Blue Bombers triumphed over Montreal Alouettes despite setbacks to their receivers, as discussed in eight other insights.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-4) emerged victorious in the annual Labour Day Classic against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-1) with a score of 26-13, played on Sunday, August 31. The game, which saw some standing room tickets added due to high demand, was a significant improvement for the Blue Bombers' offence, with no major mistakes throughout.
In the game, quarterback Zach Collaros completed an impressive 27-of-31 pass attempts for 263 yards and one touchdown. Rookie defensive end Jay Person made a key play midway through the second quarter, beating left tackle Nick Callender off the edge to disrupt the throwing motion of James Morgan, resulting in a high throw that was intercepted by Evan Holm.
One of the standout performers of the game was running back Brady Oliveira, who had his first 100-yard rushing performance of the season, running 16 times for 137 yards and scoring one touchdown. Oliveira also caught nine passes for 73 yards in the game.
Unfortunately, Nic Demski, who caught four passes for 25 yards and one touchdown before leaving the game due to an apparent head injury, did not return. Jerreth Sterns also took a brutal hit and didn't return to the game, appearing to favour his shoulder area.
Demerio Houston, who was brought back this week after being cleared under the CFL's gender-based violence policy, took second-team reps at boundary cornerback in practice this week. However, there is no publicly available information about which team was on the bench when Houston first started for the Blue Bombers in the second half of the 2025 season.
Backup quarterback Chris Streveler finished the game at receiver, a position he played at the University of Minnesota and has played at least once under similar conditions since returning to the CFL last year. Willie Jefferson made two pass knockdowns in the win for the Blue Bombers, including one that caused a turnover on downs near the midway point of the fourth quarter.
Looking ahead, this is the first of three meetings between the prairie rivals in 2025, and the Blue Bombers may have to sweep the series if they hope to host the West Final for a fifth straight year. The next matchup between the two teams will be on September 19.
Meanwhile, the Manitoba Bisons endured a preseason loss to the Regina Rams by a score of 31-28 in Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday night. The Bisons will play three regular-season home games that don't conflict with the Blue Bombers this year: Sept. 13 against the Saskatchewan Huskies, Oct. 4 against the UBC Thunderbirds, and Oct. 18 against the Calgary Dinos.
Despite the challenges faced this season, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers continue to show resilience and determination, aiming to secure their position as one of the top teams in the CFL.
