Bombers at 8-9: Must Beat B.C. or Miss Playoffs for First Time Since 2015
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are 8-9 and in must-win territory for the first time in the Zach Collaros era. A 35-27 loss to the Edmonton Elks last week eliminated any cushion, ending the club’s streak of nine consecutive winning regular-season records. The playoff math is stark: beat the B.C. Lions and
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Winnipeg controls a win, not its bracket
At 8-9, Winnipeg must beat B.C. or miss the playoffs for the first time since 2015; a loss lets 9-9 Calgary in. A Bombers win plus a Saskatchewan win sends Winnipeg to Toronto as the East crossover, while a Bombers win plus a Saskatchewan loss sends Winnipeg to B.C. in the West Semi-Final. Collaros and O’Shea can secure a berth but cannot choose the path.
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The Bombers' Dynasty Didn't Die on the Field — It Died in the GM's Office
Everyone's pointing at Zach Collaros and a 37-year-old arm ahead of Saturday's must-win in Vancouver. Wrong target. The autopsy on Winnipeg's nine-year playoff streak starts in the offseason, when Kyle Walters let Buck Pierce walk to B.C. to run the Lions, handed the offence to a first-time CFL play-caller, and watched Kenny Lawler sign in Hamilton without a real replacement. Dalton Schoen's body quit on him, the receiver room became a weekly rotation of practice-roster bodies, and Collaros spent 18 games throwing to a depth chart that changed every time he blinked. Here's the whisper that actually matters: O'Shea fought to keep a veteran presence in that locker room and got overruled on the cap math. Collaros's extension — north of $600K against the SMS — is fair money for a franchise qu