Upon Further Review | Blue Bombers 14 Tiger-Cats 13

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have some quarterback questions to answer in the days ahead — Is Zach Collaros healthy? Is Dru Brown good to go? If QB1 is down has Taylor Elgersma earned another start? — but in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s win there was no debating this:

However it may have looked, Elgersma, the rookie Canadian, came off the bench, threw for a TD and led the team on a game-winning drive inside the final three minutes of Sunday night’s 14-13 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

So, while the narrative this week leading up to Friday’s home date with the Toronto Argonauts will fixate on those QB questions above, Elgersma’s role in the victory certainly wasn’t lost on the men in the locker room.

Let’s face it, after all, 2-2 looks a whole lot better than 1-3 right now.

“I’m extremely proud of how he managed everything,” said running back Brady Oliveira of Elgersma, who was seated in the locker stall next to him Sunday. “He gets thrown into the fire like that, and it’s so cliché but it’s so true, you never know when your opportunity is going to come and you’ve got to make the most of it.

“It’s about how you respond, especially at the quarterback position. You have to manage everyone in that huddle, you have to be the leader, and he didn’t flinch, man. He didn’t flinch.

“He was really excited in there,” Oliveira added with a grin. “Sometimes we had to say, ‘OK, relax. We’ve got time.’ He was so excited to be out there. I remember Tim (White) saying in the huddle, ‘Hey, just let him be young. Just let him live this moment.’

“When you’re in the huddle and you look in a teammate’s eyes, what’s the look they’re giving you? He had a fierce competitive look on his face. I could appreciate that. It was, ‘OK, this guy is ready to roll. He’s got our back, let’s have his back.’

“I’m so proud of him. A huge, huge, huge first win for him.”

Granted, Elgersma was operating what seemed to be conservative play calls as the Blue Bombers read the situation after the injury to Bo Levi Mitchell and with his replacements Tre Ford and Jake Dolegala struggling and saw the pathway to victory was going to be by grinding out a win.

Elgersma finished 11-of-15 for 86 yards in relief of Collaros, including a shovel pass to Pokey Wilson that turned into a 31-yard score.

“I’m just trying to execute, get the ball in our playmakers’ hands and make sure I’m not taking any negative plays and just being able to get the next first down,” Elgersma said. “That was my mindset the whole game: how can we get one more first down?

“… That’s all your trying to do, especially as a young quarterback out there.”

ICYMI, here is our Game Recap from Sunday night:

Game Recap | Wpg 14 Ham 13

And what follows is this week’s edition of UPON FURTHER REVIEW…

FIRST THINGS FIRST… Good luck to Mitchell in his recovery after the injury he suffered after being sacked by Jake Ceresna. Mitchell has long been a Blue Bombers nemesis since his days in Calgary, but there is a respect for the veteran pivot, and it was a tough scene seeing him taken from the field in an ambulance.

Bo Levi Mitchell shares heartfelt message following Week 5 injury. pic.twitter.com/T9dD1mA8lv

— CFL (@CFL) July 6, 2026

“Seeing Bo going into the ambulance, that’s really sad,” said defensive back Redha Kramdi. “He’s great for this league, he’s great for his team and he’s a great football player. You don’t want to see someone get injured.

“All praise to him. Hopefully he gets well soon.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BLUE BOMBERS… at QB will be shrouded in mystery during this short practice week. The club arrived back in Winnipeg in the wee hours Monday morning and won’t be back on the field for practice until Wednesday.

That session, FYI, is closed to the media meaning the status of Collaros, the availability of Brown and what happens to Elgersma and Perkins won’t officially be known until the depth chart is released Thursday morning.

Here’s O’Shea on Elgersma post-game:

“I thought he took care of the football very well. I thought he made good decisions. Everybody is going to want to have a play back — not just Taylor, everybody.

“… As far as Taylor goes, I’m excited for him. I thought he handled himself very well. There were some conditions that happened in the game that can make it even tougher, and I thought he battled through it.”

And O’Shea when asked again about the decision not to dress Brown:

“I just thought that was the right decision. I wouldn’t want to put him in there and not have anything less than a full playbook. I thought that gave us our best chance.”

THREE NUMBERS WHICH JUMPED OUT AFTER… a second glance at the stats package, which can be found here:

1 The Blue Bombers last possession Sunday night — a 12-play, 54-yard drive that featured 44 yards on seven carries by Oliveira, a run by Elgersma for three, an Elgersma pass to Gavin Cobb for six yards, a run by Perkins for one and one penalty before Sergio Castillo’s game-winning field goal — was classic Winnipeg bully ball.

It featured four second-down conversions — including a 10-yard run by Oliveira on second and eight — and took three minutes and four seconds off the clock.

“From the jump we know — D-line, O-line — that’s it’s always going to come down to the trenches,” said right tackle Jarell Broxton. “It starts with us. So, that last drive, when we know it’s going to be us running and pounding the ball, that’s exciting.

“What’s best about that is the trust, knowing that they’re depending on us up front and the running back.”

2 The interception by Major Williams with just over three minutes to go and the Ticats leading 13-11 was massive. It was also Winnipeg’s first pick of the season, and it came after a couple of other glorious opportunities to grab one by Evan Holm and Deatrick Nichols.

It was an important moment for Williams, too, because he had been targeted by the Ticats throughout the game. And while he nailed for a couple of pass interference penalties, he also was solid in coverage.

“A shout out to my defensive coordinator JY (Jordan Younger) and the support of my DBs and my peers,” said Williams with a wide grin after the game. “Everybody kept talking to me today and they probably felt what I felt — (Hamilton) was coming at me and they helped me get through it.

“I know playing cornerback is one of the hardest positions and that you’re going to get targeted a lot. That’s the game. That’s what you want as a defender. I look at those as opportunities.”

Williams, FYI, had the ball from his interception sitting on a towel in his locker afterward.

“I’ve got a little treat to take home to Winnipeg”

3 Mitchell connected with Kenny Lawler for a TD on Hamilton’s first possession but, despite his solid numbers — 18-of-29 for 228 yards — the Ticats could only manage a pair of field goals after that score.

Winnipeg also shut down both Tre Ford and Jake Dolegala in relief as they combined to go just 3-of-9 for 12 yards with the Williams interception.

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but it’s a great feeling for us to have the offence’s backs and give them the opportunity to drive down at the end of the game like that,” said Kramdi.

“It took me a couple of weeks to really look around the room and say, ‘We’ve actually got a new guys playing this year.’ Every year is different, like we always say, and that’s the honest truth.”

AND FINALLY…  for those of you who have read this far, thank you. And for those who missed the game or want to relive all the highs and lows of Sunday’s win, check out the condensed game here: