Nichols shows why he’s No. 1

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This article was published 16/06/2019 (1769 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers opened their 2019 CFL schedule on a perfect note, defeating the B.C. Lions to the tune of 33-23 at BC Place Saturday night.

It was far from the prettiest of shows, with missteps coming from both sides, but a victory is what the Bombers sought and a win is what they earned.

Winnipeg will put its 1-0 record on ice for the next while as they enter the first of three bye weeks. They’ll be back at it in Week 3, when they host the Edmonton Eskimos in the home opener at IG Field June 27.

But before we look too far ahead, let’s take a look back at five takeaways from Saturday’s win over the Lions.

1) It didn’t take long for his critics to start piling on Matt Nichols early into this one. With Winnipeg’s first three possessions ending in punts, and just three first downs and 37 yards of net offence over that stretch, the Bombers starting quarterback became the target of some heavy criticism.

But by the time the final whistle had blown, Nichols put together a solid evening, showing off an accurate arm (21-for-33, for a 64 completion percentage) and solid decision-making (three touchdowns compared to zero interceptions). He overthrew a couple of his targets, but that paled in comparison to the positive moments.

Despite being without receiver Chris Matthews, out with an undisclosed injury, Nichols was able to spread the ball around effectively, connecting with six different receivers for a combined 184 yards. Darvin Adams led all Bombers with five catches for 73 yards, and one touchdown; Drew Wolitarsky also got off to a hot start, reeling in four catches for 43 yards and two touchdowns (he almost had a third but was stopped just short of the goal line, setting up a score on a quarterback sneak by backup Chris Streveler).

What was most promising about Nichols’ performance, though, was the way he used his legs to extend plays. He showed no signs of a knee injury that hampered him all of last season, escaping the pocket with ease on a numbers of occasions, including two sequences that ended in touchdowns.

There will always be those that feel Nichols isn’t the guy, but Saturday’s performance did little to fuel that argument.

2) If there was any question as to whether Andrew Harris would continue his dominance in the CFL, Saturday night certainly provided an answer.

Now in his 11th season, the Bombers veteran running back is once again proving to be like a fine wine, only getting better with age. At 32, and coming off back-to-back rushing titles, he was a bulldozer, rumbling for 148 yards on 16 carries — an eye-popping average of 9.3 yards per run. He also had five catches for 27 yards.

Harris’ ability to find holes and grind for big gains is the reason he’s considered the heart and soul of the offence. He also gives the Bombers the kind of balanced attack that keeps opposing defences honest. With still more work to do in building trust with a retooled offensive line, Harris is to only get better as that bond strengthens.

3) Jeff Hecht didn’t mince words when asked after the game about giving up 324 passing yards to B.C. quarterback Mike Reilly.

The Bombers safety, who had an incredible performance in his first games as a bona fide starter in Winnipeg, including two interceptions, admitted there were plenty of mistakes to clean up. But he felt a greater focus should be placed on the scoreboard, and how although the secondary gave up some big plays through the air, they limited Reilly to just one touchdown compared to two interceptions.

The Lions run game was also nonexistent, with B.C. earning just four yards on four attempts.

“The most important thing is the points and we had more than them. So, he can throw for 5,000 yards in the game and it doesn’t matter to us,” Hecht said.

While points matter more than yardage, it’s clear there’s work to be done among the defensive backs. That was expected given the turnover from last year, with three new starters. It’s not all on them, as the Lions’ success through the air was, at least in part, due to the Bombers defensive line being held in check for stretches, recording just one sack. But there were some blatant cover issues as well.

I’d be more concerned if it weren’t Reilly, the league’s leading passer the past three seasons, throwing the ball and had the defence not come up big at important moments.

While Reilly did find the end zone once, the Lions were limited to three field goals on their other scoring drives, and Winnipeg surrendered just 116 passing yards through the final two quarters.

Winnipeg also won the turnover battle, 3-0.

Things don’t get any easier next game, as the Bombers face another lethal arm in Edmonton’s Trevor Harris, who tossed for 447 yards and three touchdowns in a 32-25 win over the Montreal Alouettes.

4) It was a moment in the game that completely shifted the momentum from Winnipeg to B.C., and the kind of play that keeps head coach, and special teams guru, Mike O’Shea, up at night.

When Brandon Rutley returned a kick-off back 108 yards for a touchdown, you could feel the air releasing from the Bombers’ tires. However, special teams would bounce back in a major way, including making a pivotal impact early in the third quarter that had many in the locker room afterwards calling it the game’s turning point.

After Reilly immediately answered back to the Bombers touchdown early in the third quarter, connecting with Lemar Durant for a 15-yard strike that put the Lions up 23-21, a series of events on the ensuing one-point convert had the Bombers feeling the momentum shift back their way.

Marcus Sayles blocked the kick, Brandon Alexander scooped it up and then lateralled it to Chandler Fenner, who scampered 80 yards for a defensive two-point convert that tied the game 23-23.

Charles Nelson was also solid in the return game, averaging 15 yards on four kickoff returns and 12.7 yards on three punt returns, while Winnipeg, outside the Rutley TD, suffocated the Lions return game, including limiting B.C to an average of 3.6 yards on five punt returns.

It would be a grave injustice not to mention the stellar debut of Kerfalla Exume. Exume, the Bombers last pick in May’s CFL draft, finished the night with an impressive five special-teams tackles. To better understand just how strong a performance it was, consider last year’s leader, Calgary’s Wynton McManis, led the CFL in special-teams tackles with 25.

5) No trophies were handed out after Week 1, and with plenty of runway left on the season, there’s a lot that can and will happen this year.

But when you compete in the much superior West Division, the notion that every win comes at a premium rings a bit more true, especially when it’s earned against a divisional foe. The Bombers, from general manager Kyle Walters to the cleaning staff at IG Field, have preached the importance of a good start – and knocking off a team many consider a favourite to contend for the Grey Cup can’t be understated.

Winnipeg also received a bit of help from their friends in the East. Ottawa knocked off Calgary in a surprising come-from-behind win, and Hamilton downed Saskatchewan to kick off opening weekend. The Eskimos and Bombers were the only teams in the West to taste victory, but their narrow win over the lowly Alouettes should have them lower than the Bombers in this week’s power rankings.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton