Do you like rollercoasters? I’m not so sure those inside the Winnipeg Blue Bombers facilities are big fans of the stomach-lifting ride they’ve taken so far in 2024.

Zach Collaros drops back to pass, August 23, 2024 — photo credit; Zachary Peters

The football club’s journey this season has, at least through mid-September, resembled that of a big-ticket theme park attraction. After waiting patiently, with anticipation and the expectation for a zooming rip, this particular ride started, well, kinda backwards.

A 40-storey free fall nosedive out of the gate garnered ‘oohs and aahs’ of amazement from those simply watching on. And did we hear a ‘what the 4@#?!‘ from those actually strapped-in to this Blue & Gold ride?

It’s been near-nauseating twists and heavy G-force turns ever since.

Let’s go back to mid-July, where the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were working to pull themselves up off the mat after stumbling in the echo of the opening bell. Their 0-4 start to the season was the worst since the early 2010s, sunken deep within the infamous “Joe Mack era” of Winnipeg football.

The Blue Bombers found a way shake off the cobwebs, beginning July with a pair of wins to recover their record to 2-4. On deck, a rare pre-Labour Day regular season meeting with their rivals in Saskatchewan in Week 7.

Ontario Wilson (80) lines up on offence, July 12, 2024 — photo credit; Zachary Peters

The setting; Mosaic Stadium — a place where the Bombers have seen healthy success since the building opened in 2017.

The task; countering a red-hot Riders defence, but also facing a backup quarterback in Shea Patterson following a multi-week injury to starter Trevor Harris.

Bombers fans felt the same cautious optimism that always seems to accompany the hope-versus-concern mental stew ahead of a big rivalry game.

With 3:13 remaining in the third quarter, deep in Rider territory on the 25-yard line, Zach Collaros rolled to his right with Ontaria Wilson open in the flat. Winnipeg’s QB1 looked deeper to Nic Demski, throwing into triple coverage. Riders linebacker Adam Auclair pulled in the interception.

Losing the turnover battle 3:0 in a game tied 6-6 at the half, the Bombers scraped together three field goals that Friday night, capping short-field drives of 50, 34, and 37 yards in a utterly frustrating 19-9 loss.

The next week would see the Bombers fall again, turning the ball over five times in a debacle of errors against the Toronto Argonauts. Winnipeg’s second overtime loss of the season left fans crestfallen as they perused the West Division standings. What’s more, Winnipeg now looked at a short five-day prep week before facing a rested B.C. Lions team and their league-leading offence.

Four straight Grey Cup appearances. Three years of regular season domination. Now this?!

Though only late July and with 10 regular season games remaining, one could probably excuse a particularly passionate Bombers fan or three for maybe feeling like the 2024 season was a lost cause at this point.

Yet, we fast-forward to September 7 and a Banjo Bowl nail-biter. With 1:31 left in the fourth quarter, the Blue Bombers clinging to an ominous two-point lead while working to ice the game deep inside Rider territory.

Sergio Castillo (14) kicks a successful field goal held by Jamieson Sheahan, July 12, 2024 — photo credit; Zachary Peters

Collaros, leading the CFL in interceptions thrown, again rolled out to his right, this time on second down and five yards from the sticks. Nothing appeared open, except for perhaps Ontaria Wilson downfield to Collaros’ left. But instead of throwing across his body and into traffic like he did in Regina seven weeks earlier, Collaros simply slid for a loss on the play and set up Sergio Castillo for a routine-distance field goal. The Bombers held on to that 26-21 lead as breakout Canadian cornerback Tyrell Ford daggered the game on the next possession with his second interception of Trevor Harris that afternoon. 

Winnipeg’s win completed the Labour Day Classic and Banjo Bowl home-and-home series sweep, leaving them, seemingly miraculously, atop the West Division at 7-6.

Bookended by contrasting Zach Collaros plays — a costly pick, and a safe-slide — the Winnipeg Blue Bombers went from the basement to the West penthouse in precisely 50 days.

But how did it actually happen?

