CALGARY — The Calgary Stampeders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers have different motivating factors heading into their showdown Saturday at McMahon Stadium.
While the Stampeders (5-3) are looking to bounce back from two straight setbacks, the Blue Bombers (4-3) will be looking to avenge a pair of losses they suffered to their CFL West Division rivals earlier this season.
"We’re very motivated," said Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. "Shoot, we’re two losses in a row, so we know we want to get back on track and get back in the W column. It starts (Saturday), so hopefully we can do that.
"We lost our last game. They won their last game, so they have the momentum right now and we need to get back on track and not worry about what they’re doing."
Adams will return to the Stamps’ lineup after sitting out his team’s 31-11 road loss to the Ottawa Redblacks on July 31 after suffering a head injury during Calgary’s 23-21 setback at home to the Montreal Alouettes on July 24.
Calgary coach and general manager Dave Dickenson has confidence that Adams won’t miss a beat after his one-game absence.
"We know things will change slightly, but a lot of times it’s just about execution and making plays, one-on-one football," Dickenson said. "Vernon’s had a good season. I’m sure the first time he gets hit, that’s always a little bit of trepidation, a little bit of uneasiness. Hopefully, he feels just fine."
Clark Barnes will also be back to help boost Calgary’s offence following a four-game absence due to an ankle injury, while fellow receiver Jalen Philpot will be a game-time decision.
"Clark’s back. Jalen’s back, so it’s good to have those guys back," said Adams optimistically. "Just excited to get those guys back and I’m excited for the opportunity (on Saturday)."
After being held to just 11 yards on seven carries against Ottawa, running back Dedrick Mills has extra motivation to return to the form that has seen him run for a league-leading seven touchdowns while amassing 555 rushing yards, third best in the CFL.
"It's going to be a very physical battle out there," Mills said. "I just can’t wait to get out there and get started. We beat them twice, so you know they’re coming.
"They’ve got a chip on their shoulder and we just know they’re coming hard, so we’ve got to go out there and play extra aggressive offensive-wise."
Meanwhile, the Bombers ended a three-game losing streak – which included a 37-16 loss in Calgary on July 3 followed by a 41-20 setback at home two weeks later – when they beat the Toronto Argonauts 41-30 in Winnipeg on Aug. 1.
"If they hit losing streaks, they find ways to get right back and win,” Dickenson said of the Bombers. "For us, it’s more about us. What type of team are we? What’s our attitude? What’s our mentality?
"The main thing for us, we’ve got to take care of the football and we’ve got to stop taking dumb penalties. That’s the winning formula we’ve stressed from Week 1 of training camp and it’s worked. When we do that, we win games, so it’s up to us to be knowing that the bullets are flying, but we have to make sure we keep our poise, don’t take selfish penalties and the ball is at a premium."
After missing last week’s game against the Argos with a neck injury, quarterback Zach Collaros is listed atop the depth chart ahead of Chris Streveler heading into Saturday’s game against the Stamps.
Although Streveler threw three interceptions against the Argos, he ran for a nine-yard touchdown in the first quarter to put the Bombers up 14-7, which was a lead they didn’t relinquish.
"I’m excited to be back on (the roster) obviously to get back out there with the guys,” Collaros said. “I feel good to go and excited about the opportunity tomorrow.
"Every week is a new challenge. Calgary just happens to be on the schedule this week. We’ve played them twice, so we know them pretty well, they know us well."
Winnipeg coach Mike O’Shea doesn’t put too much stock into the pair of lopsided losses his team suffered to the Stamps in July.
"First and foremost, I don’t think the guys can look at those games and try and draw anything from them except this is a new game,” O’Shea said. “They’ve got to work hard for each other. They’ve got to be physical, they’ve got to be clean.
"Those two games were not very good, but I don’t know that you’re going to spend a lot of time thinking about those two games trying to prepare for this one."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2025.
Laurence Heinen, The Canadian Press
