Can Winnipeg and Calgary ever have a game that is not interesting? This one went right down to the wire, with Calgary marching down the whole field to score a touchdown; and then Winnipeg pulling out a walk-off field goal of their own.
But did you predict that, or were you writing off the Bombers, like most of the CFL writers?
When I saw that, I posted, "Winnipeg usually does well when everyone writes the off!" I do not know what the writers were thinking! The Stampeders had multiple key injuries. That is a brutal disservice to the Bombers to only have one guy pick them to win. Hopefully, that acts as shots fired and a wakeup call for anyone writing off the Bombers! So how did they win this game?
Their was much being made of this game - from quarterbacks, to running backs, and receiving groups. Much of the statistics were very similar in this game.
Winnipeg Stats
Calgary Stats
There is not a lot here separating these two teams. In fact, after you read this article I would like to hear what you think was the major difference between these two teams in this game. As for me, I am going to put forward two things that I thought made the difference.
1) Kicking
In the lead up to this game I indicated that this may be a factor in the outcome.
"First of all Calgary is missing their starting kicker. Rene Parades was listed as 'Questionable"; a designation every player receives if they miss a part of practice. Since then he has been ruled out. And since it is a groin injury, I would not assume that they are going to rush him back. That leaves Calgary relying on McTamney, who has no CFL experience. While he does have some NFL experience, I would not necessarily call that experience good.
McTamney bounced around with the Giants from practice roster to active roster. On November 3, 2024, he kicked an extra point and a 31-yard field goal. How will McTamney do against the Bombers? Your guess is as good as mine, but have to give a big advantage to Winnipeg in the kicking game."
This turned out to be a huge difference in the game! All game I was waiting for McTamney to miss something. I had that expectation not because of the weather, and not because he was with a new kicking unit. Rather, everything I read about him made me think, "He's gonna miss one this game." And sure enough, he missed his field goal.
However, on the other side Castillo went 2/2 on his field goal attempts. And in the most pressure type situation, when it mattered the most, Castillo hit a walk-off field goal into the wind.
2) Defence
I did not have this as a topic to watch for in my pre-game article, and boy was I mistaken. I had seen the Bombers defence last year. They rarely got to the other team's quarterback, and often gave him tons of time. Not so in this game. Vernon Adams was under pressure quite often, and had to make tough throws on the run. But if it was not Willie Jefferson getting a couple of knockdowns at the line of scrimmage, then it is Jake Ceresna that deserves a huge shout out!
Everyone, including myself, was interested to see what Ceresna would bring and if the Bombers would change their defensive style to suit his strengths. Was it going to be the same hum drum defense, or would Winnipeg scheme to their talents? It was obvious early on that it would be the latter. In 2025 the Bombers struggled to put up sacks. Yet in this game alone the Bombers has 4 sacks, with 3 of those coming from Cersesna. I cannot wait to see how this defence gets better as the season goes on.
Final Thoughts
Hamilton will play in Winnipeg on Thursday night. While Hamilton is coming in 0-1 they played a tough one against Montreal. I expect a really hard fought battle and a ton of yards from Bo Levi Mitchell. The Bombers will be able to help themselves if their defence continues to bring the pressure, and their kicking game is rock solid.
If you were sleeping on the Bombers you better think again! This is a brand new defense, and a new offense. The Bombers are going to bring looks, on both sides of the ball, that we have not seen from them. Not convinced? Well it seems like some of the CFL writers have seen the error of their ways.
If you are still going with Hamilton, we will see how that works out. I believe that this Bomber team is even better than they played in week 1, and I expect to see that on Thursday night.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments section wherever you are reading this. Catch all my articles here.