With their fourth win in a row on Thursday night, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are officially the hottest team in the CFL.

The Blue and Gold (6-2) came out strong at Investors Group Field and never looked back, never trailing once in the game as they handed the Edmonton Eskimos (7-1) their first loss of the 2017 season, 33 to 26. The Bombers struck first in the first quarter, as Justin Medlock put the first of four field goals on the night through the uprights. From there, the defense took over until half time, reducing quarterback Mike Reilly and the Edmonton offense to a mere field goal in the first half. The defense also created offensive opportunities for Matt Nichols & Co., who used a three-and-out to get Dan LeFevour a chance to punch it into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game, and a Chris Randle interception set up Nichols for a beautiful 25-yard touchdown completion to Darvin Adams.

The big key to the win for the Bombers was the dynamic performance of Winnipeg native Andrew Harris. The running back ran for 105 yards on the night, and added another 120 yards receiving, making him nearly impossible for the Edmonton defense.

The Bombers were tested after halftime, when Edmonton came out and scored in the first drive of the third quarter. The Bomber offense was able to keep pace, answering with points of their own each time the Eskimos threatened to overtake them. Edmonton pressed them for the rest of the game, setting up an onside kick recovery situation with 14 seconds to play. Darvin Adams recovered the kick to seal the Bombers' victory.

Winnipeg will see the field next on Thursday, August 24th, when they travel to Montreal to face the Alouettes. Montreal is currently in first place in the CFL's East division, and they will be playing on shorter rest than the Bombers as they face the Toronto Argonauts this weekend.

photos courtesy Merle Peters