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GAME 6 | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (5-0) at HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (4-1)

THE 4-1-1

Kickoff: 6 p.m. CT Friday, Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton
TV: TSN, RDS, ESPN+
Radio: 680 CJOB
Vegas line: The Ticats are favoured by two points.
Home/Road: The Bombers are 2-0 on the road this year with wins in Vancouver and Ottawa. Winnipeg is 4-1 in its last five road games, the lone blemish a loss to Edmonton in the 2018 regular season finale in which a number of the team’s starters did not play or had limited reps. Hamilton, meanwhile, is a perfect 3-0 at home this season.
Recent history: The Bombers 5-0 start is the third best in franchise history. The 1960 squad opened with 10 consecutive victories en route to a 14-2 record while the 1939 Bombers rocketed to an 8-0 start, finished the regular season 10-2 and then defeated Ottawa to win the second of the franchise’s 10 Grey Cup championships. The Ticats, meanwhile, have opened with a 4-1 record in their first five games for the first time in 21 seasons.
Series: The Bombers are 64-55-0 all-time vs. Hamilton and 27-32-0 at Ivor Wynne Stadium/Tim Hortons Field.

3 STORYLINES

1. BEST IN THE WEST vs. BEASTS OF THE EAST

It’s early, way too early, to dub this a Grey Cup preview, what with the 2019 CFL season not even at the one-third mark of the schedule. Still, that won’t stop folks in the media and fans from hyping it that way even if that kind of chatter won’t be heard in either clubhouse.

“It’s way too early in the season to talk like that,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea in a national conference call sponsored by the CFL to help promote the game earlier in the week.

Added Ticats head coach Orlondo Steinauer: “As you can tell, we’re cut from the same cloth. I wouldn’t even touch that right now. We’re not even close to where we need to be. I mean, fair question, but I don’t have a fair answer.”

Fair comment. But worth noting here: the two franchises in the midst of the two longest current championship droughts – dating back to 1990 for the Bombers and 1999 for the Ticats – are off to spectacular starts and that has their respective fan bases dreaming about the last Sunday in November.

Worth noting here about the Bombers 5-0 start (and courtesy the CFL stats crew) – since 2000, only seven teams have started a season 6-0.

• 2018: Calgary — 13-5 (Best record in the CFL, Won Grey Cup)
• 2017: Edmonton — 12-6 (Third in the West)
• 2008: Saskatchewan — 12-6 (Second in the West)
• 2006: Montreal — 10-8 (First in the East)
• 2005: B.C. — 12-6 (Best record in the CFL)
• 2004: Montreal — 14-4 (Best record in the CFL)
• 2002: Montreal — 13-5 (Best record in the CFL, Won Grey Cup)

2. THE QB DUEL

Two of the CFL’s most underrated pivots – Winnipeg’s Matt Nichols and Hamilton’s Jeremiah Masoli – will be front and centre Friday night in Steeltown. Both men are respected across the league and just keep on winning, but have often been doing their thing in the shadows of the likes of Mike Reilly, Bo Levi Mitchell and Trevor Harris.

Nichols has won his last 10 regular season starts and has a 19:2 interception ratio over that span and leads the CFL in TD passes (12) and QB rating (129.1).

“He processes information and sees the field as well as any quarterback I’ve coached in my career,” said Bombers offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice. “He’ll say, ‘I saw this guy do this, that’s why I did this’ and you put the tape on and he’s exactly right. The game has really slowed down for him and he processes at the level Danny Mac (McManus) did.”

As for Masoli, earlier in the week we asked Bombers defensive back Brandon Alexander for the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the Ticats offence. He took roughly a nanosecond before answering.

“Masoli,” he said. “When you turn on their film, that’s what pops up first: Masoli.  He makes phenomenal plays in the pocket, under duress… it doesn’t matter, the ball is going up, it’s going far and it’s going to be on target. That’s where it starts. And then the guys around him really understand their system. They do a very good job of stretching the field and using every bit of the field from sideline to sideline and they’ve got guys who can move fast to get to those spots.

“It’s going to be tough because all this requires us to chase after the quarterback all day and chase after the receivers all day. We can’t drop any coverages in this game because he’s definitely going to see them.”

