With three straight losses for the first time since the 2015 season, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are hoping to snap out of their recent funk in the rematch with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Saturday’s 15th annual Banjo Bowl.
Sitting in fourth place in the tough West Division, the Banjo Bowl is a crucial contest for the Bombers to keep their hopes of hosting a playoff game intact.
“It’s a game we got to win,” running back Andrew Harris said.
“Given the fact we play this team three times, it’s a game we got to win to potentially set up a tiebreaker for the final match. But most importantly just to get our mojo back and get in a rhythm and get back in the win column.”
To end their losing streak, they’ll need a better finish after the Riders outscored the Bombers 17-6 in the second half of the Labour Day Classic. A big part of their Bombers’ success last season was in their ability to close out contests, but in 11 games this season, they’ve been outscored by 34 points in the second half.
“There’s a few games this year where we’ve had letdowns in certain areas,” Harris said. “We just got to buckle up and be more disciplined and focus on the details.”
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QB Matt Nichols is a perfect 3-0 in the Banjo Bowl but is coming off another sub-par performance. The calls to make a switch at quarterback have been growing in recent weeks but the head coach still has confidence in his No. 1 QB.
“It means a lot especially at this position,” Nichols said.
“If I think that Matt Nichols gives us the best chance to win a football game, then my loyalty lies with the team,” Mike O’Shea said.
“Plenty of really good players go through a couple games where it’s just a hair off and I’ve played so much football in my life, a lot of good football in my life that I don’t waiver from that,” Nichols said. “I think we’ve been through thick and thin together and I plan on going out and playing a very good football game tomorrow.”
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Receiver Weston Dressler has been placed back on the injured list and will miss a fourth straight game. But running back/receiver Timothy Flanders has been moved onto the active roster for the first time since 2017 and he’s expected to make his season debut in the Banjo Bowl.
“He pretty well knows all the positions,” O’Shea said. “You can put him anywhere, but you’ll certainly see him on special teams and how many touches that he gets on offence, we’ll see.”
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One player who won’t be dressed is Maurice Leggett who will be sitting out for a second straight game after being placed on the six-game injured list.
“He’s got a couple of nagging things that we’d like to get completely cleared up,” O’Shea said.
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The Bombers also announced on Friday they’ve released quarterback Alex Ross who hadn’t played since getting injured in the season opener.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on Saturday at Investors Group Field.
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