There are a lot of ways to win and to lose football games in the CFL. But after watching Toronto this weekend, these are my top 2 issues that Winnipeg will need to overcome to beat Toronto.
1) Toronto does not run the ball
This might be the worst kept secret in all of the CFL's 2026 season. Well into the 3rd quarter vs Edmonton, Toronto had not even attempted a run.
It is beyond me how teams have not locked into this and are still respecting the run when Toronto calls an RPO (run pass option). There is no run being called, and there is not option, it is a straight pass play. Toronto's quarterback, Chad Kelly is third in rushing for Toronto with 171 yards!
As much as that should allow Winnipeg to pin their ears back and pass rush...I am not sure that the Bombers will do that.
Who remembers the LDC, Winnipeg vs Saskatchewan? There were a number of plays that Saskatchewan's short yardage quarterback (Tommy Stevens) came in the game on not short yardage plays. They were trying to trick Winnipeg. So much so, that on a certain play call both Saskatchewan's starting quarterback (Trevor Harris) and Tommy Stevens were in on the same play. On that, and other plays that Stevens was in on, Winnipeg's defence played the play like Stevens might actually throw the ball.
So what is the problem with that? Well, to date in 2026 Tommy Stevens has attempted...ZERO passes. When Tommy Stevens is in, it is a Tommy Stevens run play.
After that game I said this, "It was so frustrating to watch. I told my 11 year old son that every time Tommy Stevens comes in he is just going to run the ball...somehow Winnipeg did not get that memo. I do not care what types of formations Saskatchewan lines up, even with Harris and Stevens on the field. Stevens literally has zero pass attempts this year! And Winnipeg should know these tricks better than anyone else. It is very reminiscent of when the Bombers had Streveler. It did not matter how Winnipeg lined up, it was going to be a Streveler run. The fact that Winnipeg fell for that tells me that they (coaches and players) do not understand the limitations of Stevens. And that is problematic. If you do not understand what your opponent can and cannot do half way through the season...what are you doing in the film room?"
And what Winnipeg is going to face with Chad Kelly and Toronto is the exact opposite. Toronto does not run the ball. If whoever is game planning the Bombers' defense does not bet huge on pass defence, they are going to look silly and the Bombers are going to get torched.
Why? Because of problem number 2 that Toronto brings.
2) 500 yards or 4 interceptions...Toronto will keep throwing long balls
Toronto seems to be willing to live with Kelly throwing a ton of long balls, even if it ends up in a bunch of interceptions. They just believe that they are on the right side of risk vs reward on that.
And to be fair, Kelly does lead the league with 4,777 yards of passes. He also leads the league with 31 TD passes. Oh, yah. Another area he leads the league is interceptions with 22. But here is the upside, it only took Kelly 2 passes against Edmonton this weekend to score a touchdown! A 56 yard strike to Kahmann, and then a 14 yard pass to Mital.
This is highly problematic for the Bombers. Even if the Bombers recognize that this is not just a pass first team, but a pass only team, Winnipeg has been susceptible to allowing the long ball against them all season.
However, that did change in the Banjo Bowl where Winnipeg's defense was great at defending deep balls. But as I mentioned here, that might have been a different story if Saskatchewan did not waste their challenge so early, "Winnipeg's defence played very well! I think that they benefited from Saskatchewan's head coach, Corey Mace, throwing the challenge flag on the Riders' third offensive play.
As the game went on, Winnipeg's defence would make some great defensive knockdowns (and the timing is always close). But I feel like if Saskatchewan would have saved their challenge they would have been able to use it later in the game with a better chance of winning the challenge (possibly on one of Holm's 3 knockdowns).
I could go through the list and name players that played very well on the Bombers' defence, but it was a complete team effort...including Jordan Younger the Bombers' defensive coordinator. He had the right mix of blitzes, pressures, and coverages, which would keep the Riders quarterback, Harris, to zero touchdowns and only a 53% passing completion rate."
So if Winnipeg does not realize that it is going to be pass after pass all night long, it is going to be a long night.
Final Thoughts
If I were the Winnipeg Blue Bombers I would bet the farm that Toronto is going to throw the ball, almost exclusively! In fact, I would not even play a run defense. Make Toronto do something that they do not like to do, and that they are not good at...running the ball.
I would challenge Toronto to beat me with runs, whether that is by their running back or by their quarterback - Chad Kelly. The Bombers need to realize that when Kelly rolls out he is not doing it to find a running lane, he is doing it to find a pass downfield. If it were another quarterback I would say that Winnipeg needs to contain their opponent's quarterback. But not in this case. I would not use up any defensive player to contain Kelly.
And I would not alter that plan even if I got beat by Kelly ripping off some big runs. Why? Because I am betting that Toronto and Kelly just cannot do that all game, or well enough to win that way.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments section wherever you are reading this. Catch all my articles here.