Was it just a matter of Collaros making better decisions? Better play-calling? Was it a return to overall team health? Surely the mid-season struggles of the Riders and Lions helped the cause.

Let’s dive deeper into Winnipeg’s eye-opening 2024 turnaround, with the final six-week stretch of the CFL season ahead of us.

In gauging Winnipeg’s first six losses — removing the season-opening loss to the red-hot defending champion Montreal Alouettes — by the end of Week 8, at 2-6, the Bombers had lost five games by an average of four points. Very CFL.

Winnipeg was playing well enough to keep games close. They were losing some by mere inches — contests they probably had won in the 2021-2023 seasons.

An example; a Collaros-to-Demski deep shot that narrowly missed in a 26-24 loss to the Lions in June.

Another; Week 2, and a four-point loss in Ottawa after Winnipeg’s offence failed despite three cracks from RedBlacks seven yard line. The hero that day, Ottawa defensive back Damon Webb and an incredible close-in and pass breakup of a would-be Collaros dart to Dalton Schoen by the front end zone pylon.

Against the Calgary Stampeders in Week 4, the Bombers lost in overtime when Chris Streveler threw an interception to former Blue Bomber Demario Houston, setting up a Rene Paredes field goal to seal a three-point win for the Horsemen.

Then there was the collection of errors in the late-July loss in Toronto. A failed third down gamble where Streveler was held millimetres short of a first down, and the Bombers lost again by a whisker.

After a trio of seasons where they’d will their way to close-game wins, why was Winnipeg suddenly losing so many close ones?

There’s many factors at play, and even more that surely go unnoticed by us residing outside the Winnipeg football ops offices.

Take roster turnover for one. Gone were the likes of All-Stars Jermarcus Hardrick, Jackson Jeffcoat, and Demario Houston, in addition to key starters Rasheed Bailey and Geoff Gray. 

There were coaching changes, with Jordan Younger taking over as defensive coordinator and former DC Richie Hall sliding into a consulting role. Mike Miller retired as a player and replaced Paul Beaudreau Jr. as special teams coordinator.

Then, of course, were the glut of early-season injuries. Winnipeg lost their top two receivers — among the CFL’s best — in Schoen and Kenny Lawler, as well as starting boundary cornerback Jamal Parker. Rookie receiver Keric Wheatfall, inserted for Lawler in Week 2, popped for 111 receiving yards in his CFL debut before suffering a significant injury soon after.

Zach Collaros escapes the pocket, July 12, 2024 — photo credit; Zachary Peters

The defensive line was also ravaged, as Canadian starting-calibre tackle Cam Lawson was lost for the season, and starting rush end Celestin Haba was hurt soon after taking over for TyJuan Garbutt who was injured in the final preseason game.

Turnovers, as we know they can be, were killers. In Winnipeg’s six losses, they coughed up the ball at a clip nearing three per game.

All the factors in their stumble out of the gate in 2024 led to what surprised people across the country — Winnipeg’s string of losses, close or otherwise, left the once-powerhouse Blue Bombers in the bellows of the West.

Enter stage right; the turnaround.

In their most recent five games, all wins, the Bombers are averaging just 1.4 turnovers per game. Lawler, Garbutt and Haba returned to the lineup. Younger’s defence found gel and evolved into a unit near-reminiscent of the historical “Dark Side” defence of 2021, and offensive coordinator Buck Pierce came down from the booth to call the game from the sidelines. The offence has found some continuity and consistency, and the new-look O-line and receiving corps look settled.

Thinking back two months at 2-6 and facing two tilts against the high flying B.C. Lions, the Bombers not only captured the home-and-home series, but they de-clawed and dominated the Lions. Take away a garbage time TD in Vancouver and the Bombers allowed a total of three points in two games against the CFL’s No. 1 offence.

Unthinkable, or unimaginable? You could say either based on how they entered those two games.

How did they pull it off against B.C., one might ask?

