Game Preview | The Banjo Bowl

It's always been about the rivalry with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the intense showdown with our prairie neighbours and played in front of the most passionate fan bases in the Canadian Football League.

That never changes. Never has. Never will.

Yet, for the Blue Bombers there a very real significance to the 22nd edition of the signature game on Saturday and its impact on the standings.

As receiver Nic Demski said earlier in the week, it's 'Critical with a capital 'C.'

Winnipeg has reached the two-thirds mark of the season at an even 6-6, but even the most vocal critic can see that over the last three games -- a loss to the Edmonton Elks on a walk-off field goal and to the Roughriders in OT in last week's Labour Day Classic, sandwiched around an impressive win over the Montreal Alouettes -- this football team has served up some of its best moments of 2026 against the league's elite.

And, yes, a 1-2 record over that span is hardly reason to start mapping out a Grey Cup parade route. But there have been signs.

"We've got to finish the game, finish in the fourth quarter. That's been the MO the last couple of weeks," said veteran defensive back Evan Holm in conversation with bluebombers.com. "We've got to find ways under pressure to make plays. We've played pretty solid and then in the fourth quarter or the last six minutes or whatever it is we aren't getting it done.

"... You can see the positives. We had a lot of negatives, especially early on in the year. Now we're playing a lot of close games and trying to see the victory. But we've still got to win games. We can't just talk about closing in the fourth quarter and end up 6-12.

"If you play close games and you don't win them, it doesn't matter."

There's an obvious truth in that and here's the evidence: Winnipeg is 1-1 in overtime games this year, beat Calgary by two in the season opener and Hamilton by one in early July, but also twice to Edmonton by less than a TD.

Add that all up and that's exactly how you get to a middle-of-the-road 6-6 mark.

The last three weeks, though, are also why there is still so much belief in the Blue Bombers clubhouse.

"There's no doubt in this room," said receiver Tim White. "We believe in each other, and we love playing for each other. We're just going to continue to get better. We're just touching the surface still and with the later part of the season coming now we know we have to play well and get sharper."

THE BANJO BOWL BLUE BOMBERS (6-6) vs ROUGHRIDERS (8-4) Kickoff: Saturday, 3 p.m. CDT; Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg TV/Streaming: TSN; CTV; Crave; CFL+ Radio:680 CJOB; Play-by-play: Derek Taylor | Analyst: Doug Brown; pre-game starts at noon. Streaks: Wpg.: 1L; Sask: 2W

Winnipeg's six remaining games feature this one against the Riders, a home date with the Toronto Argonauts following next week's bye, followed by a visit to Montreal, a home date with the Stamps and two road games to finish in Edmonton and B.C.

And a win Saturday in the Banjo Bowl could clearly serve as a springboard into the final third of the season.

"It's the best game of the year --- besides Grey Cup, of course," said Brady Oliveira. "It's a whole history rich history and tradition with Banjo Bowl games. I grew up hearing about Banjo Bowl. Again, it's THE best game of the year and I know Blue Bombers fans are excited for it and there's going to be a lot of energy in Princess Auto Stadium, that's for sure.

"It definitely feels like a little bit of a playoff football-type feel. You're going up against a rival but, besides that, you're going up against a really good football team. Sask plays hard, they're physical, their defence is well-coached, so you know it's going to be a battle. It just feels like there's something more to this game. You want to make it feel like it's just another game but, I mean, this is a high-pressure game.

"This is the wild west, man. We've got to win games or else other teams will start catching up on us. That's so big picture and you want to focus on the now, but we do realize this is a very important game for our season.

"...Whoever we're going against, it's unacceptable to lose but especially against the Riders. We all know that rivalry and Bomber fans don't like the Riders -- in the most respectful way. So, yeah, we've got to get this done."

BRING IT OR BACK OFF?

One of the louder talking points in the wake of the loss last Sunday was Winnipeg's defensive strategy against Roughriders QB Trevor Harris and the rest of Saskatchewan's attack.

Harris finished the night 23-of-33 for 362 yards and one TD and the decision not to blitz the veteran pivot had Bomber Nation apoplectic. There's valid a reason behind the Blue Bombers approach, although many likely won't open their ears to hear it.

The explanation, courtesy defensive coordinator Jordan Younger earlier this week, is based on Harris' experience in seeing every defensive look imaginable and the lineup the Blue Bombers fielded last week which featured more shifting in the secondary. What the defence wanted to do was cloud the picture for Harris and they did for stretches but, as Younger admitted, 'we didn't do it enough.'

