There are no moral victories in defeat, just as there should be no asterisks in victory.
And so even though the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ 39-12 win Saturday night in Steeltown wasn’t without its warts, what shouldn’t be forgotten is this: Winning simply ain’t easy in this league.
That’s why the Bombers locker room at Tim Hortons Field was alive late after the game with the sights and sounds of a team that cranked out one of those ‘did-what-they-were-supposed-to-do’ wins that likely doesn’t jam the bandwagon with any more believers, but keeps them very much in the West Division playoff race.
Behind all that was another development: A beleaguered Bombers defence, save for a couple of busts, served up another solid effort, and coupled with the final three quarters in last week’s victory in Ottawa, has pieced together consecutive decent outings.
Remember, for all their woes, the Ticats did put up 28 points and 342 yards offence against the unbeaten Edmonton Eskimos the week previous.
Against the Bombers, they were limited to 12 points and 188 yards in net offence.
“They came out fighting and we made sure we didn’t play to their level, we made sure we played the way we know we can,” said Bombers defensive back T.J. Heath, almost yelling to be heard over noise in the visitor dressing room. “We gave them 12 points… they probably shouldn’t have even had that. But when we’re playing like that I feel like we can’t really be beat.
“All around that was just a good defensive game for us.”
Critical in the defensive effort was the Bombers ability to limit the Ticats to an average of just four yards on first down and a 40 per cent second-down conversion rate (8 for 20). The Ticats had 13 possessions, six of which did not result in a first down, while the Bombers forced two fumbles, picked off one pass and finished with five sacks and 10 quarterback pressures.
“We got after them early and we put some points on the board early and that was critical,” said Heath. “We kept getting two and outs, three and outs – we did have some mishaps happen – but we really played some sound football.
“Every time they started to get momentum, we would kill it. It really wasn’t about how they were attacking us, it was more about how we were executing all across the board.
“And when we play like that, man…”
Heath paused for a moment here, perhaps attempting to pump the brakes a bit on a performance against a Ticats team that is undergoing massive change right now.
Still, as we hinted above… a win is a win is a win.
“It feels like we’re turning defensively,” he said. “Hamilton’s had a tough start, but for us this was a good outing… especially going into next week against Edmonton. Now we have to make sure we carry this over.”