The secondary shut it down. Led by All-Star defensive backs Deatrick Nichols and Evan Holm, and emerging superstar Tyrell Ford, Winnipeg’s D held Vernon
Adams Jr. to just 74 yards before he was injured late in a 25-0 Bombers win. In the rematch, Winnipeg intercepted Nathan Rourke twice and allowed just 126 passing yards prior to the garbage-time TD drive ushered by Lions backup quarterback Chase Brice. 

Tony Jones flexes after forcing a fumble against the Ti-Cats, August 23, 2024 — photo credit; Zachary Peters

The Bombers won their next game leaning on their offence and special teams. On a scorching hot day in The Hammer, Winnipeg snagged victory from the Hamilton Ti-Cats with an 11-play 72-yard fourth quarter drive, capped by a 10-yard Kenny Lawler touchdown. Linebacker Tony Jones sparked a play-of-the-season candidate when he obliterated Ti-Cats returner Jordan Byrd, causing a fumble which was scooped by rookie linebacker Michael Ayers and returned for a Blue Bombers touchdown.

The very next week Winnipeg’s special teams did it again in the Labour Day Classic. This time it was a masterful Aussie-style side-winder punt by Jamieson Sheahan that caught stud return man Mario Alford completely off guard. The ball took a boomerang bounce, tipping off Alford’s panicked hand and into the end zone for Nick Hallett to jump on for the major. The touchdown gave the Bombers a lead they would not relinquish.

In the Labour Day game Winnipeg’s secondary was shredded by the arm of Trevor Harris to the tune of 368 yards and three touchdowns. The offence was outstanding in the first half with Collaros throwing for 218 yards before he was injured and left the game. The offence puttered with Streveler in for Collaros, outscored 19-6 by the Riders in the second half. Thank Sergio Castillo for hitting distance shots from 52 and 56-yards, respectively, to keep the scoring afloat.

The Banjo Bowl saw Willie Jefferson drop his business card, blocking Adam Korsak’s punt to set up a crucial field goal in a one-score game. Winnipeg’s defence snagged two picks and held Trevor Harris at relative bay. 

Willie Jefferson’s game face, July 12, 2024 — photo credit; Zachary Peters

Looking back on it all, it seems Collaros is playing smarter. The team is playing complementary, three-phase football. The Bombers are doing enough to win games.

The stark difference between those previously mentioned contrasting Collaros plays doesn’t tell the entire tale. Winnipeg’s turnaround has come from special teams one week, its defence the other, with the offence doing enough to get the job done by the final gun.

Mike O’Shea’s staff has apparently rounded into form, as has the offensive line and defence.

Mike O’Shea patrols the sidelines at Princess Auto Stadium, July 12, 2024 — photo credit; Zachary Peters

Is this the winning formula they’ve been looking for? Is Winnipeg worthy of being the CFL’s signature team once again? This all remains to be seen. One-score games are trademark CFL results, and winning in any fashion is always tough to do consistently.

If the Bombers want to continue to hold the trend, they need to keep improving. The defensive line is currently ranked second-last in sacks in the CFL. In my eyes, opposing quarterbacks still have way too much time to operate against Winnipeg’s defence.

The Bombers can’t simply rely on special teams touchdowns and 50+ yard field goals. Though I wouldn’t put anything past Castillo this season — he’s now hit a CFL record nine field goals of 50+ yards this year.

The Bombers need more from Lucky Whitehead, and more pointedly, they need more from their return game as a whole. Winnipeg is currently last in big play returns in 2024 with one this season.

Collaros has to continue playing smart and mistake-free, and the offence needs to level up across the board. 

It’s all led to five-straight wins, and things are obviously going well. But it will take continued improvement if the Blue Bombers are to find themselves in a fifth-straight Grey Cup game, looking to capture a third championship title in the modern era of this storied franchise.

However it eventually shakes out, Bombers fans can only buckle up brace for the ensuing drama. Based on how it started, the rest of 2024 is surely going to be a wild and fascinating ride.

Join Hall-of-Hamer Chris Walby, reporter Darrin Bauming, and me, as
we analyze Winnipeg’s remaining games and then the playoffs on our live pre-and-post-game shows on Bonfire Sports.

YouTube.com/@BonfireWPG