The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were defeated by the Montreal Alouettes by a score of 42-33 in the East Semi-Final at Percival Molson Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Below are my thoughts on the game.
End of an era
The East Semi-Final was one of the most compelling playoff games you’ll ever see.
Winnipeg was awful to start Saturday’s matchup, trailing 25-3 late in the first half. Social media was full of people burying the Blue Bombers — some doing so with sadness, others with glee — but it turns out they weren’t done. In a way, it’s fitting that Saturday’s game took place one day after Halloween because the Blue Bombers came back from the dead.
Sergio Castillo kicked a field goal moments before halftime to make it 25-6, then Winnipeg ripped off three straight touchdowns — two Terry Wilson sneaks and a 54-yard bomb to Ontaria Wilson — to start the second half. After only six minutes of the third quarter had expired, Winnipeg suddenly led 27-25.
The Blue Bombers were unable to sustain their momentum — more on that in a moment — but their ability to come back against Montreal changed the entire tone of this defeat.
Saturday’s loss still feels like the end of an era to an extent, but this isn’t a team that feels way over the hill and badly in need of an overhaul. This feels like a team that requires a few tweaks but is still fully capable of getting to the Grey Cup in 2026. It’ll be interesting to see how this offseason goes in Bomberland.
The QB
Zach Collaros faced a ton of scrutiny from fans and members of the media all season long and it felt like a lot of people wrote him off heading into this one, which may have been unfair considering he came into it 9-5 as a playoff starter (Grey Cups included).
The results were better than his critics predicted as Collaros completed 19-of-26 completions for 306 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, which occurred after the game was essentially over. It wasn’t a perfect game — more on that in a moment — but Collaros played well enough to win.
Nic Demski was unable to play on Saturday after being a game-time decision with a hamstring injury, leaving Ontaria Wilson as the team’s top target. One could argue that Winnipeg’s receiving corps isn’t explosive enough with Demski in the lineup. Without him, the unit had a lot to prove.
THE #GCPlayoffs COULDN’T BE MORE FUN. A DIME FROM COLLAROS!
📅: Eastern Semi-Final LIVE NOW
🇨🇦: TSN, RDS, CTV
🌎: CFL+#GCPlayoffs | @Wpg_BlueBombers pic.twitter.com/LapKfH1XAT— CFL (@CFL) November 1, 2025
The good news for fans in Winnipeg is that the unit largely responded. Keric Wheatfall made five catches for 104 yards, one of which was a 53-yard bomb that set-up a score. Ontaria Wilson scored a touchdown on a 54-yard bomb he reeled in early in the second half, while Jerreth Sterns caught four passes for 59 yards.
As for the negatives, Collaros struggled with ball security.
The 37-year-old escaped the pocket late the second quarter but didn’t have the ball tucked firmly away, allowing Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund to punch it loose from behind. This was actually the second fumble from Collaros on the day, though offensive lineman Patrick Neufeld — who suffered an injury and missed the second half — was able to recover the first.
Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund strips Zach Collaros of the football and his dignity.#CFL #GCPlayoffs #AlsMTL #Bombers
pic.twitter.com/tpB0ODBFKM— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) November 1, 2025
Collaros also forced the ball into harm’s way early in the third quarter when Jerreth Sterns ran a corner route that was undercut by Wesley Sutton, who should have intercepted the ball but bobbled it instead.
The veteran passer didn’t play at an M.O.P. level in the East Semi-Final but he was good enough to win arguably the league’s best defence with his two best receivers — remember, Dalton Schoen is also out — in the lineup.
Dismal defence
The biggest surprise on Saturday was the extent to which Winnipeg’s defence was shredded. The Blue Bombers finished first in the CFL in offensive points scored this season but you wouldn’t know that based on the East Semi-Final.
Montreal recorded a whopping 556 yards of net offence and scored 42 points — almost double the season average allowed by Winnipeg.
