Photo Credit: The Canadian Press/John Woods

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers came into the 2024 season with high expectations. The Blue and Gold had appeared in the Western Final every season since 2018 and had made four straight Grey-Cup Finals, winning two of them. The Bombers would once again be led by CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian, Brady Oliveira, Western Division CFL All-Star quarterback, Zach Collaros, and a receiving core that included the likes of Dalton Schoen, Kenny Lawler, Nic Demski, and Drew Wolitarsky.

The 2024 season started with a Grey Cup rematch between the Montreal Alouettes and the Blue Bombers—a game they lost by a final score of 27 to 12. The Bombers also suffered their first of many injuries—an upper-body hit to star receiver Kenny Lawler that forced him out and would later turn out to be a fractured arm. Lawler wouldn’t return until Week 11. As the Bombers continued, they dropped three more games to the Ottawa Redblacks, B.C. Lions, and Calgary Stampeders. Over this three-game stretch, the Bombers lost All-Star receiver Dalton Schoen for the season to a non-contact injury and then lost QB Zach Collaros in Week 4 against the Stampeders. Marred by injuries, the Bombers limped out to a 0-4 start to the season. The Bombers finally got into the win column vs the Ottawa Redblacks in Week 5, courtesy of backup QB Chris Streveler, while starter Zach Collaros sat out with injury. Collaros would return the next game, and the Bombers made it two straight wins in a wild 41-37 affair over the Calgary Stampeders, leaving them at a still-inexplicable 2-4 record after 6 games. The Bombers then bungled a low-scoring affair to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, then another game in overtime to the Toronto Argonauts to sit at 2-6 headed to Vancouver for an August 1 matchup against the B.C. Lions.

Fast forward eight games to the time of writing and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers sit at 10-6, securely atop the West Division, on an eight-game win-streak, and looking again like the team to beat in the CFL. Offensive coordinator Buck Pierce’s offense has started to have some semblance to the Bombers offense the league is used to, thanks in part to the emergence of new talent Ontaria Wilson and Kevens Clercius, as well as the veteran presence of players like Lucky Whitehead. The Bombers defense has proved to be stingy despite having injury troubles of its own: linebacker and locker-room leader Adam Bighill is on the six-day injury reserve and offensive lineman Stanley Bryant has just returned to the lineup after yet another. The Bombers still have injury trouble—backup QB Chris Streveler was injured in the Banjo Bowl and remains out—but the Bombers have learned to make things work without key players.

The Blue Bombers have their last regular season game at home versus the Toronto Argonauts before heading to the playoffs in hopes of once again vying for the Grey Cup.