REDBLACKS head west for Week-14 clash in Winnipeg

Carlos Verde

@Carlos77Verde

While last week’s decisive win in Montreal certainly solidified the Ottawa REDBLACKS’ playoff future, it did not win them ground on the rival Toronto Argonauts — winners against Edmonton on home turf — in the race for first place in the East Division and a crucial first-round bye.

Thus, Ottawa’s road trip this Friday to Winnipeg to face the Blue Bombers (8-3) has a ton of importance — especially given the fact the Argos are at home against the listless Alouettes.

The playoff race is heating up in the East, and the REDBLACKS can take hold of their destiny with a prime-time win against the Bombers on Friday night.

STORYLINES

Lindley Take The Wheel — With Drew Tate injured last week in Montreal and Trevor Harris still on the six-game with a shoulder injury, the REDBLACKS offence is now in the hands of Ryan Lindley. The 6-foot-5 bearded quarterback started six games for the Arizona Cardinals from 2012 to 2014, and looked decent in relief of Tate against the Als.

Finding a Way — While they haven’t played in a while — since Sept. 9 to be exact — the Bombers are one of the CFL’s hottest teams, having won six of their last seven contests. Hall-of-Fame head coach Mike O’Shea also runs the most unique trick plays in the CFL playbook, so the REDBLACKS will have to be ready for anything.

Westerman Out — News broke earlier this week that star Bombers D-lineman Jamaal Westerman will miss the rest of the season with an upper-body injury. Westerman has been a standard-bearer amongst CFL pass rushers since entering the league in 2015, and his absence will be felt amongst Winnipeg’s front seven.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

The Bombers’ league-leading offence is anchored by quarterback Matt Nichols — in the midst of a career year — and dual-threat running back Andrew Harris.

Nichols, a former deckhand with the Edmonton Eskimos, leads the CFL with in QUAR rating (89.5), offensive points (345) and first downs (287); he’s been efficient and taken full advantage of a deep receiving core that features possible 1,000-yard man Darvin Adams (786) along with veterans Weston Dressler and Clarence Denmark. The aforementioned Harris also factors heavily into Winnipeg’s passing game.

Even without Westerman, the Bomber defence is still imposing: Led by Chris Randle and T.J. Heath with four interceptions apiece, coordinator Richie Hall’s unit leads the league in interceptions (16) and forced fumbles (10).

Winnipeg kicker Justin Medlock has the undisputed best leg in the CFL.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“Obviously you never want the worst-case scenario for Drew (Tate) to happen, but hopefully we’ll clean up from last week and play a little better ball. I’ve been throwing a lot with Brad (Sinopoli) and Greg (Ellingson), guys that I didn’t throw with a lot during camp. Especially against this group in Winnipeg, they try to close the windows and make you get it out fast, so we’ve got to be on our stuff.” — QB Ryan Lindley

“The O-Line did well (at Montreal), but there’s always stuff to improve on. They bring some blitzes and have some interesting stunts, but we’ve got great game-planning for that and fantastic coaches who have real-world experience picking them up. We’re confident in whatever quarterback is back there — Ryan, Drew, Trevor — and we’re looking forward to playing another game.” — OL Alex Mateas

GAME INFO

Ottawa REDBLACKS at Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Week 14 — September 22, 2017
Kickoff — 8 p.m. ET | Investors Group Field (Winnipeg, MB)

BROADCAST INFO

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