STREAMING CFL PPV: Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ BC Lions, July 10, 01:00 CET (1 am, 7 pm ET July 9)
Two of the top teams in the CFL will round out the Week 5 schedule when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers travel west to take on the BC Lions Saturday night.
Winnipeg held on to beat the Toronto Argonauts 23-22 on Monday night to move to an undefeated 4-0 on the season.
The Lions also remain undefeated at 3-0 after a 34-31 win over Ottawa in Week 4.
The Blue Bombers offence will need to execute with precision to keep up with the Lions, who are averaging just over 45 points per game so far this season.
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It’ll be a shorter week for Zach Collaros and the Bombers after playing in Toronto on Monday night to close out Week 4.
Collaros completed 80.6 per cent of his passes on against the Argos for 215 yards and a touchdown. Doing what he’s done all season, spreading the football around to his talented receiving group.
It’s something he will try to continue to do again when he matches up against the leagues best pass defence. The Lions have allowed a league low 209.3 passing yards and have yet to surrender a touchdown through the air.
Rookie receiver Dalton Schoen led the way against the Argos with 73 yards, followed by Greg Ellingson’s 50 yards and Drew Wolitarsky’s 38 receiving yards. The fluency and ease of which the Bombers offence generates big plays will be one of the Lions toughest challenges yet.
Running back Brady Oliveira leads the charge on the ground for the Blue and Gold with 149 yards on 46 carries, but that works out to just 3.2 yards per carry. With an aggressive Lions pass defence ahead of them, they’ll be asking for more out of their ground game, after rushing for just 60 yards against Toronto.
The Bombers defence had three sacks and two interceptions on Monday. Linebackers Malik Clements, Adam Bighill and defensive tackle Jake Thomas broke into the backfield to bring down the opposing quarterback.
Getting to Nathan Rourke and disrupting his rhythm will give the rest of the defence a chance to contain the Lions impressive group of receivers.
Defensive backs Winston Rose and Nick Taylor picked up their first and third interceptions against the Boatmen. Rose returned his for a touchdown early in the first quarter.
According to Winnipeg’s defensive leader in Bighill, his group needs to set the tone early and play a full 60 minutes against the Leos high flying offence.
“The game is never over, that’s what the CFL is known for,” Bighill told bluebombers.com. “It shows you have to play every play and every play is important. You can’t take anything for granted. I don’t care if it’s home, away, morning or night, I expect us to play lights out football.”
Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke has been arguably the most exciting player in the league this season and is coming off an impressive performance against Ottawa.
Rourke threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw a pair of interceptions but was able to limit his overall mistakes and lead his team to the win. Responding to adversity will be critical against a stout Bombers defence.
On top of his impressive passing game, Rourke also ran five times for 87 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown run. The Bombers defence will need to be well aware of his versatility.
Lions head coach, Rick Campbell knows his team will need to be ready for a strong defensive effort and protecting Rourke in the pocket won’t be easy.
“They have a good front,” Campbell told bclions.com. “Their whole defence does a good job but their front is formidable. We need to do a good job of winning on first down and not getting ourselves in too many second and longs. It’ll be a challenge for us.”
Winnipeg’s defensive depth will certainly be tested as Rourke has numerous options to find through the air. Receiver Keon Hatcher caught seven passes for 166 yards and a touchdown against the REDBLACKS. Add in dynamic receivers in Dominique Rhymes and Lucky Whitehead and it’s easy to understand why the offence has been clicking all season.
However, it would be unwise to focus solely on Rourke and forget about running back James Butler. He was all over the field a week ago, rushing 19 times for 63 yards. He also caught five passes for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Not to be outdone, the Leos defence has been dependable through three games allowing a league low 16.3 points per game.
Defensive back Tim Bonner stepped up with two sacks against the REDBLACKS last Thursday. Defensive tackle Sione Teuhema leads the team with three sacks.
Collaros will need to be careful in the air, as the playmakers aren’t limited to the Lions offence. Defensive backs TJ Lee, Garry Peters, Loucheiz Purifoy and Quincey Mauger have all recorded interceptions this season.
Defensive back Marcus Sayles will also be lining up against his former team. Sayles won a Grey Cup with the Blue Bombers in 2019, but the fourth year CFL pro is more focused on what his team is doing than who the opposition is.
“As long as we do what we have to do, we’ll be fine,” Sayles told bclions.com. “We’re on a high track. We’re 3-0 and on our high horse, but Winnipeg is undefeated too, so we have to come in and do our thing.”
With a win the Bombers will move to 5-0 and make another statement as to why they’re still the team to beat. The BC Lions on the other hand are trying to take down the defending champs and prove that there’s a new top team in the West.
AFI, Visaic and the CFL
American Football International is collaborating with Visaic and the Canadian Football League to present 2022 CFL games live. This is more than a livestream. This is a stream of the topflight TSN network television broadcast.
Watch the game live here PPV. Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ BC Lions, July 10, 01:00 CET (1 am, 7 pm ET July 9)
