Well, if you are a Bomber fan, you better get used to this because Winnipeg will face Saskatchewan no less than 5 times this year!

In a year where the schedule makers have no more creativity than a lump of coal, they have the Bombers and Riders only playing each other in the preseason, and then five more times in the regular season. Add to the fact that it is possible these two teams face each other in the playoffs and one really has to shake their head at the schedule.

There are a number of things that I will be looking for in this upcoming game, with the score being the least of them.

First of all, can Winnipeg’s kick return coverage be better? There were massive holes and yards gained by Saskatchewan. In fact, Castillo had to come up with a touchdown saving tackle in the second quarter of the game.

Secondly, I am interested to see more of Devin Adams at defensive tackle. Last Saturday, he shot through the line of scrimmage and absolutely trucked the Saskatchewan quarterback.

Thirdly, I want to see more of Quinton Cooley, who had a really good game at running back, as well as receiving.

I will come back to the Bombers in a moment and list the number one thing that I will be looking for. But first how about some gaffes by Saskatchewan. Brian Garrity; ever hear of him? Well you may never hear of him again very soon. Garrity is the guy who tried to kick a field goal for Saskatchewan and it barely cleared the player’s heads. I get it, kicking a field goal is actually harder than it looks; go and try it if you do not believe me. I have tried a number of times at Fan Fest and the Grey Cup Festival…it is not easy. But when that is your sole and singular job, the only reason why you are on the roster, you simply cannot flub it that bad. He is not on the depth chart for the rematch, though I did not hear anything about him being release. So this week the Riders go with Dawson Hodge.

Trevor Harris looked absolutely terrible, and as you will see he is not on the depth chart either. I do not know how they keep him around…except none of the other guys outside of Maier did much better.

I could see an argument made for releasing Harris, keeping Stevens as a short yardage quarterback – the dude is huge – and having Coan as their backup.

Back to the Bombers. What I did like in their first preseason game was that Streveler threw the ball decently well. My continual criticism is the questioning of what the Bomber’s succession plan is for Collaros. Or what may be more pressing, is who do they have that they can put in at quarterback and win them games if Zach Collaros is not able to play?

Four months ago I questioned if the Bombers will even play Chris Streveler. Well, it looks like that question is answered at least for now.

Streveler will play. And if the depth chart is any indication, he will play a decent amount. Here is something that I find interesting, Collaros is also on the depth chart. In fact, there are no changes to the players making the trip from last week – that also means that Lawson is not yet ready to play. Often in the preseason, you will play some of your starters at home so that the home crowd gets to see them a bit. But then you often sit starters for your away preseason game.

The argument could be made that Collaros is going to play in the away preseason game as he will start the regular season with a one game suspension. But what about the rest of the starters? Well, as it has been said every preseason, you simply cannot rest everyone. And we still do not know if all the starters, while on the depth chart, will see the field. But I think there is a little bit more to it that that.

In 2025 the Bombers have a new quarterbacks coach, Jarious Jackson, and a new offensive coordinator Jason Hogan. That is the reason I believe that Collaros and the other starters will see some playing time in Saskatchewan, in the away preseason game. Not the fact that the Bombers rested Collaros last preseason and then he was slow out of the gate in the regular season. Also, not because their starters need another week of live football to get up to speed. Rather, and at least on the offensive side of the ball, because they have two people in new positions that are absolutely critical to the Bombers having success in 2025.

So, while we might already be getting tired of Winnipeg vs Saskatchewan, there is certainly a lot to look forward to for a preseason game.

What will you be watching for? Let me know in the comments section wherever you are reading this.

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