"We've played Trevor Harris 30 times, right? He knows what we do," Younger explained. "I can't tell a new corner, a new halfback, a guy that's playing safety how to trick him with something he's seen 30 games worth. So, if you can run something intricate that might catch him off guard, sure."

The Blue Bombers believe that because the ball comes out of Harris' hand so quickly you need to take away his first read to then get him to look elsewhere. Blitzing, especially with the potential vulnerabilities in the secondary with new faces, is simply too high risk.

"What can I do where I've got three new DBs out there that gives them a chance to succeed?" Younger added. "The more people I commit to the rush, the more isolated they are. You know that the other team's offence is going to attack the new pieces. If you make the picture clear for them, it makes it easier to attack those guys. So, you balance it between the pressure and then protecting the guys out there that don't have as many snaps playing against a guy I played with (the two were teammates in Toronto in 2012)."

Interestingly, save for one big bust which featured a couple tackling whiffs and led to a Daniel Wiebe 72-yard gain down the sidelines on a quick out, the Blue Bombers would have held Harris to under 300 yards passing for the fifth time in 12 games.

And, yes, that's a big 'If.'

"There's probably four or five plays in that game where we do a great job of taking away the first read and we've just got to finish the play," Younger said. "One, he scrambles and flips the ball to the running back. Another one he winds up stepping up in the box and making a good play hitting an open receiver. Some of those plays, you're in a situation sometimes damned if you do, damned if you don't.

"Again, you'd like to say, 'OK, we'll send them all' (blitz) but again we've played Sask and Trevor 30 times. When you've got that kind of familiarity with each other, he may know our defence better than some of our young guys know our defence."

MORE FLASHES, LESS LULLS

Some numbers to munch on: over the last three games Zach Collaros has completed just under 71 percent of his passes for 822 yards and five TDs against just one interception. And last week's game-tying drive on the last play of regulation was a snapshot of how the veteran pivot can still wheel and deal at an elite level.

Critical, then, is to keep QB1 cozy in the pocket to let him cook.

"We go into every game knowing we can beat anyone," said left tackle Stanley Bryant. "Zach has been ballin' for a long time and we really trust him. So, if we can keep him upright, we've seen him take shots downfield and still make plays with his legs. He's just so locked in right now -- I'm not saying he wasn't locked in before, but he's doing everything he can to help get us a win.

"We had a lot of miscues last week and yet we were still able to get it to overtime. We've just got to finish, eliminate some mistakes on our end and we'll come out victorious. We really believe that."

VERY SPECIAL TEAMS

The most consistent unit of the Blue Bombers this season through 12 games -- and, frankly, it's not even close in this department -- is the club's special teams, from the kicking of Sergio Castillo and Jamieson Sheahan, to the return work of Trey Vaval and the kick cover units.

In short, special teams coordinator Mike Miller has got his units cooking, and it could be a key factor for the Blue Bombers in the Banjo Bowl and in the sprint to the playoffs.

"Even on the weekend, we lost the game, but we had one of our better games on special teams," said Sheahan this week. "We were physical and we did a really good job of executing what Mikey Miller put together. It's been like that all year. We've had lulls, but overall our special teams unit has been really rolling. The numbers would support that claim as well.

"Obviously it helps having Trey Vaval back there returning kicks and Serge is one of the best kickers in the league. I've had some really good gunner play in front of me and great coverage. Major Williams was outstanding on the weekend, especially for his first game as the boundary gunner. He was just brilliant. Phenomenal. I was like, 'I'm just going to keep kicking it to Major.' I've got all my tricks and my cross-fields and what not, but why would you go there when Major is just going to keep winning every time.

"Everyone is rolling and I really like where we're at at this time of year. I feel like we were playing well statistically but we hadn't hit our stride quite yet. Then these last couple of weeks we've really started to find it. There will always be things to work on, but the group as a whole is rolling really well and led by Serge and Trey and the like, we're in a good spot."

THE LINEUP: The Blue Bombers have made four changes to the lineup from last week for the Banjo Bowl. Returning to the starting lineup are safety Redha Kramdi, who has been out since the overtime win in Ottawa on July 19th, and slotback Nic Demski, who missed last week's Labour Day Classic.

Also coming aboard are DE Matt Jaworski, who stood out in his one game last year in the regular-season finale and only recently returned to the team after being injured in a car accident before training camp, as well as WR Kenneth Womack, who will make his CFL debut.

Out are WR Pokey Wilson and DB-LB Jaiden Woodbey, who were both injured in Regina and haven played on the six-game injured list. Moving to the practice roster are LB Lane Novak and RB Matthew Petterson.