Gurley expected to make Bombers debut
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Five key matchups with Bombers vs. Lions:
1. SB Bryan Burnham (B.C.) vs. Bombers secondary
It didn’t matter who was covering Burnham last week, because he caught nine of 10 passes thrown his way. He found a hole between T.J. Heath and Taylor Loffler on his first two big catches, and then he leaped up to catch the ball between Terrence Frederick and Kevin Fogg for a huge gain late in the fourth quarter. Everyone in Winnipeg’s secondary needs to keep an eye on No. 16.
2. RB Jeremiah Johnson (B.C.) vs. LB Khalil Bass (Wpg)
The Lions have stayed true to their running back rotational system, which means Anthony Allen is out and Johnson takes his place. Both backs get two games and then the other takes over, which keeps them both fresh and is why the Leos lead the league in rushing yards per game. Johnson’s first career CFL games was against the Bombers as a member of the Argos in 2014, but he hasn’t seen them since.
3. C Matthias Goossen (Wpg) vs. DT Bryant Turner (B.C.)
You think Turner will be fired up to play this game? It’s only natural for him to have a little more fire in his belly for this one after the Bombers sent him packing in the off-season. This will be Turner’s fifth start of the season, and he will see plenty of Goossen on the line. “Me and Goose are close friends,” Turner said Thursday. “We had our battles on the practice field, so I’m interested to see how it goes in a game.”
4. WR Tori Gurley (Wpg) vs. CB Anthony Gaitor (B.C.)
Gurley is listed as the boundary wide receiver on the depth chart, but he was all over the map in practice, using his 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame to box out defensive backs and catch the ball. The Lions are going with the rookie tandem of Gaitor (5-foot-10) and Chandler Fenner (6-foot-1) on the boundary side, so that should be a huge advantage for the Blue and Gold in the red zone.
5. DE Alex Bazzie (B.C.) vs. RT Jermarcus Hardrick (Wpg)
Hardrick is a former Lion who was part of an offensive line that prevented quarterback Matt Nichols from getting sacked last week. Bazzie is tied for the third in the CFL with 10 sacks, but he has only four in his last eight games. Nichols gets rid of the ball quickly, but you can bet the Lions will do all they can to adjust the game plan to get after him a little more in the rematch.
INSIDE THE GAME
The Bombers are making at least two roster changes this week. In are receiver Tori Gurley and safety Teague Sherman. Linebacker Justin Warden is out, and an import must also vacate the roster. It could be linebacker Moe Leggett, who didn’t practise this week after injuring his right knee in last weekend’s game ... The Lions are making four changes, which include two starters returning to the lineup. Receiver Shawn Gore and right tackle Antonio Johnson are back from injury, while defensive tackle Bryant Turner and running back Jeremiah Johnson are also on. Out are receiver Stephen Adekolu, right tackle Kelvin Palmer, defensive tackle Mic’hael Brooks and running back Anthony Allen ... Bryan Burnham’s 208 receiving yards against the Bombers last week was B.C.’s first 200 yard game since Geroy Simon notched 211 in a 2007 contest ... The Bombers are 6-0 this season when Matt Nichols passes for fewer than 250 yards. They are 2-2 when he throws for more than 250 ... Winnipeg is 1-4 when trailing after three quarters, while B.C. is 3-3. Those three wins are the most in the CFL this season ... The Lions have the best second down defence in the league, allowing opponents to convert on only 45% of their opportunities.
BET ON IT
Take the Lions minus 5 1/2 points since they’re playing in the friendly confines of B.C. Place. The over-under is 55.5, but the teams should clear that mark.
Five Key Storylines
1. Wait a Second: The Lions are half a game up on the Blue and Gold, and they can make it a game and a half with a victory. If the Lions win by more than two points it would make their advantage even greater, because it would give them the season series with the Bombers. A Winnipeg win would give the Bombers the season series and put them half a game up on the Leos. There is plenty at stake.
2. Bye-Bye: This will be the sixth time since 2007 that the Bombers are playing the Lions at B.C. Place just before their bye week. The looming vacation hasn’t hurt the Blue and Gold either, as they’ve won three of those five matchups against the Leos before jetting off to exotic locales. Winnipeg is 7-13 in games before bye weeks since 2002, so they need to make sure they’re focused on the task at hand and not thinking about that Saturday flight to freedom.
3. Trick or Treat: You have to wonder what the Bombers will have up their sleeves this week after the display they put on last week in the win over the Leos. Whether it was the fake field goal that resulted in a first down or the slotback option where Rory Kohlert hit Matt Nichols with a touchdown pass, the Blue and Gold brought out all the stops. They’ll likely need a trick play or two to down the Lions on their home turf.
4. Grand Theft: The Bombers returned to their takeaway way of life last week, winning the turnover battle 3-0 thanks to a pair of interceptions and the key, third down stop in the final minute. Winnipeg upped its impressive turnover ratio to plus-27 and is now 9-1 when winning that battle. Takeaways are essentially why they win games, so who is it going to be on Friday night?
5. No. 33 Returns: It’s not that big of a deal considering he met them last week in Winnipeg, but Friday’s game will mark the return of Bombers running back Andrew Harris to B.C. Place. This will be the first time in his career that Harris has been a visitor at the downtown stadium, and even though he’s always fired up to play football he’ll be even more jacked to be the one who leads the Blue and Gold to victory against his former squad.
SICK BAY
Winnipeg
DB Bruce Johnson (suspended), SB Darvin Adams, LB Ian Wild, LB Moe Leggett, CB C.J. Roberts, SB Gerrard Sheppard, LB Teague Sherman, S Macho Harris, RT Paddy Neufeld, S Brendan Morgan
B.C.
DB T.J. Lee, SB Nick Moore, CB Ronnie Yell, DB Steven Clarke, DT Mic’hael Brooks
HOT
Lions slotback Bryan Burnham was on fire last weekend at Investors Group Field, hauling in nine balls for 208 yards. That included 43 yards after the catch.
COLD
Lions receiver Terrell Sinkfield had four catches for 84 yards in his second game, but in the other two contests he has just two catches for 14 yards.
MILESTONE MAN
Bombers receiver Weston Dressler needs 34 receiving yards to move past Eddie Brown and into 29th on the CFL’s career list with 8,664. After that Dressler will have Paul Masoti (8,772) in his sights.
COACH’S CORNER
The teacher beat the student last week, even though the student piled up way more yards.
We are talking about Lions offensive co-ordinator Khari Jones and Bombers OC Paul LaPolice, who have deep CFL connections.
LaPolice was the offensive co-ordinator in Winnipeg in 2002 and 2003, which is when Jones just happened to be the starting quarterback. They put up some huge numbers together, but for these two weeks of the season they are going head to head.
Jones’ Lions racked up 503 yards of net offence against the Bombers on Saturday, using the deep ball to gain huge yardage chunks.
LaPolice’s attack was the more patient of the two and resulted in nearly 200 fewer yards of offence, but he got the most important stat: the W.
PREDICTION
It’s so tough to beat the same team in back-to-back weeks, and the Lions will have that intangible on their side this time around. They should be better prepared, if nothing else, after last week’s dismal start.
Lions 35, Bombers 25
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