October 16, 2021

Bombers’ defence continues 4th-quarter dominance

Walter Tychnowicz/CFL.ca

EDMONTON — The first-place Winnipeg Blue Bombers became the first team to clinch a post-season spot with their 26-16 win over the Edmonton Elks on Friday night, and their defence secured the win once again by shutting the door in the fourth quarter.

The defending Grey Cup champions have won seven straight with the help of a dominant defence that hasn’t surrendered a fourth-quarter touchdown all season.

“At the beginning of the fourth quarter that’s what we always say, ‘This is our quarter. This is our quarter to take the game over,'” said defensive end Willie Jefferson.

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Winnipeg (9-1) brought down rookie Elks quarterback Taylor Cornelius for three sacks, including back-to-back sacks in the fourth quarter to force a punt and maintain a one-score lead.

They further stifled Edmonton’s late comeback attempt by only allowing two more completions for a combined 12 yards.

“Those guys are hard working, lunch pail, hard hat type of guys,” said receiver Rasheed Bailey. “They come down and play hard, show up in practice every single week. They get a chance to go up against one of the best offences in practice, and they’re showing up in the games.”

The Elks tied the game near the end of the third quarter with their only touchdown drive of night, but Winnipeg only needed one more major to finish the job thanks to another fourth-quarter shutout by the stingy defence.

“It’s good to see them go out there every single week and put up the performance they put up. But sometimes we’ve got to have their back, and today we came through in the end,” Bailey said.

Bailey had one of his best performances of the season with a game-high 93 receiving yards on six catches, including a 48-yard reception that set up his five-yard go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Bailey said being able to count on the defence gives their offence a boost of confidence when games are close entering the final quarter.

“We knew the defence was going to keep getting stops. We just needed to make one play on offence just to open us up, and the one play happened and we finished in the end zone,” Bailey said.

The Bombers have only given up one touchdown since Week 7, and they have accumulated 13 sacks in that same span. Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat both notched sacks against Edmonton in Week 11, tying them for the league-lead with seven sacks apiece alongside Saskatchewan’s Jonathan Woodard. Jeffcoat has already matched his career-best total from 2017.

“As a defence we go out there and we try to ramp up the intensity, try to get some takeaways — not just do two-and-outs,” Jefferson said.

The Bombers will look to continue their winning ways when they host the BC Lions next Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Winnipeg is 5-0 at IG Field this season.

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