Bombers come up just short Saturday in bid to keep playoff hopes alive against Argos

It's not all that surprising that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have been officially eliminated from the playoffs given their struggles this year, but it is notable that they made it awfully close against the division-leading Toronto Argonauts Saturday. Winnipeg fell 26-20 at home, but that's not all that bad for a team that entered this game with a 3-12 record and was facing a 9-6 squad looking to clinch a playoff berth. There were plenty of promising signs for the Bombers here, too. Still, in the end, it was another performance that wasn't quite enough, and that's largely been the story of this Winnipeg season.

There was a lot to build on here for the Bombers, to be sure. Quarterback Max Hall delivered perhaps his best CFL performance yet, and in a game where the Winnipeg offence went pass-wacky to boot, completing 30 of 50 passes (60 per cent) for 385 with a touchdown. He did throw an interception and lose a fumble, but it was still a showing that suggests he might potentially be a solid CFL quarterback down the road. He certainly hasn't proven anything yet given the small sample size here, his problematic completion percentage and his troubling earlier performances, but this was at least promising. We'll see if the Bombers elect to hang on to him or try and grab someone else to at least compete for a starting role, but this was perhaps the first time Hall has really looked like someone who could be a competent CFL starter over the long run. Even by itself, that would be a solid takeaway for Winnipeg.

Hall wasn't the only Bombers' player who looked good on Saturday, though. Running back Will Ford continued his recent streak of impressive showings, picking up 75 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries (an average of 5.7 yards per carry) while adding 90 return yards on four kickoffs, but receivers Cory Watson (six catches, 77 yards), Clarence Denmark (five catches, 64 yards) and Rory Kohlert (five catches, 55 yards and a touchdown) also had good days on offence. The defensive side of the ball didn't have as many individuals who stood out, but defensive back Deon Washington (six tackles), linebacker Henoc Muamba (five tackles) and defensive back Alex Suber (one tackle, one interception) all were pretty solid, and the defence on the whole held Toronto quarterback Ricky Ray to 246 passing yards, a 60 per cent completion rate and one touchdown with one interception. They also contained the Argonauts' ground game, with running back Jerious Norwood collecting just 12 total yards on nine carries. The 26 points the Bombers gave up weren't ideal, but it was still one of their better defensive showings this season.

There are questions ahead for the Bombers, of course. Despite some solid performances here, they still lost and were officially eliminated from the playoffs. They're now 3-13 on the season, and that's not a stat that's likely to ensure job security for many. Head coach Tim Burke is particularly on the hot seat, as the Bombers are just 7-19 in his tenure, but offensive coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille and defensive coordinator Casey Creehan should face questions about their performance as well. All of the problems with this team weren't suddenly fixed in one game, especially one they lost. Still, there were good signs here for Winnipeg, and that's something that hasn't been said much this year.