Zach Collaros is reportedly back under center for Winnipeg, which is the last thing a winless Ottawa team playing without half its front seven needs to hear.
Game Details
- Matchup: Ottawa Redblacks at Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- When: Friday, August 14 at 8:30 PM ET
- Where: Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Winnipeg Blue Bombers -6
- Moneyline: Ottawa Redblacks +245, Winnipeg Blue Bombers -305
- Over/Under: 57
Ottawa is 2-4-1 against the spread this season, and Winnipeg isn't much better at 2-5-1 — neither of these teams has been kind to bettors laying the number. The over has hit in four of Ottawa's games and four of Winnipeg's, and given how these two teams' Week 7 shootout went, the over/under of 57 feels about right.
Overview
There's no dressing this one up. The Ottawa Redblacks are 0-8, they've lost five straight, and they're coming off a 42-20 beatdown in Regina where Saskatchewan piled up 540 yards and buried them with a 21-6 fourth quarter. Ottawa ranks dead last in the league in points scored (186) and points allowed (289), and the losses keep arriving in different flavors — blowouts, shootouts, overtime heartbreakers. This week it's a trip to Princess Auto Stadium to face a Winnipeg Blue Bombers team that's lost two straight of its own but still sits comfortably at 4-4, three games clear of Ottawa in the standings.
The history here isn't kind to the Redblacks, either. Winnipeg has won four consecutive meetings against Ottawa, and since 2018 the Bombers are a ridiculous 16-4 coming off a bye — which is exactly the spot they're in after this week's rest. The two sides met in Week 7 in a game that became the first in league history decided under the CFL's new overtime format, with Winnipeg escaping 36-34. That one was a track meet, and it's worth remembering Jake Maier threw for a season-high 344 yards in that game and has been slinging it at a 322-yard clip over his last four outings. The problem for Ottawa has never really been moving the ball — it's finishing drives. Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie called his team's red zone execution "embarrassing" after the Montreal loss, and that issue hasn't magically fixed itself since.
Winnipeg gets a real jolt this week with Zach Collaros reportedly stepping back in after time on the six-game injured list, pushing Dru Brown to the bench. The Bombers also just allowed a franchise-worst 377 rushing yards in their last outing, which should be a small window of hope for an Ottawa run game, but let's be real: this Ottawa defense is banged up across the front seven and has lost a shootout and a blowout to this same Winnipeg team already this year. The Bombers are the play here, and it isn't particularly close.
Key Players
- Jake Maier (Ottawa Redblacks, QB) — Averaging 322 passing yards over his last four starts and torched Winnipeg for 344 in Week 7; he's on pace to join a very short list of 5,000-yard passers this season.
- Ayden Eberhardt (Ottawa Redblacks, SB) — Averaging 103.8 yards and 7.5 catches over his past four games, the clear focal point of whatever Ottawa's offense can generate.
- Justin Hardy (Ottawa Redblacks, SB) — One reception away from 350 in a Redblacks uniform, a nice milestone in an otherwise brutal season.
- Zach Collaros (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, QB) — Back from the six-game injured list and reportedly starting Friday, immediately raising Winnipeg's ceiling.
- Brady Oliveira (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, RB) — Needs 97 rushing yards to pass Willie Burden for 20th all-time and sits 35 receiving yards from 2,000 for his career; he's on pace to tie Andrew Harris for the most 1,000-yard rushing seasons by a Canadian.
- Willie Jefferson (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, DE) — Has a sack in four straight games; his next puts him level with Willie Pless for 20th all-time.
Keys to the Game
- Ottawa has to actually finish drives inside the 10 — the yards have been there, the touchdowns haven't, and that's the difference between these blowout losses and competitive ones.
- The Redblacks defense, already thin up front with Bryce Carter, Mike Wakefield and Cleyon Laing all out, needs to find a pass rush against a Collaros-led offense that will pick apart a soft front.
- Winning the turnover battle is non-negotiable for a winless team facing a six-touchdown favorite — Lucas Cormier and the Ottawa secondary need to manufacture takeaways Winnipeg's offense hasn't been giving up much of lately.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Adjey (LS) | Ottawa Redblacks | Out |
| Habakkuk Baldonado (DL) | Ottawa Redblacks | Available |
| Emeric Boutin (FB) | Ottawa Redblacks | Out |
| Bryce Carter (DL) | Ottawa Redblacks | Out |
| Aaron Casey (LB) | Ottawa Redblacks | Out |
| Drew Desjarlais (OL) | Ottawa Redblacks | Available |
| Scott Hutter (DB) | Ottawa Redblacks | Out |
| Cleyon Laing (DL) | Ottawa Redblacks | Out |
| Brett Lauther (K) | Ottawa Redblacks | Available |
| Nyles Morgan (LB) | Ottawa Redblacks | Available |
| Julian Pearl (OL) | Ottawa Redblacks | Out |
| Giordano Vaccaro (OL) | Ottawa Redblacks | Available |
| Mike Wakefield (DL) | Ottawa Redblacks | Out |
Depth Chart
Ottawa Redblacks starters by position, built from the team's official Week 11 depth chart (projected — may shift closer to kickoff).
| Position | Ottawa Redblacks |
|---|---|
| QB | Jake Maier | McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Bryson Barnes |
| RB | Greg Bell | Daniel Adeboboye |
| FB | Anthony Gosselin | Jevoni Robinson |
| WR/SB | Justin Hardy, Keelan White, Ayden Eberhardt |
| WR (wide) | Cade McDonald, Kalil Pimpleton, Nick Mardner |
| LT | Dino Boyd |
| LG | Drew Desjarlais | Alassane Diouf |
| C | Sean McEwen | Samuel Carson |
| RG | Giordano Vaccaro |
| RT | Zachary Barlev |
| DE (weak) | Aidan John, Luiji Vilain |
| DT | Daniel Okpoko, Jelani Stafford |
| DT | Muftah Ageli, Dennis Briggs Jr. |
| DE (strong) | Jessie Evans, Charlie Parks, Habakkuk Baldonado |
| WLB | Brian Cole II, AJ Allen, Lucas Cormier |
| MLB | KJ Cloyd, Nyles Morgan |
| SLB | CJ Reavis |
| CB | Shadwel Nkuba II (weak), Christian Matthew/King Ambers (strong) |
| S | Eric Cumberbatch, Alonzo Addae |
| HB | Marcus Barnes, Dionte Ruffin |
| K/P | Brett Lauther |
| LS | Lucus Spencer |
| RET | Kalil Pimpleton, Cade McDonald |
Score Prediction
Ottawa Redblacks 26 - Winnipeg Blue Bombers 32. Maier and Eberhardt should keep this closer than the standings suggest given how these two attacked each other back in Week 7, but a rested, Collaros-led Winnipeg offense and Ottawa's injury-riddled front seven point to the Bombers covering at home and stretching the head-to-head win streak to five.
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Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.