Sep 25, 2026 · 9 min · 6 segments
Week 17 is here, and with only five weeks left in the regular season, the playoff picture is getting tight. I break down all four matchups, including Winnipeg’s outlook without Zach Collaros, a huge…
Tanya HendersonHost
Zach Caleros is once again out with a head injury and has also been put on the sixth game, effectively, potentially, possibly ending his 2026 season as well.
Unless, of course, the Bombers are able and willing to take the salary cap hit and pull him off early if he's good to go.
The question is, what can Winnipeg do without Zach? They currently sit fourth in the West Division, their record tied with the Lions, but the Lions have the win on them.
Unless the Riders have a huge slide towards the end of the season, or the Stampeders are resurrected, Winnipeg is fighting the Lions for either third in the West or the crossover game in the East.
So with Zach out and likely, and ideally for fans, all their games having serious playoff implications, can Drew Brown and this Winnipeg defense string enough wins together to stay afloat? Last time these two teams met, Drew Brown had his game of the year being back in Winnipeg colors for the first time this season.
He completed 25 of 31 pass attempts for 339 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and Winnipeg walked away with a 30-21 win.
However, since that game, Brown's performance has become less desirable and Chad Kelly has thrown the ball away more.
Usually we talk about establishing the run game so that you can have a passing game.
However, Toronto has proved us wrong, saying if you can't shut down or pass game, you won't even need to worry about the run game because we will just keep passing it.
I think these two teams are vastly different than who they were when they met at the start of July.
Both of them have tightened things up, gotten to their groove, and built some consistency in how they show up.
I think this Winnipeg defense has drastically improved over recent games, and being the league's best defense against the passing game, I think they can cause some significant issues for Chad.
But, Their lack of interceptions does concern me, only having five versus Edmonton's 21 on the year.
However, I think that is due to the quality of coverage that Winnipeg is providing, as it makes it very obvious for a quarterback to know not to throw the ball.
Which means there's a good chance that Toronto will be forced to run the ball this week as one of the worst rushing teams in the league.
At the end of the day, your defense can be on point, but if your offense can't score, you can't win.
Zach Caleros is once again out with a head injury and has also been put on the sixth game, effectively, potentially, possibly ending his 2026 season as well.
Unless, of course, the Bombers are able and willing to take the salary cap hit and pull him off early if he's good to go.
The question is, what can Winnipeg do without Zach? They currently sit fourth in the West Division, their record tied with the Lions, but the Lions have the win on them.
Unless the Riders have a huge slide towards the end of the season, or the Stampeders are resurrected, Winnipeg is fighting the Lions for either third in the West or the crossover game in the East.
So with Zach out and likely, and ideally for fans, all their games having serious playoff implications, can Drew Brown and this Winnipeg defense string enough wins together to stay afloat? Last time these two teams met, Drew Brown had his game of the year being back in Winnipeg colors for the first time this season.
He completed 25 of 31 pass attempts for 339 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and Winnipeg walked away with a 30-21 win.
However, since that game, Brown's performance has become less desirable and Chad Kelly has thrown the ball away more.
Usually we talk about establishing the run game so that you can have a passing game.
However, Toronto has proved us wrong, saying if you can't shut down or pass game, you won't even need to worry about the run game because we will just keep passing it.
I think these two teams are vastly different than who they were when they met at the start of July.
Both of them have tightened things up, gotten to their groove, and built some consistency in how they show up.
I think this Winnipeg defense has drastically improved over recent games, and being the league's best defense against the passing game, I think they can cause some significant issues for Chad.
But, Their lack of interceptions does concern me, only having five versus Edmonton's 21 on the year.
However, I think that is due to the quality of coverage that Winnipeg is providing, as it makes it very obvious for a quarterback to know not to throw the ball.
Which means there's a good chance that Toronto will be forced to run the ball this week as one of the worst rushing teams in the league.
At the end of the day, your defense can be on point, but if your offense can't score, you can't win.
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