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Just when it looked like nothing was going to stop the Winnipeg Blue Bombers offence this season, the B.C. Lions came to town.
Winnipeg was held to just two field goals and fell 30-6 to the Lions in front of 25,662 stunned fans at IG Field Thursday night.
And the Bombers, who dropped to 2-1, now find themselves in the rare position of looking up in the West Division standings as the Lions jumped them to move to 3-o. The Blue and Gold were 28-2 in their last 30 home games heading into Thursday.
Pretty much everything went wrong for the Bombers as they were completely outclassed in almost every facet.
“I think the better question is what went right,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “Not enough, obviously to win. A full credit to them. They came here and beat us pretty good in front of our fans. One thing you always got to think about is we let our fans down too. But we’re all thinking the same thing. We didn’t play well enough to beat a good BC team.”
Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros was sacked seven times in his 100th career start, and threw for 179 yards and an interception in one of his most miserable games as a Bomber.
“It’s very frustrating, obviously,” said Collaros. “It’s never fun losing a football game and certainly it’s not fun to lose at home in front of our fans. We deserve it to each other as teammates to play better than we did, and the fans certainly deserve better too.”
After scoring more than 40 points in their first two games, it looked like the Bombers were headed towards another big night as they drove down the field to set up kicker Sergio Castillo for a 37-yard field goal.
But the Lions one-upped them on their opening drive.
Aided by two Bombers pass interference penalties, BC would cap it off with a one-yard touchdown run from Dominique Davis to take a 7-3 lead.
That’s how it stayed until the second quarter when the two teams exchanged field goals before the Lions found the endzone again as Vernon Adams Jr. found Alexander Hollins for a two-yard major to give the Leos a 17-6 lead at the half.
The Bombers continued to produce very little into the second half as Whyte booted two more field goals to make it 23-6 after three, and then for good measure in the final frame, Adams Jr. found Justin McInnis for a 12-yard touchdown.
Winnipeg’s top receiver was Carlton Agudosi who recorded 61 yards on five catches, while running back Brady Oliveira, who was a game-time decision, rushed for 52 yards on 10 carries.
It was the first Bombers loss at home to a West Division team since 2018.
They’ll hit the road for their next tilt, when they visit the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday, July 1.
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