Nine days after opening their season with a 34-20 home win over the B.C. Lions, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers make the trip west to Vancouver for a rematch on Saturday.
This game might be more notable for who won’t be playing playing than who will.
Both teams will be without star players on offense. Winnipeg running back Brady Oliviera (shoulder) is out after being injured early last week, and B.C. receiver Stanley Berryhill III has been declared out for the rematch.
That’s not the Lions’ only concern. Quarterback Nathan Rourke (oblique) is slated to dress, but veteran backup Jeremiah Masoli will start behind center after Rourke departed last week in the fourth quarter.
Masoli has taken first-team reps this week at practice and played most of the fourth quarter in Winnipeg, completing 7 of 10 passes for 84 yards with an interception.
“You show up for work every day prepared to be the guy,” Masoli said on Tuesday. “It’s business as usual. Just more reps with (Rourke) getting a little rest here, but same as any other week right now.”
Perhaps it’s a good thing for B.C. that Masoli starts. After throwing for 324 yards and three touchdowns in a season-opening rout of Edmonton two weeks ago, Rourke hit only 12 of 27 attempts at Winnipeg for 249 yards with a score and an interception. It’s his fifth straight loss to the Blue Bombers, dating back to 2022.
Meanwhile, the Blue Bombers didn’t have much trouble overcoming the loss of Oliviera because backup running back Matthew Peterson played like the injured star. Peterson compiled 130 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in his CFL debut.
“It’s my debut, so I took ’em by surprise a little bit,” Peterson said. “This next game, they’re going to have to know who I am and stop me. But with this offensive line and with the weapons we have, it’s going to be tough.”
This will be it for the West rivals’ season series, barring a playoff matchup.
–Field Level Media
