Winnipeg Blue Bombers avoid consecutive collapse to beat Ottawa Redblacks (& 13 other thoughts)

August 15, 2025

Photo: Shaun McLeod/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Ottawa Redblacks by a score of 30-27 in front of 32,343 fans at a sold-out Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday night. Below are my thoughts on the game.

The decision

With a little over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, head coach Mike O’Shea had Sergio Castillo try a 57-yard field goal with his team up 27-20. It was third-and-two from Ottawa’s 49-yard line and Chris Streveler had been stuffed for no gain on the previous play.

Instead of opting to retry the sneak or have punter Jamieson Sheahan bury the Redblacks near their own goal line — Winnipeg’s punt cover team was excellent on the night, allowing only 34 yards on five returns — Castillo was trotted out with returner Kalil Pimpleton waiting in the end zone.

“(It was a) pretty easy decision,” said O’Shea. “(Castillo)’s good from that distance (and we were trying to) put the game away.”

Castillo’s kick went left of the uprights and Pimpleton ran the ball 117 yards up the right sideline for a touchdown to tie the game. None of Winnipeg’s defenders got particularly close to tackling him.

O’Shea’s faith in Castillo is admirable — heck, the veteran kicker might be the best player on the team right now — but the decision to kick the field goal was wild. Pimpleton is as dangerous as any player in the CFL and returners are more likely to score on long misses because kicking teams typically field heavier personnel to help maximize protection.

When Castillo missed, O’Shea admitted that he didn’t immediately think about what his team would do with the final 53 seconds of the game, instead focusing on the score.

“I should be on to what we’re doing on kickoff return, what we’re doing on offence, and how much time we’re going to have left, but there’s probably a momentary lapse where I’m like, ‘God, Jesus Murphy,’” said O’Shea. “The bench was awesome — you could hear guys saying, ‘All right, we got time! Let’s go drive it down and get some points!’”

O’Shea preemptively sought to influence the reporting of Thursday’s game, expressing his anticipation of dissent from present reporters and encouraging them to instead focus on the way his team battled back until the very end. If the veteran coach has done this in a previous media availability, I wasn’t present for it.

“I think that regardless of the outcome of the game and all the negativity that’s going to probably come out right here (from the media), what’s most important is the resiliency and the grit that our guys are developing and showing,” he said. “They’re not just learning it now, now they’re actually putting it into action, which is far more important than whether we won by three or we won by 23 — far more important. You can write about that.”

“We’re making it hard on ourselves, it’s like we want to keep it close and keep these teams in the game,” said running back Brady Oliveira. “I’m proud of our guys today on all three phases. I really believe that we battled to the end and I’m really proud of the guys but, we’ve gotta start finishing these games.”

Castillo ended up nailing a 47-yard game-winner as the clock expired to seal the victory, but O’Shea’s decision to let him try a 57-yarder and the touchdown that occurred moments before will be discussed in Bomberland for a long time to come.

For what it’s worth, Castillo told the media postgame that he hit the 57-yard field goal cleanly, though his aim was a little off. He also said he mishit the game-winner from 47 yards as the ball came off his toe, though it went through the uprights regardless.

Create, collapse, clutch

Winnipeg’s offence has been a lightning rod for criticism over the past few weeks — and rightfully so, based on their league-wide rankings — but the unit showed some signs of improvement this week, generating 30 points and 362 net yards.

Nic Demski was the standout in the receiving corps as he made six receptions for 128 yards, many of which came after the catch. His biggest play came in the dying moments of the fourth quarter when he made an 11-yard grab near the sideline, which set-up the game-winning field goal from Sergio Castillo. With Dalton Schoen out of the lineup, Demski continues to be easily the Winnipeg’s best receiver.

Keric Wheatfall, who fell cold after a red-hot start to the season, made a clutch 17-yard catch over the middle late in the first quarter, absorbing a hellacious hit from Jovan Santos-Knox in the process. The second-year receiver finished the game with four catches for 68 yards, marking his best single-game output since Week 3.

Jerreth Sterns made a brilliant touchdown catch, his third over the last four games. The pass from Zach Collaros was slightly under-thrown but Sterns made a brilliant play to reach over strong-side linebacker Adarius Pickett — one of the CFL’s best defensive players — and pluck it out of the air.

