Going into the the Saskatchewan vs. Calgary game I wondered if it were be better if Calgary beat Saskatchewan exposing some aspects of Saskatchewan’s game or if it would be better if Saskatchewan beat Calgary.

Of course, intuitively one thinks that it is better to face a good opponent if they come off of a loss; it shows some of their cracks. The downside is that your opponent – that just lost the last game – may get tuned up and be even more resolute. However, in this case, I think it is good for the Bombers that Calgary beat Saskatchewan.

Looking at it another way; if Saskatchewan beats Calgary, not only does Winnipeg not see any weaknesses in Saskatchewan…but first in the West is likely a ship that has sailed. Yet, if Winnipeg wins their next two games vs. Saskatchewan, Winnipeg will be tied with them and have the season series! Although beating Saskatchewan twice in a row seems inconceivable, Winnipeg did beat them in both their preseason games.

I get it, those are preseason games. But in a year where Saskatchewan has been so dominant, knowing you can beat a team is part of the battle. Stack on to that, Winnipeg can and should look at the game film from Calgary vs. Saskatchewan and see how to beat Saskatchewan. Calgary beat down Saskatchewan so bad that they chased not only Saskatchewan’s starting quarterback off the field but also their starting running back.

So Winnipeg has seen the recipe to beat Saskatchewan, but now the question is, ‘Can they do the same?’ Presently, it does not look like Winnipeg has the defense to be able to cover down field for extended periods of time. That is why I titled my last article, Bombers Wear Down Alouettes But Still Much Work To Be Done. Let us not fool ourselves, the Bombers at 6-4 are a 6-4 team. Their record this season is not a case of a team losing a lot of games they could/should have won. No, the Bombers’ record reflects the reality of where the team currently is.

Mosaic Stadium is a tough place to win if you are the visitor. The Labour Day Classic is always loud, and the Riders have a record in that game of 38-21…so the Bombers are up against it. And as of right now, it seems like the Bombers like to mostly bring 3 or 4 man pressure…whereas Calgary was blitzing.

However, the Riders also showed that the can be beat on offense. Calgary was able to put up 32 points on a very stingy Saskatchewan defense. In putting up 32 points, yes Vernon Adams had 3 touchdowns but he also had 3 interceptions. Helping Calgary’s case was that Harris also had 2 interceptions. But you tell me, can the Bombers as they currently are beat Saskatchewan if the Bombers throw 2 interceptions? I am not convinced that they can.

What the Bombers do have in their favour is time. Winnipeg played their last game on a Thursday and will wait until Sunday to face Saskatchewan. Whereas, Saskatchewan played their previous game on Saturday. So neither team is coming off of a short week, but Winnipeg has just a little more time to prepare and plan.

Who does the edge go to in the Labour Day Classic (that is not really played on Labour Day) with the Riders dropping their last one and the Bomber winning their last one?

Let me know in the comments section wherever you are reading this.

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