STAMPS FADING FAST DOWN STRETCH RUN
Calgary suffers third straight loss but can still finish first with win in season finale
BLUE BOMBERS 29, STAMPEDERS 21
The Calgary Stampeders still control their own destiny.
They can go into Vancouver next weekend and beat the B.C. Lions and that will clinch first place in the CFL’s West Division and book a home date in the West Final.
But what seemed like an inevitability a few weeks ago now feels like an especially tall task after the Stampeders (12-5) fell 29-21 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-7) on Friday night at Investors Group Field.
Of course, if the Lions beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday afternoon, the West will be clinched for the Stamps, but that’s not the way the Stamps wanted to walk into the playoffs.
They’ll probably take it, though, as with the way they’re playing right now they won’t be the favourites heading into B.C. Place.
Yes, there were improvements on Friday night in Winnipeg, particularly in the first half, but after halftime the Stamps were simply outplayed by the Bombers — although a bizarre nontouchdown call by the refs in the final minutes might have made a difference.
One way or another, the Stampeders have one game left in the season to clinch the West, are riding a three-game losing streak and have lost at least one game to every team in the division.
The situation’s not great, in other words.
Things started so well for the Stamps Friday, too.
On their first possession, they marched downfield with a confidence they never seemed to find against the Roughriders a week earlier.
They were helped by a 45-yard return on the opening kickoff by Romar Morris, then quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell got the Stamps into field-goal range, where Rene Paredes put them ahead with a 43-yard kick.
The lead might have been bigger, as the Stamps defence effectively limited the Bombers and the Stamps against marched downfield before the end of the first quarter.
They looked sure to put more points on the board, but receiver Chris Matthews fumbled on the five-yard line and the Bombers recovered.
It didn’t necessarily feel like a turning point at the time, but the Bombers tied the game after a long possession and a Justin Medlock field goal.
A game that probably should have been 10-0 was suddenly 3-3.
Matthews made up for his mistake the next time the Stamps offence got on the field, though, catching a 65-yard pass down the sideline from Mitchell to set up the Stamps’ first touchdown of the game, a two-yard QB sneak from backup Nick Arbuckle.
When the Bombers fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, it felt like momentum was on the Stamps’ side and they had a chance to put a little distance between themselves and their hosts.
Instead, they settled for a field goal that made the score 12-3, and while the Bombers could only put up another field goal of their own before halftime, it certainly seemed like the Stamps had blown a couple golden opportunities.
That would come back to hurt. After halftime, the Bombers looked like a totally different team.
Less than five minutes into the third quarter, Nichols — who finished having completed 24 of 33 passes for 358 yards and two touchdowns — connected with Darvin Adams on a 50-yard touchdown to give the Bombers a 13-12 lead.
Mitchell, who completed 22 of 35 passes for 274 yards and one touchdown, led the Stamps to another touchdown to put them back in the lead, but a suddenly vulnerable Calgary defence was beat again when Nichols went over the top and Drew Wolitarsky took the ball into the end zone for a 60-yard TD.
It felt like momentum was on the Bombers’ side, and it only got worse when Stamps running back Don Jackson fumbled on his own 19-yard line, setting up a Chris Streveler run into the end zone to give the Bombers a 26-18 lead.
They’d get another field goal a few minutes into the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
The Stampeders did have one last chance, though, after the Bombers turned the ball over on downs with four and a half minutes left.
The Stamps took the ball on the Winnipeg 29-yard line and got as close to the end zone as you could get. In fact, it could be argued they got into the end zone, only for the refs to rule that Eric Rogers had not come down with the football on a pass from Mitchell right on the goal-line.
It looked as if Rogers had possession when he hit the ground, which would have made it a touchdown, only for the Bombers DBs to rip the ball from his hands.
It’s a call that’s going to get talked about a lot this week, and rightfully so.
In the end, though, the ruling went against the Stamps and that was that.
The Stamps lost. The West still isn’t won.
There’s still time, but it’s running out fast.