The defense has been the highlight of the team this season no doubt, particularly the secondary. I'm worried about the o-line, Collaros' brain farts and Pierce underwhelming playcalling...it's like he bases many of the plays on the Bombers still having a dominant o-line, not the mediocre one that exists in the present.
Saskatchewan's offense has outplayed the Bomber offense in both games this season, in terms of yards from scrimmage. Harris and the Sask O generated 5 TDs in their last 2 meetings against the Bombers which is pretty solid. I'm not sure why people say Harris doesn't finish drives this year? Sask's O has generated the 4th most Tds this season. The Bombers have generated 7th or 8th most.
While our d has played well, I am concerned the poor d-line and at best mediocre linebacking crew will continue getting chewed up by the Sask running game as has been the case most of the season - we are one of the weakest groups against the run this year. Younger has done an admirable job given the limited talent he has to work with with the front 7 switching to a mostly 3 man rush (necessitated by the terrible pressure from the blitz) and having the linebackers dropping into coverage for what seems like a good portion of the snaps. I expect Harris to have plenty of long looks with a reasonably good chance of picking us apart with plenty of short to medium passes (typical Harris game).
Hearing that 36 year old Nick Taylor (hasn't played in a year) and Kyrie Wilson (hasn't played in months and was underwhelming when he did) may see the field and scares me and seems very reminiscient of O'shea's ill-advised moves of starting an injured and ineffective Adam Bighill and Dalton Schoen in last year's Grey Cup that played a big role in us losing the game.
Oliveira has a lot to prove as he was underwhelming in his final two games of the season. He also failed to have a good game in his three attempts versus the Riders this season. Riders are the second best team against the run this season.
I would have preferred colder conditions for tomorrow's game (minus 1 or 2 at the start of the game with the temperature dropping a few degrees by the middle of the game and a slight wind) as I feel that would favor the Bombers. Alas it will be 8-9 degrees with a slight wind.
Saskatchewan finished the season strong winning 4 in a row before losing a meaningless final game. They feel a bit like a team of destiny similar to the Bombers in 2019. Meanwhile, the Bombers finished poorly failing to beat the Argos at home in a game that would have clinched first place and then followed that up with an uninspired effort versus a Montreal team that pulled several starters throughout the game, and only won in a fluke due to mother nature.
I don't know...despite home field advantage, I don't like the Bombers chances. Shades of the 2003 Western Semi-Final I attended in very cold conditions.
Final Score: Saskatchewan 25 Bombers 17
Don't shoot me.