Win over Lions gives Bombers place in playoffs
WINNIPEG — T.J. Heath silenced the ribbing from some of his Blue Bombers teammates on Saturday. The defensive back intercepted B.C. quarterback Jonathon Jennings and ran 64 yards for a touchdown as Winnipeg clinched a playoff spot in the CFL West Division with a 26-20 victory over the Lions.
It was Heath’s fifth interception of the season, with the first four snagged way back in three July games. None of those went for a TD.
“One, it was good to get because, obviously, it was a big play in the game,” Heath said of his fourth-quarter pick that cranked up the score 26-6.
“But it was good for me to get, too, because the guys had been on my head about dropping [potential interceptions].”
Grabbing a playoff spot in the process added to what Heath called a “fun day.”
“It feels good, but we still have work to do,” he said. “We’ve still got to win games.”
Defensive back Kevin Fogg also helped Winnipeg’s defence and special teams shine when the team’s offence wasn’t at its best.
His own interception of Jennings led to Justin Medlock’s third field goal, but Fogg also took a punt return 88 yards for a touchdown early in the first quarter. “It was a long time coming for the punt return [TD],” Fogg said of his first official one. “And to get in there on defence and make a play for that interception, I think it was phenomenal. Most importantly, I thank my teammates.”
Last season as a rookie, Fogg had four punt returns for TDs all wiped out because of penalties.
Brian Burnham had a pair of fourth-quarter TD catches for the Lions (6-9), whose playoff hopes are hanging by a thread.
“We didn’t start fast,” said Jennings, who completed 24-of-39 pass attempts for 267 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. “We didn’t do anything in the middle of the game and did a couple things late, but it was too late.”
Ty Long connected on field goals from 35 and 50, and added two converts for the Lions.
Medlock was good on Winnipeg field goals from 45, 37 and 22 yards, and made his two converts. The Lions also conceded a punt single and a safety.
Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols was 23-of-30 passing with no TDs and no interceptions in front of 26,434 fans at Investors Group Field.
Nichols and his offensive teammates were disappointed in their performance, even though leading receiver Darvin Adams left the game with an upper-body injury during Winnipeg’s first possession. He was later seen with a sling on his left arm and there was no update.