The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in a position to clinch their division with a win against the BC Lions. It is going to be a hard-fought battle with both teams in the top 5 in terms of offense and defense.
The Lions have the #2 ranked quarterback in the league, Michael Reilly. On the season so far Reilly has a completion percentage of 70.9 on 251 attempts, 2192 yards, 10 touchdowns, and only 3 interceptions. The Bombers have the #1 ranked quarterback, Zach Collaros. Collaros has a 70.3 completion percentage on the year, with 2565 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions. With both teams having top 5 passing attacks, while also having top 5 passing defenses, might see a lot of the run game here. Defensively Winnipeg ranks #1 in pass defense with BC behind them at #2, however, it’s the rush defense where things change. The BC Lions are #2 in the league for rushing defense while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are #6.
Watch List
- Winnipeg’s Rush vs BC’s Defence: The Lions have a stout defence this year, ranking second in rush and pass defence. The Blue Bombers have Andrew Harris who has helped lead their rushing offense lead the league in all categories. It’s going to be a ground game battle between these two top ranked teams.
- BC’s Rush vs Winnipeg’s Defence: On the flip side, the Blue Bombers are near the bottom of the league in terms of rush defence. This could be the Lion’s chance to take advantage of their opponet’s weakness and run the ball down their throats. The Lions are ranked 3rd overall in rush offence, but their top runners Shaquille Cooper, James Butler, and Michael Reilly are ranked 16-18. Winnipeg will need to step up their game if they want to clinch the division.
- The Passing Game: Either team can choose to be daring and start slinging the ball. This is a tough matchup since both teams excell at passing and pass defence. Both teams have top 10 wide outs, Kenny Lawler (#1) and Nic Demski (#8) for the Bombers and Lucky Whitehead (#3) and Bryan Burnham (#5) for the Lions. Whitehead, however, will be coming off a Hand Injury, so he might still be a bit rusty.
This game is a tough one so it should be exciting to watch. I think it’ll be a close matchup but it’s going to come down to the run game and I think the BC Lion’s will take advantage.
Prediction:
BC – 34 WPG – 27
The BC Lions (4-5) will take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-1) in Winnipeg on Saturday, October 23rd. Kickoff will be at 7:00 PM EST.