3. THE DANGEROUS ‘SPEEDY B’

Bombers fans have already learned to stand up or slide to the front of their seats every time Lucky Whitehead gets his hands on the ball. Well, Ticats fans have been doing that exact same thing with Brandon Banks – ‘Speedy B’ – ever since he entered the league in 2013. Banks has 50 touchdowns in 90 games and is the CFL’s all-time career leader in TDs off missed field goals.

So, Bombers special teams coordinator Paul Boudreau, how do you contain Banks?

“Kick it through the uprights,” said Boudreau.

Yup, that’s one solution.

“We feel pretty confident that we’ll punt where we want to punt it and cover it,” said Boudreau. “There are a lot of good returners in this league and they’ve got a couple on their roster (Will Likely III has a 110-yard kickoff return TD this year; Frankie Williams leads the league in punt returns). We’ve got to do our job in coverage and be sound.”

Every returner in the game believes they can score each time the ball is in their hands. What separates Banks from so many is his speed combined with his ability to read coverage and occasionally take risks in seeking out the big return.

“He’s elusive back there and sometimes, especially on kick return more than punt return, he gets lost in the big bodies and you lose sight of him (Banks is just 5-7) for a second and then – Bang! – there he is and sometimes it’s too late.

“At times he’ll try and lose ground to gain ground and those guys are dangerous because they sometimes stop on a dime and then do their own thing. That’s what good athletes do: they try to create on their own.”

THE QBS

• Winnipeg’s Matt Nichols is 43-26 as a starter in the CFL. The Bombers are 35-15 with him at the controls dating back to late July of 2016.
• Hamilton’s Jeremiah Masoli 22-19 as a starter.

3 BOMBERS TO WATCH

#89 Kenny Lawler, WR: All eyes were on Lawler last week as the club opted to keep him in the lineup and sit a healthy Chris Matthews. Lawler delivered, pulling in five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown – his first as a Bomber.

#4 Adam Bighill, LB: The CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player from 2018 hasn’t seen any action since the Bombers home opener back on June 27^th. Kyrie Wilson has more than held his own in Bighill’s place, but the return of Winnipeg’s best defender means Wilson will move back to weak-side linebacker.

#22 Chandler Fenner, CB: The Ticats throw out a solid receiving corps and Fenner, like the rest of his compadres in the secondary, will be tested.

X FACTOR

#86 Kenny Walker Jr, WR/KR: He made his Bombers debut last week, replacing Charles Nelson as the primary kick returner and was solid, returning nine punts for 97 yards and one kickoff 26 yards. It was his first time handling the return chores since his freshman year at UCLA, and his comfort level only figures to grow with another week of practice in the role.

NOTABLE:

The Bombers are making just one change to their 46-man roster this week, with WR Chris Matthews being moved from the one-game injured list to the active roster and LB Dale Warren heading to the practice squad.

Matthews has been working with the second offence all week, FYI, with Kenny Lawler remaining as the starter. This move doesn’t guarantee he’ll be in the lineup, as he could also be the one inactive player by kickoff. Adam Bighill is listed as the starting middle linebacker and has practised all week and is expected to return to active duty.

TICATS WATCH

Hamilton LB Simoni Lawrence will be serving the first of his two-game suspension against the Bombers for his hit on Saskatchewan QB Zach Collaros in Week 1. He’ll likely be replaced by Nick Shorthill, a product of McMaster University in Hamilton.

JUICY NUMBER

9:24

The Bombers have not fallen behind in a game since midway through the third quarter of their season-opening win in B.C. In fact, the club has trailed their opponents for a grand total of nine minutes and 24 seconds. The Bombers are currently on a streak of four wire-to-wire wins in a row. The club record in that category is five, set in 1981.

FYI

• Matt Nichols has completed 10 passes of 20 yards or more this seven, seven of which have gone for touchdowns.
• Hamilton’s Brandon Banks – Speedy B, mentioned above – leads the CFL with six touchdowns this season, three receiving, one rushing and two on kick returns. He is on pace for 21 TDs.
• Bombers receiver Darvin Adams might want to petition for more looks as a QB – in the last few years he is 3-for-3 passing for 80 yards and a TD.