Battles of the pivots in Commonwealth clash

EDMONTON — Which version of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are going to show up this week?

To punch their ticket to the playoffs, they better hope it’s the one that plays three-phase football for a full four quarters on Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium.

That’s likely what it’ll take to outlast the first-place Edmonton Elks (12-4) — who are also extra motivated considering they can clinch their first West Division regular-season title since 2015 with a victory.

The Bombers (8-8) can also secure a post-season berth this weekend if the Calgary Stampeders (8-9) fall to the B.C. Lions (10-6) on Saturday, but they’re not looking for a handout.

“At this time of year, you’ve got to improve. If you don’t, you’re just gonna be left behind,” said running back Brady Oliveira shortly after arriving in Edmonton.

“We are trying to peek at the right time and find that level of consistency throughout an entire game… We’ve had some good games against these guys and come up short, but it’s time to go get ours.”

To get you ready for kickoff (8:30 p.m. CT), here’s the latest edition of 5 Storylines.

Collaros vs. Fajardo

This could be the final chapter of the Zach Collaros-Cody Fajardo rivalry.

Collaros is 38 and not under contract for next season, so, it’s not guaranteed that they’ll duel again down the road. And you can’t tell the story of either quarterback without mentioning the other one’s name.

Fajardo backed up Collaros in Saskatchewan at the start of 2019 when a vicious hit by Hamilton linebacker Simoni Lawrence changed the career trajectory of both pivots. Collaros would find his way to Winnipeg later that season where he would beat Fajardo and the Riders in the 2019 Western Final en route to winning the Grey Cup. They met again in the 2021 Western final with the same end result.

Then in 2023, Fajardo got his revenge as a member of the Montreal Alouettes when he got the monkey off his back and upset the Bombers in the Grey Cup.

“I feel like my last seven years being a starter has come down to meaningful games against Winnipeg,” Fajardo told the Free Press on Thursday.

“It’s going to be a really good battle, and I hope it’s not the last one, but you never know in football.”

Collaros enters this matchup on a high. It’s been an up and down season for him with six absences, but he was at his best last week by going six-for-nine on passes deeper than 20-plus yards downfield in a 33-28 win at home over Calgary that silenced no shortage of critics.

“He’s got that F-U attitude that I got where if you tell me that I can’t do something, I’m gonna go out and prove that I can do that — and that’s been Zach his whole career,” Fajardo said.

“It’s going to be a really good battle, and I hope it’s not the last one, but you never know in football.”

Then there’s Fajardo, who is having one of his best seasons yet at the age of 34.

With two games left to play, Fajardo has already set new career highs in passing yards (4,668), touchdowns (23) and wins.

Fajardo is 2-0 against Collaros in 2026, but Collaros is still well ahead in the all-time head-to-head series at 8-4.

“I think he’ll continue to do a great job for as long as he wants to play,” said Collaros. “It’s always a privilege to go against him.”

No season series stakes

The Bombers have let both meetings against the Elks this season slip through their fingers.

There was Week 4 in Winnipeg when the Bombers fought back from a 17-0 deficit to go ahead 18-17 in the fourth. Fajardo spoiled the comeback by completing six-of-seven passes on Edmonton’s final drive to score the game-winning touchdown with 56 seconds left.

The Bombers were sloppy and lost three fumbles in the game.

Then there was Week 12 in Edmonton when the Bombers took a 16-point lead in the first half before falling off the face of the earth in the final 30 minutes to lose 22-19.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t play well enough in those games and Edmonton played better than us,” said Collaros.

The Bombers have clearly proven they can hang with the Elks, but they need to find a way to finish strong to avoid going 0-3. You have to go back to 1979 to find the last time Edmonton swept a three-game series against Winnipeg. The Elks are 7-1 at home so avoiding the brooms won’t be easy for the Bombers.

Red-hot Carney

No one would blame Collaros if he was having nightmares of Malik Carney this week.

Edmonton’s star defensive lineman terrorized the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week with four sacks in a 27-12 victory. It’s the most QB takedowns in a game by a single player this season.

Carney now has 11 on the year which puts him one behind Calgary’s Clarence Hicks for the top spot in the CFL.

“Yeah, he’s a problem, man,” said Collaros. “He really jumps off the tape and always has… I think he’s one of the best players in the league and has been for a long time.”

The Elks boast the No. 1-ranked defence in the league and are surrendering a league-best 24.6 points per game.

They also have an elite playmaker in the secondary in former Bombers defensive back Tyrell Ford, who leads the CFL with seven interceptions. Ford will have his hands full considering Bombers rookie receiver Dorian Singer (illness) is expected to play.

Battle of the running backs

Brady Oliveira fully embraced his role as a decoy last week against Calgary. The league’s leading rusher had just eight carries for 40 yards but earned his paycheque by blocking for Collaros.

“My hands were sore the next morning. They’re still a little bruised up,” said Oliveira.

“I wanted to make sure nobody touched No. 8.”

With Edmonton limiting opponents to a 64.1 completion percentage — the lowest in the league — chances are the Bombers will give Oliveira plenty of opportunities to add to his rushing total of 1,307 yards and not just have him block.

The league’s second-ranked rusher is Edmonton’s Justin Rankin.

In his last three outings against Winnipeg dating back to last season, Rankin has averaged 112.3 rushing yards and has had 10 carries go 10-plus yards.

Rankin was also quiet last week with six attempts for 21 yards.

Knock it down

This will likely be more of a grind than a shootout.

The Bombers’ defence might not be ranked first, but they did hold the Elks to 22 and 23 points in the two previous showdowns. Edmonton’s scoring average is 31.1 points per game.

To have a similar performance, they’ll need halfback Evan Holm and defensive end Willie Jefferson to continue to be great.

Holm had three pass knockdowns against Calgary and has had at least one in the last five games. He leads the team with 15 which is two behind Montreal’s Lorenzo Burns for the CFL lead.

Jefferson has six sacks but hasn’t had one in his last eight games. He is, however, making an impact in another way by disrupting passing lanes. He had two pass knockdowns against Calgary which moved him into second place in league history with 106. He needs five more to tie Eddie Davis for the all-time CFL record.

“The knockdowns are secondary,” said Jefferson. “I want to be able to get to the quarterback and finish and get that sacks number up.”

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