3 keys to victory for Calgary, Winnipeg on Mobil Thanksgiving Weekend

WINNIPEG — The Calgary Stampeders visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday in a Mobil Thanksgiving Weekend matchup with significant playoff implications.

With a win, the Stamps can clinch a spot in the postseason.

Calgary improved to 8-8 with a win over Saskatchewan last week while Winnipeg fell to 7-8 after a loss in Montreal.

It’s the third of three meetings, with the outcome deciding the season series after the Bombers' Week 1 win and the Stampeders' Week 8 victory.

Here’s three keys to victory for both teams ahead of Saturday's 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff, which can be watched on TSN in Canada and on CFL+ in the U.S. and internationally.

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CALGARY STAMPEDERS

1. VA MAKING THEM PAY

As quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. goes, so does the rest of the Stampeders offence. He’s playing some of his best football at the right time with 1,021 passing yards and nine touchdowns over his past three games. He’s also thrown only one interception in that span and will face a Bombers defence that’s done well at limiting yards but has only seven interceptions.

2. IS SHARING THE HANDOFFS THE ANSWER?

Heading into their fourth game without running back Dedrick Mills, head coach Dave Dickenson may have found a short-term solution to fill the void. He split the handoffs last week, with Deonta McMahon getting 11 and Ludovick Choquette taking five. With the Bombers allowing the second-most rushing yards per game, Dickenson could use multiple looks to find success.

3. WIN AT THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE

Much of the offence’s success relies on the often overlooked offensive line. It’s a group without Brad Ashmore and Zack Williams, who are out with injuries, so William Barnes, Bakyne Coly, Chris Fortin, Preston Nichols and Christy Nkanu have to pick up the slack to give Adams Jr. time and create holes for McMahon and Choquette.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

1. THE RETURN OF ZACH COLLAROS

Quarterback Zach Collaros returns for arguably the season's biggest game after missing the previous two with a head injury. In his lone start against Calgary back in Week 1, he completed 17-of-28 passes for 233 yards. With Nic Demski, Tommy Nield, Dorian Singer, Tim White and Ontaria Wilson at his disposal, Collaros has plenty of options to attack a Calgary defence that enters Mobil Thanksgiving Weekend allowing the second-most passing yards per game.

2. TIGHTER COVERAGE

When a team gives up 548 yards of net offence as Winnipeg did against Montreal, adjustments have to be made, and quickly. It starts in the secondary where the defensive backs need to find a way to get in between the ball and its intended target. Evan Holm and Major Williams excel in that area with 12 pass knockdowns each.

3. CONTROL THE PLAY

The Blue Bombers will look to control the clock and stay on the field for longer stretches this week. Running back Brady Oliveira can help, having rushed for 241 yards against the Stamps across their two previous meetings.

NEED TO KNOW:

• Adams Jr. is 8-4 against Winnipeg. He needs 75 passing yards for his third 4,000-yard season.

• In his last three games, Stamps receiver Jalen Philpot has averaged 7.7 catches and 105.7 receiving yards.

• Last week, Bombers receiver Ontaria Wilson returned from injury to record his third 100-yard game of the season.

• Tim White is 93 receiving yards shy of his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season.

• Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and can be watched on TSN in Canada and on CFL+ in the U.S. and internationally.