Vernon Adams Jr. and the Stampeders head to Manitoba looking to avoid a third straight gut-punch loss and salvage the season series.
Game Details
- Matchup: Calgary Stampeders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- When: Friday, July 24 at 8:30 PM ET
- Where: Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Winnipeg Blue Bombers -1
- Moneyline: Calgary Stampeders +105, Winnipeg Blue Bombers -125
- Over/Under: 60
Calgary sits 2-3-1 against the spread with a wild six overs and zero unders through six games. Winnipeg's been more balanced at 2-3-1 ATS with three overs and three unders — but every one of these Bombers games this year has been a nail-biter.
Overview
The Stampeders are running out of ways to describe these losses. At 2-4, Calgary has now dropped back-to-back one-score decisions to Montreal, including last week's 38-32 heartbreaker where they clawed all the way back from a 22-0 hole and still came up 15 yards short at the end. It's the same story every week: a brutal start, a furious comeback, and a final margin that stings. Head coach Dave Dickenson didn't dodge it after the game, saying the slow starts are on the coaching staff and the players both, and that it has to get fixed on the practice field before it costs them a season.
Winnipeg, meanwhile, keeps finding ways to win ugly. The Blue Bombers have reeled off three straight — including Sunday's wild 36-34 overtime escape in Ottawa, where they erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit and won it on the league's first-ever alternating two-point conversion format. Dru Brown is now 2-0 as the fill-in starter with Zach Collaros out, but there's a catch: Calgary is the only team that hasn't beaten Brown in his 29 career CFL starts. That's a stat the Stampeders will be leaning on heavily this week, and it's the kind of history that could matter in a game expected to go down to the wire.
These two already met once this season, with Winnipeg stealing a 30-28 win at McMahon on a 38-yard field goal as time expired in Week 1. With the Bombers sitting at 4-2 atop a crowded West and Calgary clinging to its season at 2-4, this one carries real tiebreaker weight down the stretch — and a Calgary loss would put them three games back with the West all bunching up. Winnipeg's got the recent form and home field, but Calgary's offense has been the best in the league at putting points on the board, and that Brown history is a real X-factor. Give the slight edge to the Bombers, but don't expect it to be comfortable.
Key Players
- Vernon Adams Jr (Calgary Stampeders, QB) — Leads the CFL with 17 touchdown passes and zero interceptions; one more TD before a pick would make him the first player in league history to open a season 18-0 on that ratio.
- Dedrick Mills (Calgary Stampeders, RB) — Coming off a season-best 130 yards against Montreal, Mills has hit the century mark in 16 career games and against all eight CFL opponents, including Winnipeg twice.
- Dru Brown (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, QB) — Making his second straight start in place of Collaros, Brown has won his last 29 CFL starts overall but has never beaten Calgary.
- Brady Oliveira (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, RB) — Winnipeg's workhorse with 423 rushing yards on the season, the engine of a Bombers offense that leans run-first when games get tight.
- Jalen Philpot (Calgary Stampeders, WR) — Set a new career-high with four touchdowns last week against Montreal and leads the Stamps with 407 receiving yards.
Keys to the Game
- Calgary has to find a way to start fast — the Stampeders have spotted opponents big early leads for weeks now and can't keep digging out of 15-plus point holes.
- Feed Dedrick Mills early and often; he's found 100 yards against Winnipeg before and a heavy dose of the run game keeps Brown and the Bombers offense off the field.
- The Calgary secondary, led by Zy Alexander's league-tying 3 interceptions, needs to make Brown uncomfortable and force the mistakes that have haunted Bombers opponents in this alternating two-point-convert era.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Damien Alford (WR) | Calgary Stampeders | Questionable — Hamstring |
| Reggie Begelton (WR) | Calgary Stampeders | Out — Knee |
| Dejon Brissett (WR) | Calgary Stampeders | Questionable — Hamstring |
| Jaydon Grant (DB) | Calgary Stampeders | Available — Ankle |
| Adrian Greene (DB) | Calgary Stampeders | Questionable — Eye |
| Tristan Marois (DL) | Calgary Stampeders | Questionable — Ankle |
| Derrick Moncrief (DB) | Calgary Stampeders | Available — Foot |
| Rene Paredes (K) | Calgary Stampeders | Questionable — Right Hip |
Depth Chart
Calgary Stampeders starters by position, built from the Calgary Stampeders official current-week depth chart. Projected — may not reflect final gameday adjustments.
| Position | Calgary Stampeders |
|---|---|
| QB | Vernon Adams Jr. (Josh Love, Quincy Vaughn) |
| RB | Dedrick Mills (Ludovick Choquette, Tyreik McAllister) |
| WR | Tevin Jones, Clark Barnes / Damien Alford |
| SB | Jalen Philpot, Dejon Brissett (GTD), Erik Brooks / Jesulayomi Ojutalayo |
| OL | LT D'Antne Demery, LG Zack Williams, C Chris Fortin (Bryce Bell), RG Christy Nkanu, RT Bakyne Coly |
| DE | Kelon Thomas, George Idoko, Clarence Hicks / Charles Wiley, Folarin Orimolade |
| DT | Miles Brown / Elijah Hills, Jaylon Hutchings |
| LB | WLB R.J. Moten, Kyle Wilson; MLB Micah Teitz, Marquel Lee; SAM Eric Rascoe, Derrick Moncrief |
| DB | CB Anthony Johnson, Ashton Miller-Melancon, Ben Labrosse; HB Godfrey Onyeka, Zy Alexander, Anton Haie, Jaydon Grant; S Jackson Sombach, Damon Webb |
| K | Jude McAtamney |
| P | Mark Vassett |
| LS | Jason MacGougan |
Score Prediction
Calgary Stampeders 30 - Winnipeg Blue Bombers 31. Both offenses have leaked points all season and this line's total of 60 tells the story — expect another shootout with Dedrick Mills and Vernon Adams Jr. keeping Calgary in it deep into the fourth quarter, but Winnipeg's home crowd and Brady Oliveira grinding out the clock give the Bombers just enough to survive another one-score classic.
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Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.