The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are the CFL’s hottest team entering Saturday’s Western Final.
There are numerous reasons why this Bombers team was able to rattle off wins in nine of their final 10 games, but one of them is unquestionably their dominant pass defence. Winnipeg closed out the regular season as the league’s number one team defending the pass, allowing just 234.8 yards through the air per game.
And that’s about to get tested by their opponent this weekend. Led by quarterback Trevor Harris, Saskatchewan finished the regular season fourth by averaging 278.8 passing yards per game.
Upon his return in Week 11, however, Harris and the Riders went over that average in six of his last nine starts. That includes a 279-yard passing performance in last weekend’s Western Semi-Final win over the BC Lions.
So, as the Bombers look to advance to their fifth straight Grey Cup game, we’ve identified one key player in each of the three defensive layers.
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WILLIE JEFFERSON | DEFENSIVE END
He may be 33 and in his 10th CFL season, but Jefferson remains one of the league’s most dominant defensive players. Plain and simple, there just aren’t very many players opposing offences game plan specifically for. Jefferson is one of them and has been for quite some time.
This season saw Jefferson finish with 25 defensive tackles, six sacks, and one forced fumble. But those surface stats don’t tell the whole story of how Jefferson impacts Winnipeg’s smothering pass defence.
Jefferson led all defensive linemen, and was fifth among all players, with 10 pass knockdowns. He also finished as one of the league’s top edge defenders per Bryson Vesnaver at Pro Football Focus. Both Jefferson’s overall and pass rush grade ranked him top five this season, which further illustrates how crucial he’ll be in disrupting Harris’s afternoon on Saturday.
Jefferson led all defensive linemen, and was fifth among all players, with 10 pass knockdowns in 2024 (Jason Halstead CFL.ca)
TONY JONES | LINEBACKER
From a late training camp cut to one of the best MIKE linebackers in Canadian football. That’s not a bad turnaround for anyone and that’s exactly the path Jones has walked in 2024. After being released by Edmonton in early June, Jones found a home with the Bombers a few days later. And he enters this weekend as a key cog in Winnipeg’s defensive machine.
Jones slowly worked his way into the starting rotation for the Blue Bombers, first as an outside linebacker and, since Week 16, as the man calling the shots in the middle. He finished his first season in Winnipeg with 49 defensive tackles, one sack, one interception, and one forced fumble.
And despite his position not always thought most prominently of when talking pass defence, Jones has chipped in meaningfully. On top of being one of PFF’s most highly rated linebackers, Jones drops into coverage better than most players at his position. It allows him to be used in different defensive packages, which means Jones could have his fingerprints all over Saturday’s showdown.
TYRELL FORD | DEFENSIVE BACK
Not only has Ford rapidly developed into one of the most important pieces of Winnipeg’s lockdown pass defence, he’s also turned into one of the league’s very best defensive backs in the blink of an eye. In just his second year, there might not be a more important part of this well-oiled machine than Ford.
With seven interceptions this season, Ford finished second only to Saskatchewan’s Rolan Milligan Jr. who led the league with eight. When you add in Ford’s 12 pass knockdowns, which also ranked him second overall, you can see why throwing to his side of the field is a risky proposition.
Patrolling from his spot at field cornerback, Ford also scored some of the highest grades at PFF. His overall grade and coverage grade were both at the very top of the list amongst all defensive backs. Right alongside Evan Holm, Ford has been part of a field duo that no quarterback has been overly interested in testing.