Oh Winnipeg, don’t book that Grey Cup parade just yet
The Riders 38-24 win over the Blue Bombers has resulted in heart palpations in Winnipeg that perhaps their 7-2 record has somehow been sullied by the Riders stumping the Bombers tempo offense by going down with fake injuries.
Considering the Bombers biggest win has been against an injury ravaged Edmonton Eskimos (and let’s check the Eskimos games against Saskatchewan and Calgary following that game to put some context on the Bombers win) and considering the Bombers score more field goals than touchdowns, the Riders win should not have come as a surprise.
For Rider fans it’s pretty easy to be feeling good about the team following the win, although it was not as overwhelming as the Rider wins over Edmonton and BC. The Riders could have let the Bombers back into the game into the fourth quarter, and that is something the Bombers can build on and the Riders will need to address for the Banjo Bowl.
As we hit the halfway point of the season, how teams deal with injuries will probably determine how high they will finish in the standings. The Bombers had some injury problems with TJ Heath in the defensive secondary while the Riders lost Nic Demski and Cam Marshall to injury for the Banjo Bowl.