Davis Alexander entered Saturday’s game 11-0 as a CFL starter and he got into a bit of a verbal tussle with Willie Jefferson through the media leading into Saturday’s game. The young quarterback got the last laugh as he torched Winnipeg’s defence, completing 24-of-34 pass attempts for 384 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Jamal Parker looked like his was having a day to forget at field-side cornerback as he allowed a 41-yard bomb to Charleston Rambo on Montreal’s first possession, then missed a tackle on Montreal’s third possession that allowed Rambo to gain an extra 25 yards.
The diminutive defender made up for the errors, however, when he stripped Tyson Philpot of the ball near midfield early in third quarter. Evan Holm recovered the loose ball and returned it 36 yards deep into Montreal territory, leading to a Winnipeg touchdown.
Montreal’s second-longest play of the day came late in the first quarter when Davis Alexander hit Tyson Philpot for a 45-yard touchdown. As is typical, Winnipeg initially rushed only three defenders, though James Vaughters and Jamal Woods hardly pinned their ears back — instead, they sort of ran into one another after the snap on what appeared to be a botched stunt.
DAVIS ALEXANDER WITH A 48-YARD STRIKE TO TYSON PHILPOT FOR THE TD!
📅: Eastern Semi-Final LIVE NOW
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🌎: CFL+#GCPlayoffs | @MTLAlouettes pic.twitter.com/BwWxNeqor8— CFL (@CFL) November 1, 2025
Tony Jones, Kyrie Wilson, and Evan Holm eventually joined the rush but it didn’t look like any of Winnipeg’s defenders were all that interested in sacking Alexander, merely keep him in the pocket. With all day to throw, Alexander threw a beautiful ball to make Winnipeg’s defence pay for its lack of pass rush.
Jordan Younger has had a ton of success in two seasons as Winnipeg’s defensive coordinator but this play felt emblematic of his defence at its worst. Sometimes you have to get after the quarterback and (metaphorically) punch them in the mouth. The Blue Bombers didn’t do that nearly enough in 2025.
Pressure was the reason Alexander threw his interception in the third quarter as he sprinted away from Tony Jones and tried to force a pass along the sideline, which was easily intercepted by Cam Allen.
Jefferson wasn’t particularly noticeable until late in the third quarter when he beat left guard Pier-Olivier Lestage with an outside move to flush Alexander from the pocket. The dual-threat passer got 11 yards and a first down on the play, which exemplified why Younger was so conscious of keeping Alexander in the pocket.
The veteran defender finally got to Alexander in the fourth quarter on a sack that would have pushed the Alouettes out of field goal range. Instead, his hand made contact with the quarterback’s facemask, drawing a penalty that resulted in a fresh set of downs. Two plays later, Stevie Scott II scored a seven-yard touchdown.
Alexander iced the game with his feet when he deked Kyrie Wilson in the open field for 18 yards to convert on second-and-five with a little under two minutes left. Despite all the other defensive mistakes, the Blue Bombers still had a realistic chance to win until that first down, which put the Alouettes in field goal range.
Outran
The Blue Bombers caught a break as Mustafa Johnson (shoulder) and Shawn Oakman (suspended, then released) were unable to play for the Alouettes on Saturday, helping open things up along the ground.
Despite the changes along Montreal’s defensive line, Brady Oliveira was unable to get much going. The league’s reigning Most Outstanding Player ran eight times for 38 yards and caught one pass for 19 yards. He also coughed up a costly fumble early in the fourth quarter, which led to a 27-yard touchdown drive from the Alouettes.
On the flip side, Stevie Scott III ran 18 times for 133 yards and two touchdowns for the Alouettes, which was the best performance of his young career. Montreal didn’t run the ball well at all during the regular-season, which is why it was such a surprise to see them be so effective along the ground.
When the weather turns, there’s an increased importance on the run game and the Blue Bombers were simply outmatched in the East Semi-Final.
Coaching errors
Winnipeg tried to gamble on third-and-five from Montreal’s 19-yard line with 19 seconds left in the first half but were unable to do so after taking a time-count violation, which pushed the ball back 10 yards, leading to a 37-yard field goal from Sergio Castillo.
