Upon Further Review | WPG 34, MTL 31 (OT)

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They won by turning the ball over again. They won by being solid on special teams and relying on the left foot of Justin Medlock. And they won, again, because Andrew Harris did his thing while working behind a stellar offensive line.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are 7-2 at the midway mark of the 2017 Canadian Football League season – and 4-1 on the road – for any number of reasons, including all of the above.

But if there is one reason and one constant through the first half of the season – heck, dating all the way back to the start of this 17-5 run that started late last July – it’s this:

Quarterback Matt Nichols.

Of course, if you’ve followed along for even just a chunk of this remarkable turnaround, this is hardly a newsflash. Nichols replacing Drew Willy after a 1-4 start grabbed headlines initially, but by the end of last season, his ascension to the No. 1 QB gig – and how the team rallied around him – became the main subplot to the Bombers’ turnaround.

Some might find it curious that we bring this up today in the wake of Thursday’s 34-31 OT victory over the Montreal Alouettes, given that Nichols threw for a season-low 227 yards in the victory.

But it’s what Nichols did – and didn’t do – that was critical in the victory. Working against a veteran-laden Alouettes defence, Nichols completed 26 of 38 passes with two TD passes to Clarence Denmark and another to Julian Feoli-Gudino. His only interception was a Hail-Mary toss at the end of the first half that ended his four-game streak without throwing a pick.

Still, his decision-making isn’t just highlighted by the completions and the passing-yardage total. Nichols didn’t force throws and he ate the ball and took a sack when the pressure enveloped him. Compare that to Montreal’s Darian Durant, who threw two interceptions to Chris Randle – the first led to a touchdown; the second, in OT, set up Medlock’s game-winning field goal – and also fumbled with that mistake ending a drive at Winnipeg’s 24-yard line.

And when it really mattered in OT, Nichols was again at his decision-making best. He connected with Denmark for a TD and then with Darvin Adams for a two-point convert, and after the Als answered but then turned it over with the Randle pick, simply had to put the ball in Harris’ gut for a couple of runs before Medlock sealed it.

“Honestly, Denny made a great catch on that one,” Nichols told bluebombers.com after the game. “And because it was only five yards downfield – the two-point conversion to Darvin – people aren’t going to know it, but in my opinion that was one of the best throws I’ve ever made. It was an extremely tight window and I put it on the money on his outside shoulder. If I put it anywhere else it’s probably incomplete.

“But Denny did an unbelievable job on the touchdown. I threw it a little high, actually, and he made a great grab and carried his momentum forward to get it into the end zone.”

“That’s what this game was all about: guys just took turns making plays at the end and we were able to get it done.”

More on the Bombers win in Montreal in our weekly collection of notes, quotes and anecdotes we call Upon Further Review…

THERE ARE ANY NUMBER OF THEORIES… as to why the Bombers have been road warriors over the past season and a half – now 11-3 over that stretch – and every single one of them has validity.

“It’s the mindset,” Bombers cornerback Chris Randle told bluebombers.com in an exclusive interview post-game. “We want to approach each and every game the same. There’s just something about the road that shows how we’ve prepared for these games, we’re ready for these games, for the opposition, for the fans… we knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy given the game they had last week. They did.

“There’s just something about the road, man. I can’t really call it. We’re just happy we came out with the win.”

Let’s put that 11-3 number into perspective here: in the four seasons prior to last year, the Bombers were just 10-26 on the road.

Hello.

“I think it’s when you get on the road, you have more of a chance to hang out with your teammates,” added Andrew Harris. “The O-line goes out to eat together, most of the position groups go out to eat together. You’re still talking about the game and the task at hand and I really think that’s a big contributing factor to being successful on the road.

“You stick together on the road, come out with a business trip mentality and get it done.”

WE SAID IT LAST WEEK AFTER THE EDMONTON GAME…  in Upon Further Review and we’ll repeat it again today: Chris Randle’s first half of the season is all-star worthy.

“He’s not done, he’s not satisfied either,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “We’ve always known he’s a top-notch guy in the league, an upper-echelon guy. The way he prepares… he makes the game look easy because of the way he prepares for it. When he steps on the field he’s already played the game because he’s already worked so hard in practice. He knows he’s going to make those plays.

“Two interceptions tonight and it’s some of the stuff you don’t notice when he’s not intercepting the ball. He’s phenomenal.”

THERE’S A SAYING IN BOXING THAT… style make fights. And the Bombers and Alouettes gave CFL fans two spectacular games this season – the first the 41-40 come-from-behind miracle in Winnipeg a few weeks ago and then Thursday’s OT thriller.

“You know that’s what Montreal is capable of and what they were going to do,” said O’Shea. “They’re a tough, physical team. We like that matchup. We enjoy that style of game. Coming off their last game… that was not indicative of who they are and we knew they were going to rebound off of that and come out very spirited and they did. They gave us everything we could handle.”

THAT WAS A COMMON REFRAIN… in the Bombers locker room after the game – a tip of the hat in respect to what the Alouettes do, especially defensively. Noel Thorpe’s crew threw a bunch of different looks at the Bombers offence and tackled well to limit the yards after catch.

“They’re one of the top 2-3 defences in the league and one of the most physical we’ve faced all year,” said Andrew Harris. “But with us, there’s no quit and there’s no doubt that we’re going to find a way to win. I’m proud of the guys for the attitude we have in those situations and our ability to stick together.

“Early on in the game, we had some issues and tempers were getting high. But collectively we found a way to come together. Sometimes when you have brothers you fight and you get in tiffs. But there’s a tightness that comes from that and we were able to respond greatly.”

TRISTAN OKPALAUGO SAT IN HIS LOCKER… after the game, a big smile and look of satisfaction dominating his face. And while he registered just one tackle and had two quarterback pressures, the veteran defensive end was thrilled to be back on the field after missing six games with an upper-body injury.

“It felt good. I really wanted to get out there and play with (Jackson) Jeffcoat,” said Okpalaugo. “We had some good pressure.

“I had total faith in Jackson and Trent (Corney) and (Jamaal) Westerman. We’ve got the Ws the past five weeks now and watching them play and respond was tough, but I tried to help out with whatever I could.

“But it did kinda suck being there, but not being out there. I want to compete, that’s all it is. I want to play, I want to get the sacks, I want to get the glory… I want everything. But at the same time, I had to sit back and help them as much as I could.”

AND FINALLY… even though Upon Further Review focuses primarily on the Bombers week to week, we’d be remiss without acknowledging Nik Lewis becoming the CFL’s all-time receptions leader Thursday night.

The fact that he broke the mark on a third-and-three gamble – on a critical drive late in the game, no less – was a fitting way to do it, given Lewis has always been a guy more apt to move the chains than beat defenders deep. It also says something that he was more disappointed about the loss than the accomplishment.

“A kid like me who never thought he’d play professional football, this is a pretty outstanding honour,” Lewis told The Montreal Gazette after the game. “I don’t play this game to break records, I play to win championships. We let another one slip through.”