The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are rediscovering their mojo again and it’s coming courtesy a familiar cast of characters and with a sprinkling of some new/old faces, too.
The Blue Bombers won their second straight on a steamy Friday night at Princess Auto Stadium in a 30-21 win over the Toronto Argonauts in a game chock-full of explosive plays — and also some messy moments — that nonetheless showcased some encouraging signs through five games and six weeks of the Canadian Football League season.
Winnipeg is now 3-2 with their last two W’s coming with quarterbacks not named Zach Collaros at the controls — last week it was rookie Taylor Elgersma coming off the bench to play a key role in a road win in Hamilton and tonight it was Dru Brown making a triumphant return to the Blue Bombers with a superb performance of his own.
In fact, get this: just 17 days after being acquired from the Ottawa RedBlacks in a trade for a first-round draft pick and a conditional second rounder, Brown completed 25-of-31 for 339 yards with a TD strike to Tim White and one interception.
“It feels good. I’m happy to be somewhere that I really enjoy and my family loves with guys that believe in me,” said Brown post-game. “So, it’s hard to kind of put into words, but I’m glad I could do my part tonight and execute the plays.
“Especially on a short week (of practice), the guys up front, Brady (Oliveira) in the backfield, the guys catching the ball got to the right spots. I can’t do any of that without the help of the other 11 so I’m grateful to have guys that prepare hard and take care of themselves and then go out there and compete their tail off.”
The win was Brown’s first as a Blue Bomber at home — although it was technically the Argos home game after they opted to play their dates lost due to the World Cup here and in Regina — and running out of the tunnel in front of 32,134, just shy of a sellout, made for an emotional moment after being demoted in Ottawa and then traded.
“It was special,” said Brown. “I can’t really express… I feel like I say it all the time, but I really love it here, my family loves it here, and the support that I’ve gotten from everyone in the building and in the community means a lot to me.”
There were a ton of layers that made up the club’s third win of the season and here are some thoughts from our view in the press box…
A TIME FOR REDEMPTION/A MOMENT FOR HEROES
The Blue Bombers were leading 22-14 with just over 10 minutes remaining and potentially about to put a stranglehold on the game when Trey Vaval fumbled a punt which was recovered by the Argos at the Winnipeg 33-yard line.
What happened next over the next three plays was ultimately massive in the victory. First, Winnipeg’s defence forced two incompletions by the Argos and as Lirim Hajrullahu connected on a 40-yard field goal the Blue Bombers called a time out thinking they had too many men on the field, blowing the play dead.
Hajrullahu then missed on his second try, with Vaval weaving more magic with a 129-yard missed field goal return touchdown which smashed his own club record of 128 yards, set last year in Ottawa.
TREY VAVAL HAS A SHORT MEMORY.#ForTheW pic.twitter.com/2thFfO0gne
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) July 11, 2026
Asked what was going through his mind after the muffed return, Vaval was succinct.
“Honestly, it was, F— man, I put my team in that position,” he said. “I’ve got to get better. I’ve got to go back and fix my eyes because I was looking at the field and not at the ball. I was just trying to do too much for my team at that point.
“That happened and it made me take a step back, breathe, and relax and get my mind right for the rest of the game.”
INSTANT TAKEAWAYS
-Brown has now eclipsed the 300-yard passing mark in his last four starts against the Argos, including his days in Ottawa.
-Toronto’s Chad Kelly finished 24-of-36 for 320 yards and two TD strikes to Makai Polk, but the Blue Bombers also sacked him three times — twice by Willie Jefferson and a third by Redha Kramdi.
Jefferson now has three sacks in five games, already matching his total from last year.
FOR HIS SECOND OF THE NIGHT.#ForTheW pic.twitter.com/08rK2o6txI
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) July 11, 2026
“Willie could have no sacks right now and he’d still be the most dominant defensive lineman in the league,’ said head coach Mike O’Shea. “He’s always been that special; I just people spend too much time staring at his stat line.
“He’s always impacted the game; he’s always been that guy. So, there’s numbers now to it. I don’t really care about the numbers. He is making a mess back there (in the opposition backfield). Whether it adds up to a sack or not, offences need to account for him and every single game he is creating havoc whether that adds up to a stat or not.”
-Nic Demski finished with six catches for 82 yards and moved past Perry Tuttle for 11th place on the Blue Bombers all-time receiving yardage list. He’s now at 6,595 yards as a Blue Bomber.
-The Blue Bombers did leave some points on the field, with Pokey Wilson fumbling at the Argo four-yard line after a 49-yard gain on the first possession but rebounded to finish with 10 receptions for 133 yards, including three second-down conversions.
There were some wacky ones on this night, but Vaval’s magic came at a critical moment. It was his fifth kick return touchdown for the Blue Bombers — twice now on missed field goals, twice on kickoffs and once on a punt — in just 22 games here in Winnipeg.
The Blue Bombers still made their share of mistakes — two lost fumbles and an interception — but Brown’s statline jumps out on a night where it was uncertain what kind of role he could have this quickly after the trade with Ottawa.
Brown completed 81 percent of his passes — 25-of-31- for a tidy 339 yards as the ball came out of his hands quickly save for the one throw that was picked.
ALRIGHT TIM WHITE !!!
We snatch the first TD of the night!!!!#ForTheW pic.twitter.com/sY3nm8P6XP
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) July 11, 2026
The Blue Bombers are back on the road next weekend with a trip to Ottawa and a date with the RedBlacks on Sunday, July 19th with a scheduled start time of 6 p.m. CDT.
