The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will finish in third place in the tough West Division in 2018.
The Bombers’ victory over the Calgary Stampeders, combined with the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ win over the BC Lions, locks the Bombers into their playoff position even with one game still left to go.
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The Bombers have beaten every team in the CFL this season and with five straight wins they appear to be peaking at the perfect time.
“It shows where this team is at,” quarterback Matt Nichols said. “And we’re ready to keep working and try to get to that ultimate goal.”
That of course is winning their first Grey Cup since 1990.
Just a few weeks ago that looked highly improbable, if not impossible. But now with a 10-7, record they’ve quickly gone from the doghouse to the penthouse.
“Nothing is given to you in this league,” linebacker Adam Bighill said. “And there’s a lot of good teams, and good players, and it just shows when we come together and put the work in, these things are possible.”
“We’ve been saying all year, we feel like we have the talent level here, and the leadership, and the coaching to beat anyone,” Nichols said.
The Bombers will return to the practice field on Tuesday ahead of Saturday’s season finale in Edmonton.
Most importantly the Bombers will try and stay healthy, so that will be a consideration when Mike O’Shea puts together his roster for what amounts to be a meaningless game. But they’d also prefer to be heading into the playoffs riding a six-game win streak.
“You don’t want to limp anywhere, right,” head coach Mike O’Shea said. “We want to keep winning football games, so we’ll make good decisions based on the information we have when we get it.”
“We don’t plan on losing another game,” defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat said. “That’s our goal. That’s how we got to approach every game.”
If the Stampeders lose to the Lions on Saturday, the Bombers will head to Calgary for the West Division semifinal, but a win by the Stamps will setup a date with the Roughriders in Regina.
“You go on the road twice against two good football teams either way,” Nichols said.
“But at the same time, we don’t fear anyone.”
WATCH: Raw Matt Nichols Post Game Interview
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