“(The receivers) did a great job. We’ve gotta continue to get better as a unit, but I thought they did a great job. I gotta watch and see the hits. Usually, when I’m throwing the ball I can’t really tell (how badly the receivers get hit) but I know (Wheatfall) had a couple of them,” said Collaros. “I’m just proud of the unit for getting it done there. I thought we played fairly well early on, but we can’t have those lulls there in the middle of game.”

I watched the coaches film from last week’s loss in Calgary and the struggles of the offence were multifaceted. Collaros looked a little gun shy at times, there weren’t always quick options available to beat pressure, and the offensive line broke down too often in the second half — particularly at the tackle positions.

There were mistakes in the receiving corps, too. On second-and-fourteen midway through the fourth quarter, Wheatfall and Sterns collided as the former ran a post and the latter ran a corner. Often dubbed “scissors,” this is a route concept that requires two receivers to cross one another, making it critical for them to avoid running into one another. Wheatfall and Sterns did exactly that on the play, which resulted in Collaros taking a sack.

The biggest problem for Winnipeg was a lack of production in the second half, which also occurred last week. When a team has success in the first half and then struggles in the second half, it seems fair to question if the right adjustments are being made at halftime. None of the players I spoke to pointed to halftime adjustments as being a problem, however, speaking instead about execution and focus.

“We’re starting fast the last two weeks, but we need to see how we can translate that into the second half and continue to make plays, push the ball downfield, stay on the field, be productive on first down, and close out games,” said Oliveira.

“I think we just come out in the second half and lose focus a little bit, myself included — I ended the half with a penalty, and honestly that’s going to beat me up for a while. You do that going into the half, it kind of messes up the mojo or the confidence of the team,” said centre Chris Kolankowski. “We’ve gotta find a way to come out in the second half like it’s a new game — 0-0 (on the scoreboard).”

“The coaches are putting us in a great spot,” said Sterns. “It takes 12 guys to execute and it’s just little things on certain plays, whether it’s route depth for the receivers or splits for us, those little things make a difference in winning, and it may make a difference if we’re going to move the ball or not.”

“I don’t know (why the second-half lulls happen),” said Collaros. “It’s a lack of execution.”

The offence wasn’t even able to capitalize immediately after Kalil Pimpleton scored a touchdown off the missed field goal return. Collaros was picked off by King Ambers, an eighth-round draft pick playing only his third career game, then the defence forced a quick two-and-out to get Winnipeg the ball back with 18 seconds remaining.

Collaros deserves credit for making a two clutch plays in the dying moments of the game — a 17-yard run followed by an 11-yard toss to Demski — but one could argue he and the offence were lucky to get that final shot at putting the game away.

Though it’ll take some film study to make a more authoritative assessment, the offence appeared to run at least a little more smoothly this week. The receivers seemed to generate more separation, the pass protection held up longer (Collaros was sacked zero times), and offensive coordinator Jason Hogan called a few perfectly-timed screen passes to take advantage of Ottawa’s overzealous rush.

It wasn’t a perfect night for Collaros — he threw two interceptions and arguably didn’t hang in the pocket as long as he should have on select plays — as he finished the game 24-of-34 for 298 yards, one touchdown, and two picks. Brady Oliveira had a relatively quiet night as he recorded 14 touches for 64 yards.

Explosion plays

Fans in Winnipeg are sick and tired of seeing the secondary allow explosion plays, which is why you could quite literally hear a collective sigh from the hometown crowd when Justin Hardy went for 40 yards on Ottawa’s first offensive play from scrimmage.

Dexter Lawson Jr. was one-on-one with the receiver and appeared in be in decent position, though Hardy was able to out-leap him, land on his feet, and get run upfield for 26 yards after the catch. Yikes.

Fortunately for the Blue Bombers and their fans, it was Ottawa’s first and only explosion play of the game.

Trey Vaval played very well in his first official start at cornerback, breaking up a deep shot intended for Kalil Pimpleton. There aren’t many CFL defensive backs with the speed to keep up with Pimpleton but Vaval is one of them.

“I thought they did a great job,” said O’Shea of the secondary. “They made some plays. They gave up maybe a couple explosions. I thought if we tackled a little better, we’d probably limit it a little bit … but I thought they did pretty damn well.”

There appeared to be an error on Dustin Crum’s touchdown run in the third quarter as defensive backs Evan Holm and Deatrick Nichols both followed fullback Anthony Gosselin in coverage and nobody contained Crum, who strolled into the end zone untouched.

Mixed signals

I’m of the opinion that the CFL’s officiating is generally good but there were many questionable calls in the first half of Thursday’s game.

