The Winnipeg Blue Bombers hit the halfway mark of the 2024 Canadian Football League season with an absolutely dominant 25-zilch win over the B.C. Lions which both shocked the three-down neighbourhood and, perhaps more importantly, provided a much-needed balm to some of the wounds opened up over the first nine weeks.
The Blue Bombers not only ended a two-game losing skid with that result, but showcased some of their old form in blanking Vernon Adams, Jr. and the Lions high-octane offence. That left many in Bomberland a little less edgy heading into this week’s bye week and also served as a reminder of the template this team needs to return to in order to make another postseason run by dominating both sides of the line of scrimmage, taking care of the football and being solid on special teams.
Here’s the harsh reality as the Blue Bombers lick their wounds during this pit-stop: as impressive as the victory was, the team’s 0-4 stumble out of the gate has left them at 3-6 at the halfway mark. And, gulp, if the playoffs started today the club would be on the outside looking in as six teams ahead of them contest for the Grey Cup.
The good news? The playoff picture isn’t decided in August and there’s still a ton of highway ahead to make up ground.
With the club taking some R&R this week we thought we’d take a deeper dive into some of the numbers that defined the first half of the Blue Bombers 2024 campaign…
21
The Blue Bombers dropped their season-opener 27-12 to the Montreal Alouettes in what was a 2023 Grey Cup rematch. The five defeats since then have been by a combined 21 points and featured two setbacks in overtime.
That’s hardly any solace, but it does provide a sense that this bunch is not that far off, considering the number of players out with injury and the changes over the offseason.
Since 2022 the Blue Bombers have amassed a won-lost record of 32-13 with 11 of those 13 losses being by a touchdown or less.
4
No quarterback threw for more touchdown passes from 2021-23 in the CFL than Zach Collaros, who had 90 scoring strikes compared to just 34 interceptions. Those numbers helped earn him the league’s Most Outstanding Player Award in 2021-22 and quickly rocket him into seventh place on the team’s all-time TD passing list.
Collaros struggled to start 2024, failing to find the end zone through the air in the first four games. He’s found his form of late, though, having completed 75 percent of his passes for 1,222 yards with four TDs and four picks in his last four games.
17
Clearly a number related to the above — through the first half of the season receivers Dalton Schoen (14 for 159 yards) and Kenny Lawler (three for 26) have combined for just 17 receptions and no touchdowns, those numbers severely impacted by injuries to both. Schoen is gone for the year with a knee injury while Lawler has been out since injuring his arm in the opener against Montreal and could return as early as next week against B.C.
Those aren’t the only significant injuries the club has suffered through the first half of the season. Consider that for the last game against B.C. the Blue Bombers had 14 players on the injured list: DE Celestin Haba (one-game) was joined by 13 on the six-game in Schoen, Lawler, WRs Keric Wheatfall and Drew Wolitarsky, OL Pat Neufeld, LBs Kryie Wilson, Brian Cole and Lucky Ogbevoen, DTs Cam Lawson and Miles Fox, FBs Bailey Feltmate and Michael Chris-Ike and CB Jamal Parker.
Schoen, Lawler, Wolitarsky, Neufeld, Wilson and Fox all started games this year while Lawson was scheduled to start and Parker started at corner in last year’s Grey Cup.
611
That’s the rushing yardage total for Brady Oliveira, which leads the CFL heading into this week’s action. Last year’s rushing champion missed most of training camp as well as one game this year and after a slow start is now averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
Consider this, in the five games since being held to 26 yards on 10 carries in an overtime loss to Calgary in June, Oliveira has posted three 100-yard efforts and has 560 yards on 77 carries for a sparkling 7.3-yards per carry average. He also has 32 catches for 264 yards — on pace to smash his career high for receptions in a season of 38, set last season.
20/-7
This is the ugliest of numbers and might be the most glaring in the Blue Bombers 3-6 start: the club has turned the ball over a league-high 20 times and sports the CFL’s worst turnover differential at -7. Winnipeg has thrown nine interceptions, lost six fumbles and had five turnovers on downs while forcing 13 turnovers of their own, fifth-most in the CFL.
Cornerback Tyrell Ford leads the Blue Bombers with three interceptions, tied for second in the league.
0
Big-play returns by the Blue Bombers kick-return units so far this season, ranking the club last in the CFL. The league defines ‘big plays’ in the return game as 30-plus yards in punt or missed field-goal returns and 40-plus yards in kickoff returns. Just by comparison, a year ago the Blue Bombers had three 30-plus yard punt returns, three 40-plus yard kickoff returns and another three 30-plus yard missed field goal returns.
New kick returner Kody Case is averaging 25.2 yards on kickoff returns which is the fourth-highest in the CFL and his 10.5-yard punt return average is ninth best.
7
Blue Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo has hit seven field goals of 50 yards or more this year — on nine attempts — including two 60-yard bombs, the first in Calgary setting a franchise record, the second tying his own mark.
No kicker has attempted more field goals so far this season than Castillo, and that says something, too, about the Blue Bombers ineffectiveness in the score zone.
Still, Castillo’s ability to consistently hit from distance and head coach Mike O’Shea’s growing trust in him is a storyline to keep an eye on in the second half of the season.
-3
The Blue Bombers have allowed 17 sacks through the first half of the season and have registered 14 of their own for a stat we call the ‘line of scrimmage differential.’ The offensive line has taken some heat this year but worth noting is this: their 17 sacks surrendered is partly a byproduct of the missing pieces in the receiving corps, ranks sixth in the league and is actually on pace with the 33 they gave up last year — which was the second-fewest in the CFL.
The Blue Bombers had just three sacks defensively in the first four games, but have registered 11 in their last five.
37-575-2
The receiving totals for Pokey Wilson through the first nine games of his CFL career — 37 catches for 575 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers lead Winnipeg receivers and ranked fifth best in the CFL heading into this week’s action.
Consider this, too: Wilson had just eight catches for 85 yards in his first five games this year. And in last four games? Try 29 receptions for 490 yards and the two scores.
20.0
Winnipeg’s defence has allowed an average of 20 points per game this season, ranking second to Montreal (17.5). Inside that number is this: in the last three games the Blue Bombers defence has given up just one touchdown and surrendered just 35 points or an average of 11.7 points per game.
Just for context, Winnipeg’s defence allowed a league low 20.9 points per game last year and 20.6 in 2022. The 2021 ‘Dark Side’ crew yielded an astonishingly low 13.4 points per game.
