For the first time all season, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have dropped below .500 and a spot in the playoffs, which has been a certainty for years, has all of the sudden become a question mark.
Chris Streveler, starting at quarterback in place of an injured Zach Collaros, threw two interceptions and the Bombers lost 32-21 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Friday night, falling to 6-7 with their third straight defeat.
The opening drive of the game was a nightmare for the Bombers as Streveler was picked off by Jamal Peters on an attempted receiver screen. Peters took it back to the Winnipeg seven-yard line and the Ticats would score a touchdown on the next play as Bo Levi Mitchell hooked up with Greg Bell for a 7-yard major.
The Bombers would respond on the next drive, fooling the Ticats on 3rd and 1 by lining up for a quarterback sneak, but instead Streveler would throw it to a wide-open Keric Wheatfall for a 42-yard touchdown.
After two Hamilton field-goals by former Bomber Marc Liegghio, and one by Sergio Castillo, Streveler made another critical mistake with his team down 13-10 late in the first half.
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A pass intended for Nic Demski was picked off by DaShaun Amos in Winnipeg territory, and a few plays later, Mitchell found Tim White for a 7-yard touchdown to give the Ticats a 20-10 lead at the break.
The teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter, before the Tabbies put the game away in the fourth quarter on a 7-yard rushing touchdown from Bell, his second major of the night.
Bell was a force for Hamilton on Friday, rushing for 137 yards on 22 carries and catching 3 passes for 31 yards.
One bright spot for the Bombers was the play of running back Brady Oliveira, who had 116 yards on 15 carries and another 35 yards on 4 receptions. It is the second time he has rushed for more than 100 yards this season.
Streveler was a little more productive on the ground, rushing for 82 yards on 11 carries, including a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. He did throw for 241 yards, but with much of it coming with the game out of reach.
The last time the Bombers were below the .500 mark this late in the season was back in 2018.
They have also yet to beat a team who is above .500 this season as they’ve now gone 0-6 against Hamilton, Calgary and Saskatchewan.
The Bombers are back on the road next week when they take on the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday, Sept. 20 with kickoff just after 2 p.m.
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