The Winnipeg Blue Bombers get into the playoffs with a F-C performance.
There is a saying in higher learning that goes like this, 'C's get degrees'. After Friday's game we saw that C's also win football games.
While the Bombers started with an 'F' performance, at the end of the game I would give them a 'C' grade.
Bombers' Stats
I would have hoped that the Bombers would have put up different numbers with the players that BC was sitting.
But the reality is that BC struck early with a 2 play touchdown drive, and as for the Bombers Zach Collaros could not get it going - and then he got hit and pulled from the game.
It was only when Dru Brown came into the game that the Bombers started to get things rolling and looked like a team that was interested in the post season.
BC Prioritizes Experience Over Win
Minutes into the 4th quarter BC decided to pull Salter from the quarterback position and put in Oladokun. I have to think that such was their plan all along. BC could not move up nor down in the standings. So their game plan was to give both Salter and Oladokun meaningful playing time, even if it meant a loss.
Having quarterbacks with some experience heading into the playoffs is far better than having to bring in a back-up in the middle of a game. Just ask the 2007 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who had to start Ryan Dinwiddie in the Grey Cup. Kevin Glenn got injured in the in the East Division Final, and Glenn left the game in the 4th quarter with a broken left arm trying to recover a fumble.
And for the record, BC made the correct choice.
Did it help the Bombers win the game, sure. But before we jump all over that let us remember that Saskatchewan barley beat Montreal in Week 20 by a score of 16-12 and Montreal was resting a ton of their starters. Had Saskatchewan not won that game they would not have secured their playoff spot in Week 20.
No Quit For The Bombers
This game did not start nor continue the way the Bombers would have hoped. Brady Oliveira was visibly frustrated in the first quarter of the game, and the Bombers had nothing going their way. In fact, in the first half the Bombers has 3 turnovers; a kick return fumble by Vaval, a turnover on downs, and an interception on an underthrown ball by Collaros. It would have been easy for the Bomber to mentally check out...but they did not.
Even right at the end of the game the Bombers kept fighting. Oladokun completed a pass to Bailey, and Bailey looked like he is going to score. Realistically if Bailey scored at that point, big deal. There would have been no time left on the clock and Winnipeg would have still won.
However, there was no quit with the Bombers. Sure it required a hair pull (you might have missed that, but it is legal). But in a game that was all but finished the Bombers did not let BC score a touchdown on the final drive. Evan Holm with the hair pull and Kramdi with a big tackle stopped Bailey from getting to the endzone.
Final Thoughts
There is a saying in sports that goes like this, 'They don't ask you how, they ask you how many.' And for the Bombers that number is 9 and 11 (which interestingly enough is 911, and the Bombers might be in an emergency situation).
But 9 wins in 2026, and 11 straight times the Bombers have made the playoffs.
Lesser teams have won Grey Cups. I am just not convinced that the Bombers can string 3 more wins together, or even win 1 playoff game this year.
What will be an interesting conversation, and I will talk a lot about this in an upcoming article is who do the Bombers start if Collaros is healthy, and who should they start in the playoffs if Collaros is healthy.
But until I touch on that, let us just enjoy a Bomber win and another Bomber playoff appearance!
Watch all the highlights again!
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