It is, without a doubt, the marquee match up of Week Seven of the CFL schedule – and perhaps the 2019 season to date – when the undefeated Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit the Hamilton Tiger Cats Friday, who have yet to lose at home this season.
Bob Irving, Doug Brown and Ed Tait will set the stage for this battle for early season bragging rights with the 680 CJOB pregame show beginning at 4 p.m. But right now, the Director of Digital content for Bluebombers.com offers up his weekly serving of helpful hints so you are “game ready” #ForTheW!
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
1. The Bombers head out on the road for two straight games in southern Ontario and hope to return home as the Canadian Football League’s only unbeaten team. First, Winnipeg will be in Hamilton Friday night to face the 4-1 Tiger-Cats in a battle of division leaders. The team will then stay down east before meeting the Argonauts in Toronto on Aug. 1.
2. The 5-0 start, FYI, is the third-best in franchise history. The 1960 team opened with ten-straight victories and finished 14-2 before hall-of-fame quarterback Ken Ploen was injured in the West Final and the team fell to the Edmonton Eskimos. The 1939 Bombers, meanwhile, rocketed to an 8-0 start, finished the regular season 10-2 and then defeated Ottawa to win the second of the franchise’s 10 Grey Cup championships.
3. Bombers QB Matt Nichols leads the CFL with 12 touchdown passes against just one interception and has the top quarterback rating at 129.1. The Bombers have won the last 10 regular-season games he has started and in last Friday’s victory he established a new club record for consecutive pass completions with 19, breaking Dieter Brock’s old mark of 16 set in 1981. Nichols was named one of the CFL’s Top Performers of the week for his efforts.
4. The Bombers defence should hardly be overlooked in the team’s perfect start. Winnipeg has surrendered just four offensive touchdowns in five games and teams are averaging just 13.2 points against per game. Winnipeg has the best turnover ratio at +9 and is tied for the most forced turnovers at 17.
5. Andrew Harris continues to be busy out of the Bombers backfield. The two-time defending rushing champion has 441 yards along the ground in five games, and has added 23 catches for 169 yards and three receiving touchdowns.
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Next: The Bombers two straight road contests in Hamilton and Toronto will end a five-game run against East Division opponents. The Bombers are then home again for back-to-back dates at IG FIeld — Aug. 8 against the Calgary Stampeders. and Aug. 15 against the B.C. Lions.
FYI: Fans seeking tickets should call 204-784-7448 or visit bluebombers.com/tickets.
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