Right tackle Kendall Randolph was charged with a facemask penalty on the first play from scrimmage, which wiped out a 14-yard run by Brady Oliveira and put Winnipeg in a huge hole. The Blue Bombers managed to covert for a first down thanks to a 29-yard pass down the seam to Nic Demski, though the drive stalled four plays later when Dillon Mitchell was tackled for a three-yard loss.

Everyone in the stadium expected a penalty on defensive lineman Bryce Carter when he tackled Mitchell as his hand clearly appeared to touch the receiver’s facemask. Instead, there was no call and head coach Mike O’Shea elected not to challenge, leading to a 54-yard field goal from Sergio Castillo.

I don’t have an opinion on the Randolph penalty as I didn’t get a clear view of it. Calls like that are rare, however, as the infraction took place in a mass of humanity, making it hard for the officials to see. Meanwhile, the Carter infraction seemed clear as day. It’s bizarre that one was called and not the other.

Moments later, rookie defensive back Cam Allen was charged with pass interference on what looked like pretty innocuous coverage on Bralon Addison. I’m not even sure the pass was catchable.

For what it’s worth, O’Shea had a long discussion with an official after Ottawa’s drive ended in a turnover on downs and they appeared to be discussing the penalty on Allen.

On Winnipeg’s next drive, receiver Jerreth Sterns was hit from behind by defensive back Deandre Lamont and it appeared as though the contact occurred before the ball arrived. There was no penalty and O’Shea again elected not to throw the challenge flag.

Allen was charged with a second pass interference penalty early in the second quarter when he out-leapt Addison for the football near the sideline, resulting in a knockdown. The official behind the defender immediately threw a flag, resulting in a 24-yard penalty that gave Ottawa fresh set of downs. Again, O’Shea didn’t challenge.

The replay centre stepped in once to correct a mistake from the officials, overturning a 15-yard no yards penalty on Winnipeg near the end of the first quarter. The on-field officials received word from the eye in the sky during a commercial break, without which the penalty may have stood.

I’m not one to harp on officiating, which — again — I generally believe is good in the CFL. It’s fortunate that the many questionable calls on Thursday night didn’t impact the outcome considering so many of them went Ottawa’s way.

Heckuva block

If you want to see the type of open-field block every offensive lineman dreams of making, watch what Patrick Neufeld did on the 36-yard screen pass to Nic Demski early in the second quarter.

The play set up perfectly with Neufeld and centre Chris Kolankowski getting a chance to roam downfield in front of the speedy receiver. Neufeld locked in on safety Bennett Williams and lunged at the perfect moment, sending the defender flying backward. To his credit, Williams got up quickly and tried to get back in the play, though he pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring injury and didn’t return.

Offensive linemen rarely get the chance to make a play that everyone notices. Neufeld did exactly that and it helped spring Demski for a huge gain, which turned into a Chris Streveler touchdown plunge two plays later.

Exorcising demons

Long-tenured fans of the Blue Bombers will remember that the team coughed up a 19-point lead to then-rookie Dustin Crum in 2023, resulting in a 31-28 overtime loss that came to be known as “The Crumback.”

Winnipeg also gave up a significant lead last week, losing by one point in Calgary after building an early 17-0 lead. With these collapses in mind, I’d imagine some fans were nervous when Crum entered the game in the third quarter with the Redblacks trailing by exactly 17 points.

Though the Redblacks were allowed to come all the way back and tie the game, Winnipeg ultimately got the win. One can only imagine how local fans would have reacted had the team suffered two straight collapses with one coming against Crum, given the history.

The team’s head coach certainly seemed relieved postgame and the atmosphere in the locker room was joyful.

“I think we’re going to enjoy it — it’s a win,” said O’Shea. “What are we going to do — dwell on some plays that we want to have back? That’s what tomorrow’s for.”

Allen all in

Rookie defensive back Cam Allen made his regular-season debut and started at safety despite being listed as the backup behind Redha Kramdi.

As noted above, the Purdue product was charged with two pass interference penalties, though neither appeared to be terribly legitimate. He recorded seven defensive tackles and demonstrated a nice combination of physicality and coverage ability.

Jamal Parker, who started the season at safety, showed solid cover skills but lacked some of the physicality Brandon Alexander used to bring to the defence. Allen seems like a nice balance between the two — certainly enough to keep him on the roster moving forward.

It should also be noted that Winnipeg doesn’t currently have any true defensive backs on the practice roster, so the team wouldn’t have much of a choice but to keep playing Allen even if he’d struggled in his debut.

