OTTAWA – It was a track meet and a heavyweight bout. It was both artistic and barbaric. And it was absolutely, positively everything that makes the Canadian Football League such a quirky, wacky and must-watch drama.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers edged the Ottawa REDBLACKS 40-32 in overtime at TD Place in the nation’s capital Friday night, and in the process not only extended their win streak to three games, but perhaps served notice that the squad for which many had written an obituary just a few weeks ago does indeed have a pulse.

And a hearty and robust pulse at that.

Mind you, it didn’t come easy, as the Bombers held a 32-17 lead with 4:36 left and an eight-point advantage with 1:43 remaining only to see Ottawa score a touchdown with 16 ticks on the clock and then add on a two-point convert to let a game they had complete control of seemingly slip through their fingers.

Only, they didn’t. Instead, they rallyied to get it done in OT when Matt Nichols connected with Weston Dressler for a TD, hit Darvin Adams for a two-point convert and then saw Adam Bighill force a fumble after a Brad Sinopoli catch that was recovered by Jovan Santos-Knox at the Bombers five-yard line.

“I felt like this team did a good job of responding,” said Bombers QB Matt Nichols, who was excellent in completing 27 of 36 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns against zero interceptions. “When you’ve got a 13-point lead with four minutes left and you kinda see it disappear it’s easy to just say, ‘We blew it.’ But that wasn’t the mindset of this team. Offensively we went out and scored another touchdown and got a two-point conversion and the defence went out and forced a turnover.

“For this team to respond like that, it shows a lot about this team. We just have so many veterans on this team. We’ve been through everything there is to go through out there. When you see that happen it’s ‘All right, we get to go play some more football.’ That was the mindset. We went out there and marched right down to the end zone. I just can’t be more proud of my guys for responding in that situation. It would have been easy to let the momentum go against us and not go out and execute. But the guys were ready to go.”

The Bombers got their most balanced offensive performance of the season, as they picked up points on each of their first six possessions with five field goals and a touchdown. All told, Winnipeg cranked out 434 yards offensively while holding the ball for 36 minutes and 22 seconds – almost 13 minutes more than the REDBLACKS.

And yet, for all that the Bombers were facing, their horses got it done in OT. It was Nichols dialling it in to Dressler and Adams, it was Andrew Harris pushing the pile behind the O-line, and it was Bighill in the game’s critical moment.

“I saw the tackle get missed, I saw a little bit of loose ball security and so I tried to go for the ball while making the tackle,” said Bighill of the game’s final play. “It’s something we practice and we preach. It feels good when it comes through for you and especially when it wins the game.”

And just as Bighill finished his post-game comments outside a euphoric Bombers dressing room, the first man to shake his hand was head coach Mike O’Shea. One hall of fame linebacker to a future hall of fame linebacker.

“That’s a big-time player making a big-time play when his team needs it the most,” said O’Shea. “He did just that. I thought our defence… they didn’t have the end of the fourth quarter that they wanted. But they battled pretty hard in overtime and ended up winning the game for us. Anytime you win differently it’s important. There’s always the lessons when you play a tight game like that and face adversity right to the end. For the offence to go down the field and score that touchdown, get the two points after that. And then to make a play like that at the end of the game, I’m obviously proud. It’s one of those things that the game is never over and you never know when the play is going to come to you to make.”

THE BIG STAT

36:22: The Bombers time of possession, almost 13 minutes more than Ottawa’s 23:38. It was one of the many gaudy offensive numbers put up by Paul LaPolice’s crew.

FYI

The Bombers two inactives were WR Corey Washington and LB Kyrie Wilson… Two Bombers hit games-played milestones: Adam Bighill lined up for his 100^th CFL game, while Andrew Harris was playing in his 150^th… Winnipeg had three sacks in the game, including the first of rookie Brandin Bryant’s CFL career.

NUMBERS GAME

40: Consecutive field goals hit by Ottawa’s rookie kicker Lewis Ward, a new CFL record. He bested the old mark of 39, set by Calgary’s Rene Paredes during the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

6: Field goals by Winnipeg’s Justin Medlock, on six attempts. Medlock hit from 38, 40, 44, 32, 12 and 27 yards.

132: Rushing yards for Andrew Harris, on 20 carries. Harris now has 1,233 yards this season, the highest in his career. Ottawa’s William Powell has 1,236 yards rushing to lead the CFL, and has played one less game than Harris.

2: Turnovers by the Bombers, giving them 41 on the season.

123: The Bombers Weston Dressler has now caught a pass in 123 straight games. Dressler pulled in five passes for 61 yards and two TDs and in the process moved past Rocky DiPietros on the CFL’s all-time receiving list at 709.