Winnipeg @ Hamilton preview
Tim Hortons Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 10, 2018 ) Hamilton 23, Winnipeg 29
The unbeaten Winnipeg Blue Bombers look to pass their toughest test of the season when they visit the East Division-leading Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday. The Blue Bombers routed the Ottawa Redblacks 31-1 in Week 6 to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 1960 while creating a four-point cushion at the top of the West Division, and hope to keep on rolling by notching their fifth road win in six tries - dating back to last season.
"It's fun and we're winning so it's all good," Winnipeg running back Andrew Harris told reporters. "You want to peak at the right time and keep getting better every week and that's exactly what we're doing." Hamilton has had an extra week to prepare for the marquee matchup following an impressive 30-23 win over the Calgary Stampeders on July 13. The Tiger-Cats are in a confident mood after ending a 14-game regular-season losing skid to the Stampeders and hope their bye week doesn't rob them of the momentum as they hope to improve to 5-1 for the first time in 21 years. "We're definitely aware of their (Winnipeg) record and that nobody has beaten them," Hamilton coach Orlondo Steinauer told reporters. "But it doesn't motivate us as we prepare the same way each week."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS
ABOUT THE BLUE BOMBERS (5-0): Matt Nichols was named one of the CFL's Top Performers of the Week after setting a single-game franchise record with 19 consecutive completions en route to finishing 25-of-29 for 295 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win against Ottawa. Harris gained 63 yards on 14 carries to move past Tracy Ham (8,043) for 11th place on the CFL's all-time rushing list with 8,099. Wide receiver Chris Matthews practiced on Tuesday despite reports that he was stabbed in a Winnipeg restaurant on Saturday while defensive lineman Jonathan Kongbo, who was Winnipeg's first-round pick in the 2019 Draft, practiced for the first time since tearing his ACL in the final game of his collegiate career with the Tennessee Volunteers.
ABOUT THE TIGER-CATS (4-1): Brandon Banks caught nine passes for 86 yards and a pair of touchdowns while returning a missed field goal for another score to help Hamilton beat Calgary for the first time since Sept. 25, 2011. Linebacker Simoni Lawrence, who has registered a team-leading 23 tackles to go along with three sacks and two interceptions, will serve the first of his two-game suspension after his appeal was rejected by an arbitrator and will likely be replaced by Tyrice Beverette or Justin Tuggle. Linebacker Chris Frey Jr. is expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury against the Stampeders while offensive lineman Chris Van Zeyl is set to return to the fold after missing one game with a knee problem.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Winnipeg has won its last three games by an average margin of 24 points.
2. Banks leads the league in receptions (36) and receiving yards (506).
3. The Blue Bombers have won five straight games against East Division opponents.
PREDICTION: Tiger-Cats 35, Blue Bombers 34