Calgary downs Bombers in Winnipeg
It took a couple quarters, but the Calgary Stampeders finally started to look like themselves.
After a first half to forget, the Stamps ( 2- 0-1) began finding their feet in the third quarter of their Friday night game in Winnipeg against the Blue Bombers (1-1-0), shutting their hosts out in the second half and strolling to a 29-10 victory.
To be clear, though, this was not an easy win.
After two ugly quarters, the Stamps were down 10-9 and had already lost both defensive end Kashawn Fraser and punt returner Tunde Adeleke to injury.
Bo Levi Mitchell had thrown his first two interceptions of the season, while DaVaris Daniels still hadn’t caught a pass and Jerome Messam was averaging less than four yards per carry.
Defensively, things weren’t quite as grim, yet they were spending a lot of time on the field and fans had every reason to worry.
But in the third quarter, something changed.
Mitchell began finding receivers, with Kamar Jorden stepping up in a big way for the third game in a row, Terry Williams proving to be a useful weapon and Daniels working his way into the game.
After opening the quarter with a Rene Paredes field goal to pull ahead, the Stampeders never looked back.
Bombers QB Matt Nichols threw an interception midway through the quarter that Maleki Harris returned for a touchdown to make it 19-10, then Mitchell opened the fourth quarter with a 22-yard pass to Jorden to put the Stamps ahead by 16.
This being the CFL, a 16-point lead was anything but safe. Yet the Stampeders never let the Bombers back in it.
In the fourth quarter, Mitchell looked as comfortable in the pocket as he has all season, spreading the ball out among his receivers, then allowing Jerome Messam to hammer his way downfield whenever they needed him to.
If the first-half struggles were a cause for worry, the second half was the opposite. For the third time this season, the Stampeders turned it on late.
Yes, it took five attempts to score on a goal-line stand in the second quarter. But eventually Jorden ran the ball in.
Yes, the Bombers seemed to make a mistake every time they were given an opening, most notably after Rene Paredes missed a 44-yard field goal and Ryan Lankford proceeded to instantly fumble the ball as he attempted to return it.
But at the end of the day, the Stampeders survived a rough opening half in which they couldn’t seem to find their groove, and turned it up when they needed to, cruising to a comfortable 19-point victory.
In all three of their games this season, the Stamps have looked great in the fourth quarter. They might have work to do to make sure they come out of the gates firing on all cylinders, but being the better team in fourth quarters is going to lead to a lot of wins.
Mitchell may have had 107 yards passing at halftime, but more importantly, he finished with 332 yards.
Daniels didn’t have a catch through two quarters, but finished with three for 39 yards and was able to watch as Jorden rose to the occasion.
Injuries are a concern, yes, but for now, the Stamps are showing that a little adversity isn’t enough to bury them.