Bombers rally past Argos in thrillling Eastern Semi-Final presented by Wegovy®

TORONTO — Nic Demski hauled in the go-ahead touchdown in the final minute as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers rallied to defeat the Toronto Argonauts 25-22 on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field in the Eastern Semi-Final presented by Wegovy®, advancing to the Division Finals for the fifth time in six years.

Demski led all pass catchers with 72 yards on four receptions, including a 42-yard grab in the first half, before hauling in the game-winner late.

Making his second career playoff start in place of the injured Zach Collaros, Dru Brown went 18-for-30 with 206 yards and two touchdowns, while Brady Oliveira rushed for 95 yards on 20 carries. David Reese’s 58-yard fumble return touchdown following Michael Fletcher’s strip sack late in the third quarter helped spark Winnipeg’s comeback.

The Bombers found their rhythm early, with Brown going three-for-three for 62 yards on the opening drive. Ontaria Wilson capped it with a one-handed grab before tightroping down the sideline into the end zone to open the scoring for Winnipeg.

After the teams exchanged punts, the Argos had their answer. David Ungerer III's second effort on a tipped pass moved Toronto across midfield before Chad Kelly found Most Outstanding Rookie Tyler Kahmann near the back of the end zone to tie it at 7-7.

Toronto kept the momentum going as DaShaun Amos intercepted Brown on Winnipeg's side of the turf after Dorian Singer slipped coming out of his break. Lirim Hajrullahu then opened the second quarter with a 42-yard field goal.

Later in the second, Winnipeg turned favourable field position into points. After pinning Toronto deep, Trey Vaval’s punt return set Brown up at the Argos’ 39, and Sergio Castillo tied it with a field goal.

Toronto’s defence heated up late in the half, forcing two turnovers in quick succession. Dathan Hickey, making his second career start, intercepted an overthrown pass intended for Singer before Soane Toia stripped Brown in the backfield and Shawn Lemon returned the fumble 22 yards to the edge of the red zone. The Argos settled for field goals after both, giving Toronto a 16-10 halftime lead.

The Argos came out of the break with another march to the red zone thanks to three straight handoffs to Cam Porter for 28 yards. Once again, the Bombers’ defence held firm and forced a chip-shot field goal.

The teams traded fumbles late in the third, with Alexander Teubner knocking the ball loose from Tim White after Winnipeg reached the red zone. But on the very next play, Fletcher stripped Kelly, and Reese scooped up the loose ball for a 58-yard house call to complete the wild, momentum-stealing sequence.

Still shaking off his throwing hand after the strip sack, Kelly drove the Argos offence back into field goal range before missing Kahmann near the goal line on second down. Hajrullahu stayed true on the 41-yarder, his fifth make of the game.

Kelly exited on Toronto’s next possession, clutching his elbow after firing a pass to Ungerer. The Argos punted on all three drives with backup Nick Arbuckle under centre, but Winnipeg couldn’t capitalize, as Brown struggled to find a rhythm with his receivers in the hunt for a late touchdown.

With under two minutes remaining, Winnipeg punted and looked to its defence for a stop, but it was the special teams that delivered, forcing a fumble from Janarion Grant to give Brown possession near midfield. Demski then played the hero, slipping open near the corner of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown before snagging the two-point conversion to give the Bombers a three-point cushion.

In desperation mode, Arbuckle could not move the chains, as Deatrick Nichols shut the door on third down to seal the result for Winnipeg.

Kelly finished with 193 yards and a touchdown as the Argos saw their season come to an end.

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SCORING PLAYS

• Dru Brown 32-yard touchdown pass to Ontaria Wilson (12:06, Q1) | WPG 7 TOR 0

• Chad Kelly 20-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Kahmann (2:12, Q1) | TOR 7 WPG 7

• Lirimi Hajrullahu 42-yard field goal (14:51, Q2) | TOR 10 WPG 7

• Sergio Castillo 42-yard field goal (8:12, Q2) | WPG 10 TOR 10

• Lirim Hajrullahu 37-yard field goal (2:20, Q2) | TOR 13 WPG 10

• Lirim Hajrullahu 28-yard field goal (0:41, Q2) | TOR 16 WPG 10

• Lirim Hajrullahu 10-yard field goal (9:22, Q3) | TOR 19 WPG 10

• David Reese 58-yard fumble return touchdown (0:38, Q3) | TOR 19 WPG 17

• Lirim Hajrullahu 41-yard field goal (12:23, Q4) | TOR 22 WPG 17

• Dru Brown 23-yard touchdown pass to Nic Demski (0:44, Q4) | WPG 25 TOR 22

NEXT UP

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers advance to take on the Alouettes in Montreal in the Eastern Final presented by Wegovy® on Saturday, November 7. The teams split their regular-season series, with Winnipeg winning 44-28 in Week 13 before Montreal took the rematch 37-10 in Week 18. The Bombers will look to avenge last year's Eastern Semi-Final loss to the Alouettes.

The Toronto Argonauts enter the off-season after being eliminated in the Eastern Semi-Final for the third time in six seasons.