The Bombers will play host to the Calgary Stampeders this Friday night in Winnipeg at Princess Auto Stadium, and here are three storylines I will be watching for.
1) Quarterback Play
The first storyline for me will be the quarterback play. Adams Jr. has thrown for 17 touchdowns and no interceptions this far in the CFL season and the Calgary Stampeders still do not have a winning record (currently sitting at 2-4)
Meanwhile, Dru Brown has played OK but, not outstanding, and has won both of the games that he started in including a great comeback win versus Ottawa last week. However, Brown did not look good in last week's game. In quarters 1-3 he really was not that good. But in the fourth quarter, overtime and the shootout round he looked very good!
Something has to give for Calgary. It is inconceivable that Adams Jr. will continue to throw a plethora of touchdowns with zero/few interceptions and the Stampeders keep losing games.
2) Records Do Not Matter
That brings me to the second point, which is the records of these two clubs.
No, I’m not calling this a trap game for Winnipeg because I believe Calgary is better than what the record currently indicates. As I earlier mentioned, Calgary is 2-4 while the Bombers are 4-2. Additionally, Calgary has been putting up many points in their games while the Bombers struggle to even reach 30 points. Adams Jr. and the Stampeders are going to start winning games and it might be this week against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Winnipeg coaching staff would be wise to continue with their theme of going "1-0" focussing on one game at a time and not looking back to their previous performances, nor looking at Calgary’s record. Winnipeg has a slight edge in terms of betting odds, but even those that are picking Winnipeg to win, are picking Calgary to cover the spread.
3) Who’s In & Who’s Out?
The Bombers will be without Kramdi this week. Somebody may look at that as a good thing for the Bombers, but we will see. Also, Calgary has recently signed Damien Alford "The Moose", and if he plays, he could be a big impact player. He is listed as available, but how much playing time he gets is yet to be seen. Back to the Bombers, Stanley Bryan is set to start for the Bombers, but he has been anything but spectacular this year. For Calgary Brissett is listed as a gametime decision. His availability could play a huge factor in this game.
Final thoughts
This game is being called Christmas in July with a bunch of Christmas events, being planned pregame and during the game.
Will the Bombers get a win and a big Christmas present under the tree or are they gonna end up with a lump of coal in their stocking?
What do you think? Let me know in the comments section wherever you are reading this. Catch all my articles here.