The Winnipeg Blue Bombers did not end the 2022 season the way they had hoped. Yes, they were in their third consecutive Grey Cup but fell to the Toronto Argonauts by a score of 24-23. For Bomber fans I will not recount the details of that devastating loss.

Instead we will look ahead to the season opener where the Bombers look to get back to the Grey Cup by starting this (and every week going forward) going 1-0 as is their mantra.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at IG Field in Winnipeg on Friday June 9. These two teams, and coaches know each other very well, having faced each other in the 2019 and 2021 Grey Cups.

Blue Bombers Depth Chart

However, I may not have to give that message to Pigrome as it seems he is already well aware of that.

Sticking with the theme of quarterbacks the one very notable change for Hamilton is that Bo Levi Mitchell will be at the helm. While the Bombers are very familiar with Mitchell they are not familiar with Mitchell running a Hamilton offence. It will be interesting to see if the Bombers’ pass rushers can get after Mitchell and make life a little more uncomfortable for him.

Does Hamilton have their pass rush defensive schemes in top form? How will the communication be between Mitchell and the offensive line? Will we see some miss cues at the line of scrimmage for Hamilton. All of that we will find out. I know it has all been worked on in the pre-season and practices, but there is nothing like real game time.

In the past years Hamilton has had an interesting quarterback situation where they never had a defined starting quarterback. Mitchell has been handed the keys, but can he drive the offence?

So how does Mitchell think this first regular season game will go with his new team. He tells us right here.

Notable

A quick look at the Bombers’ Depth Chart will show the absence of Bomber receiver Kenny Lawler. His absence is due to immigration issues stemming from an off-field incident in 2021. Taking his place will be a receiver that has shown much potential but was unable to escape the injury bug – Carlton Agudosi. Agudosi will start the season filling in for Lawler. Should he play to his potential the Bombers will have an interesting but wanted problem – too many great players to all start. In a league where it is hard to keep everyone healthy the Bombers are in good shape with multiple capable receivers.

Prediction

The Bomber players and staff have a sour taste in their mouth from losing the 2022 Grey Cup. The wild and rabid fans of the Bombers will make life difficult for Hamilton’s quarterback Mitchell – they simply do not like him.

I predict the Bombers come out on top with the win in a wildly entertaining game with a score far closer than Bomber players, coaches, and fans desire. All eyes will be on the Bomber’s kicker after the release of Liegghio and Bomber fans will not have much patience for anything less than near perfection.

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