Big man block

Tanner Schmekel, Winnipeg’s backup nose tackle out of the University of Regina, blocked a punt from Richie Leone late in the first quarter. The six-foot-one, 290-pound defender went virtually untouched through Ottawa’s first line of blockers, then flew past fullback Anthony Gosselin to get a significant piece of the ball, allowing it to travel only five yards downfield.

Defensive lineman Kene Onyeka scooped up the loose ball for the Redblacks but was called for a 15-yard no yards penalty, giving Winnipeg possession at Ottawa’s 38-yard line — a net loss of 10 yards on the play. The Blue Bombers cashed in with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jerreth Sterns three plays later.

It’s not that uncommon for players Schmekel’s size to block field goals — especially long attempts, which are generally kicked at low angles. With that said, I don’t recall ever seeing a play Schmekel’s size block a punt. After the game, the native of Regina, Sask. told me he once blocked a punt in high school but hasn’t since then.

The third-year defender made a brilliant play late in the third quarter when he powered through Drew Desjarlais — widely considered one of the CFL’s best guards — to sack Dustin Crum. It was Winnipeg’s only sack of the night.

Walking wounded

Defensive back Evan Holm left the game early in the fourth quarter but was able to return to the field later on the same drive.

The veteran had a nice performance as he intercepted Dru Brown midway through the second quarter, batted a fourth-quarter pass that was almost picked off by Dexter Lawson Jr., and laid a huge hit on Kalil Pimpleton to snuff out a late drive, forcing a field goal.

While Holm was out, Cam Allen moved to his spot at field-side halfback with Michael Griffin II taking over for Allen at safety. Though it was short-lived, this type of movement can be noteworthy if and when similar injuries occur later in the season.

After the game, Holm told me he simply suffered a cramp and is no worse for wear.

Selling out

Thursday’s game marked the tenth straight sellout at Princess Auto Stadium, a streak that will hit eleven when the Blue Bombers host the Banjo Bowl early next month.

At this point, it seems likely that Winnipeg will sell out the entire 2025 season — including the Grey Cup. If this has been done before in CFL history, it certainly hasn’t happened in a stadium that seats over 30,000 people. The Blue Bombers marketing department, football staff (including the players), and fans deserve a lot of credit.

Mother Nature

There was a risk of thunderstorms on Thursday evening but the game was able to proceed without issue. The weather wasn’t particularly pleasant — it was 34 degrees with the humidex at kickoff — but at least it was dry.

It’s rare for large groups of people to be able to agree on anything, but it seems unanimous among coaches, players, fans, and members of the media that weather delays suck. It’s always worth celebrating when one is avoided.

Midseason awards

3DownNation unveiled its midseason award-winners and all-stars this week as voted upon by 13 contributors from across the country. Zero members of the Blue Bombers were selected for awards, as honourable mentions, or first-team all-stars. Only three players were voted second-team all-stars: Nic Demski, Willie Jefferson, and Sergio Castillo.

For what it’s worth, my picks for Winnipeg’s team awards would be as follows if I were asked to cast a ballot right now: Most Outstanding Player — Sergio Castillo; Most Outstanding Defensive Player — Tony Jones; Most Outstanding Canadian — Nic Demski; Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman — Patrick Neufeld; Most Outstanding Special Teams Player — Sergio Castillo; Most Outstanding Rookie — Trey Vaval.

Next up

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-4) will visit the Montreal Alouettes (5-4) on Thursday, August 21 with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT. The Alouettes will be coming off a short week as they’re scheduled to visit the B.C. Lions on Saturday, giving them only five days to prepare for the Blue Bombers.

The last time Winnipeg visited Montreal was the fateful “wind gust” game, which occurred in the final week of last year’s regular season. Needing a win to clinch first place in the West Division, the Blue Bombers were down 27-25 when the Alouettes were forced to punt with 17 seconds left. A massive gust of wind blew across the field and Joseph Zema faltered, punting the ball only 21 yards.

Sergio Castillo got a second chance at a game-winning field goal two plays later and made no mistake, nailing a 51-yarder to secure first place. It’s unclear if the weather will be as kind to the Blue Bombers this time around, though it seems unlikely Davis Alexander will play as he continues to battle a hamstring injury. If he remains out, it appears Caleb Evans will be under centre for the Alouettes.

Leave a Comment

© 2025 thopnews. All rights reserved.