TSN and SportsCage analyst Glen Suitor believes the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are not as dominant as they once were.
"I think Winnipeg has lost that magic dust that they used to have, it was this team that is going to be very, very tough to beat," Suitor said on the SportsCage. "Now you look at them and you go: they're definitely beatable. They still have the talent that if you don't play your best, you are going to lose."
Through 10 games in the 2025 CFL season, the Bombers are third place in the West Division with a 6-4 record. Winnipeg has made it to five straight Grey Cups, winning in 2019 and 2021 but losing the last three trips. The Blue and Gold have hosted the West Final the last four seasons in a row.
Meanwhile, in the Riders last game, Saskatchewan lost 32-15 to Calgary, which marked their second straight loss to the Stampeders in 2025. The first time the Roughriders dropped a game to the Stamps this season happened in Week 6 when Saskatchewan lost 24-10.
"Absolutely, the Bombers will steal from the Calgary tape. They'll take a look at that and they're going to see what they did coverage-wise to make Trevor [Harris] hold it that extra second," Suitor explained. "Then they have to rely on their own personnel to win enough one-on-one battles. What they shouldn't even consider is that the Riders will make the same mental mistakes that they made in Calgary."
Saskatchewan has the advantage when it comes to playing Winnipeg in the Labour Day Classic with a 38-21 all-time record.
"When I was playing, there were a lot of years that we didn't have a good record going into Labour Day and I tried to forget those years, but it's hard," Suitor said. "We always seem to play our best game of the regular season on Labour Day. One of the reasons for that is the crowd comes with such great intensity that it does give you a little more juice as a player."
The game between the Bombers and Riders takes place on Sunday and it's sold out. With all the fans at Mosaic Stadium, Suitor believes the noise will cause issues for Zach Collaros and his offence.
"The advantage the Bombers have in a home game or in a regular season game on the road, where the fans are loud but they're not crazy, you could still hear Zach calling the signals. He has the snap count, so he knows when the ball is coming back. The defence has to react after the ball moves, that little split second is crucial in winning and losing a play," Suitor said.
"On Labour Day, the Bombers will lose the snap count on offence, they won't be able to hear it. Their receivers will have to look down the line, look at the ball before they can hit the line of scrimmage and that makes them a split second behind the play. The defensive line for the Riders are already getting up the field, and Zach is looking for their receiver, who is now getting out of his break. That all contributes to why Labour Day is so hard for the Bombers to win in Saskatchewan."
The Green and White host the Bombers for the 60th annual Labour Day Classic on Sunday. Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk, and Wes Cates bring you the pre-game show at 2 p.m. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder have the game call at 5 p.m. Listen or watch our detailed coverage at the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.
