Banjo Bowl offers Bombers a chance for revenge

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers suffered perhaps the CFL's worst loss this year last Sunday, falling 52-0 to fierce rivals Saskatchewan, but they didn't have to wait long for a shot at redemption. The two teams face off again Sunday in Winnipeg (1 p.m. Eastern, TSN/ESPN3) in the famed Banjo Bowl, and there's a lot on the line for the Bombers in particular. They were humiliated last week by Saskatchewan, but their struggles have been season-long ones; even before that loss to the Riders, they were last in the league in points scored, pass completion percentage, passing yards allowed, quarterback sacks conceded and more, and the drubbing they took last Sunday strongly suggests their problems weren't all thanks to recently-fired head coach Paul LaPolice. Can Winnipeg bounce back and earn some revenge, or will this be another one-sided Saskatchewan victory?

Almost everything in this matchup seems to favour the Riders. They're coming off that 52-0 clinical demolition of the Bombers last week, and that will certainly provide some confidence. They've also looked better than Winnipeg in all facets of the game recetnly, including offence, defence and special teams. Beyond that, though, the Riders haves been somewhat mediocre on both sides of the ball, finishing middle-of-the pack in most categories. While they're better than the Bombers on most levels, anything can happen on any given day in the CFL, and that means a Winnipeg upset can't be completely disregarded.

Could the Bombers potentially pull this off? Well, a lot of things would have to go right. The team's discipline has to get better, as the 101 penalty yards and five turnovers they posted last week won't win you too many games. There are offensive concerns, as Joey Elliott hasn't been all that effective lately and only completed nine passes for 61 yards last week, while Chad Simpson hasn't been the most impressive running back out there. There are defensive concerns all over the place, too, and it's particularly curious to see Winnipeg moving 2011 league defensive player of the year Jovon Johnson, the first defensive back to win that award, to linebacker. Yes, Johnson's a terrific, versatile player who may fit in well there, but taking an impressive player out of his accustomed position (and positional group) midway through a game week isn't an easy task, and it seems unlikely that change will be all that positive.

If the Bombers were somehow able to pull out a victory Sunday, that would at least mean that their hopes of turning the season around weren't completely doomed yet. Sure, it would only be two points in the standings, and it would only improve their record to 3-7, but that's substantially better than 2-8. Moreover, beating a team that clobbered them by 52 points the previous week would certainly be good for both morale and momentum.Winnipeg will need solid execution in the ground game and the passing game, as well as on defence, if they're going to come up a win here, but Saskatchewan can't afford to take them lightly. Although things look almost as bleak as is possible, the Bombers' fans still have hope for now. A win over a hated rival in the Banjo Bowl would certainly be a great first step towards turning Winnipeg's season around, especially immediately following after their year's lowest point. Now, the question is if the Bombers will be able to do it.