yards.
Moving ahead into the action, Edmonton’s offense had the ball with 1:37 left of the game. They went on a seven-play drive for 68 yards that ended in the final seconds when quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Dillon Mitchell and Edmonton lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 55-27. It was Winnipeg’s seventh consecutive win and they clinched playoff spot.
Final Stats:
Winnipeg had a dominant performance with 526 yards on offense (436 yards passing, 99 yards rushing, 9 yards lost), 23 first downs, 3 for 3 in the red zone, and the team was penalized three times for 36 yards. Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros completed 21 of 26 passes 81%) for 432 yards and six touchdowns. Running back Brady Oliveria had 16 carries for 86 yards, one catch for 33 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made 8 catches for 130 yards, and two touchdowns, while Nic Demski made four catches for 117 yards, and one touchdown, and Keric Wheatfall made three catches for 80 yards, and one touchdown. Kicker Sergio Castillo made 2 of 2 field goals with a long of 39 yards. Winnipeg’s defense made 38 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one touchdown, and 12 tackles on special teams.
Edmonton had 370 yards on offense (223 yards passing, 154 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 17 first downs, 2 for 4 in the red zone, and the team was penalized one time for 10 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 19 of 34 passes (56%) for 223 yards, and three touchdowns. Running back Justin Rankin had 14 carries for 109 yards and two catches for 12 yards.
Wide receiver Eugene Lewis made five catches for 72 yards, and one touchdown, while Dillon Mitchell made three catches for 54 yards, and one touchdown, and Tevin Jones made four catches for 36 yards, and one touchdown. Kicker Boris Bede made 2 of 2 field goals with a long of 24 yards. Edmonton’s defense made 38 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and eight tackles for loss.
Next week, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Edmonton Elks host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