This was a pretty severe coaching error. I had no problem with the decision to go for it — being aggressive is smart when you’re down by 22 points — but Mike O’Shea needed to call a timeout to allow his offence get organized. He didn’t.
Shortly after the second half started, Terry Wilson tried to sneak for a one-yard touchdown plunge but was ruled short. On replay, it looked like Wilson probably broke the plane but there was no clear visual evidence of the ball in the end zone. O’Shea threw his challenge flag anyway and, predictably, was unsuccessful.
Instead of wasting his first time out on a senseless challenge, O’Shea should have used it to stop the clock before halftime. Details always matter — but especially in the playoffs.
Rule changes
As of 2027, the CFL is moving the uprights to the back of the end zone to avoid exactly the type of play that occurred near the start of the third quarter.
With Keric Wheatfall a step behind an Alouettes defender, Zach Collaros floated a ball into the end zone that doinked (yes, that is my preferred term) off one of the uprights, immediately resulting in a dead ball.
The Blue Bombers ended up getting a touchdown two plays later — Lorenzo Burns took a pass interference penalty on second down, then Terry Wilson punched in a one-yard score — but it looked at least momentarily as though the uprights might prevent Winnipeg from scoring a touchdown.
There’s lots I will miss about the CFL once the incoming rule changes are implemented. Forward passes clanging off the uprights isn’t one of them.
En guard
Many offensive linemen harbour the secret desire to get the ball every now and again, which is exactly what inexplicably happened in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game.
Deep in Montreal territory, Zach Collaros panicked under pressure on second-and-nine and threw the ball to Gabe Wallace, the team’s six-foot-six, 340-pound left guard.
Throwing the ball to an offensive lineman is illegal, which just about everyone — including Collaros — knows. However, as the completion went for only three yards, leaving the Blue Bombers stuck in third-and-six, Montreal declined the penalty.
As such, it will forever be reflected in CFL history that Gabe Wallace made a catch in the East Semi-Final in 2025. I’m not sure this could be officially verified by the league, but he just might be the heaviest player ever to record a catch in a playoff game.
Stay classy
Winnipeg and Montreal’s jerseys were adorned with new advertisement patches stitched in a questionable location.
CFL teams have long worn advertisement patches on the left and/or right lapels. Unless they completely clash with the colour of the uniform itself, most fans probably don’t even notice them since they’re relatively small.
The new advertisement patches unveiled on Saturday were rather large and positioned below the rear numbers of each uniform, making them reminiscent of lower-back tattoos.
I appreciate that the CFL is always looking to increase revenue and good on them for doing so. I’m just not sure about the location of these new patches. I also hope this isn’t the start of CFL teams starting to resemble European hockey teams.
Bisons watch
The Manitoba Bisons are scheduled to face the Regina Rams in the Hardy Cup semifinal at 6:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday. In other words, if you’re reading this article right after the Blue Bombers lost the East Semi-Final, you can stream the Bisons game right now.
Manitoba finished first in the Canada West standings last season but were upset by the Rams in first round of the playoffs. After finishing third in conference at 4-4 this year, the Bisons have a chance to repay the favour against Regina at Mosaic Stadium.
Next up
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2017. The team will have some tough questions to answer over the coming days, so stay tuned to 3DownNation for all the latest news, insight, and analysis, including the club’s pending free-agent list.
As for the Grey Cup in two weeks, here’s hoping fans in Winnipeg still show up loud and proud at Princess Auto Stadium even without the Blue Bombers in the game. Mosaic Stadium was half-empty in 2022 when the Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts played in Regina which, to be frank, was lame.
The Grey Cup only comes to Manitoba once every decade or so. I appreciate that local fans are disappointed, but here’s hoping the Grey Cup Festival is still a hit and the Grey Cup itself is packed. Regardless of which teams make it, the CFL’s championship game is always something worth celebrating.
