The 2017 Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL) boarded their buses and traveled south to Minneapolis to kick off the inaugural Bud Grant’s Border Battle between the Bombers and the 2016 Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL), which was held outdoors at TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The Vikings’ indoor field at US Bank Stadium was unavailable for the event as the NFL prepares to host Super Bowl LII in that venue.
After a rousing rendition of both the U.S. and Canadian national anthems, performed by Minnesota native Bob Dylan, former Bombers and Vikings head coach Bud Grant led the coin toss, which was won by the Bombers, who elected to receive.
With thousands of Bombers fans in attendance and wearing blue, gold, and white toques, the crowd cheered when Winnipeg’s Ryan Lankford returned Kai Forbath’s opening kick 33 yards from the 1-yard line. The Bomber fans’ happiness was short-lived, however, as head coach Mike ZImmers’ Vikings immediately applied pressure and forced Winnipeg quarterback Matt Nichols to throw the ball away for an intentional grounding penalty. The Bombers’ punter Justin Medlock then booted an incredible 68-yard punt, and Winnipeg’s return coverage team held Minnesota’s Stefon Diggs to a 1-yard return.
When Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford and his backfield of running backs Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon took the field, they immediately took charge of the situation. Asiata and McKinnon traded runs off tackle and around the ends while Bradford hit Adam Thielen and Cordarrelle Patterson on passes in the flat and in the middle of the field. Thirteen plays later the Vikings found themselves staring down the end zone from the Winnipeg 21-yard line, but the Blue Bombers dug in and forced a Forbath field goal on 4th and 1 from the 12-yard line. The Vikings took a 3-0 lead with 7:45 left to play in the first quarter.
Not to be outplayed by their NFL cousins to the south, the Blue Bombers responded with a 17-play, 94-yard drive for a touchdown beginning at their own 6-yard line. On the drive, Nichols connected with passes to receivers Weston Dressler, Darvin Adams, and Clarence Denmark, and to running backs Andrew Harris and Timothy Flanders, while Harris also contributed in the run game. The Bombers capped their drive with a CFL-style scrum led by short-yardage quarterback Dan LeFevour, who ran around the end for a two-yard touchdown. Always-reliable placekicker Medlock sealed the deal with the extra point to put Winnipeg up 7-0 with 2:15 left in the first quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Patterson returned the ball out of the end zone to the 17-yard line, and on the third play of the drive, McKinnon fumbled on an end run, but the Vikings recovered and drove down the field into the second quarter. Tragedy struck, however, when on the twelfth play of the drive, Asiata fumbled on an off-tackle run, and this time the Bombers recovered the ball on their own 35-yard line.
On their first drive of the second quarter, the Blue Bombers fought hard to keep the Vikings’ defense at bay. Winnipeg offensive Lineman Sukh Chungh allowed Vikings’ linebacker Chad Greenway to assault Harris on an off-tackle run for a 0-yard gain, but Chungh responded later in the drive by fending off Vikings’ defensive end Brian Robison on a pass rush. Halfback Flanders also did his part by providing an effective pass block against Vikings’ defensive end Danielle Hunter, but overall, Nichols failed to connect with his receivers, forcing a punt.
The Vikings failed to take advantage of the Bombers’ stalled drive and went three-and-out in a mix of incomplete passes to McKinnon and to tight end Kyle Rudolph and a run by Asiata who was stopped at the line of scrimmage.
With 10:00 left to play in the half, the Blue Bombers began their next drive with a 15-yard stab to Flanders in the flat, but coach Zimmer pulled out all the stops when Vikings’ defensive tackle Linval Joseph beat out Bombers’ offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick for a sack for -11 yards—and on the very next play, Vikings free safety Harrison Smith intercepted a long pass to Dressler and returned the ball 32 yards to bring Minnesota first-and-goal at the Winnipeg 4-yard line. The Bombers defense responded with an incredible goal line stand, which forced Asiata and McKinnon to rush for a combined loss of 11 yards. Minnesota’s Chinese fire drill ended with Forbath missing the field goal.
With 6:45 remaining in the half, Winnipeg began a 17-play drive from their own 13-yard line. Flanders took the lead running the ball and caught passes alongside Dressler and Julian Feoli-Gudino. Over-confidence took hold of the Blue Bombers, however, when on 4th and 2 at the Minnesota 15-yard line and with 1:45 left to play in the half, short-yardage quarterback LeFevour attempted an end run around the scrum, but he was stuffed by Greenway for a six-yard loss.
The teams entered the locker room with the score Winnipeg 7, Minnesota 3.
With temperatures below freezing, the hot chocolate flowed feely at the concession stands at halftime, but the crowd eagerly emerged from the concourse to take in the halftime show led by Minnesota-born Paul Westerberg of The Replacements, who was joined by the band Semisonic, also from Minneapolis. Westerberg and Semisonic each played their own music but finished their performance with pyrotechnics and a rendition of Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy.”
The Vikings and Blue Bombers emerged from their locker rooms slowly, perhaps a little bruised, and perhaps with a little warm grog in their systems to take the chill off. Medlock kicked off for the Bombers and Diggs took a knee for the touchback.
Minnesota looked lethargic as they started the second half with a three-and-out that included a holding penalty followed by Bradford racing for the sidelines on a must run. Vikings punter Jeff Locke booted a 50-yard punt and Lankford logged a 5-yard return to the Winnipeg 27 yard line.
The Blue Bombers did not hesitate. After Harris found himself stuffed for a 2-yard loss on the opening play, Nichols connected with Feoli-Gudino for 19 yards and then Adams for 48 yards, which ticked off coverage man Xavier Rhodes, who was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when he argued for an offensive pass interference flag and poked the field judge in the chest. Coach Zimmer tossed his clipboard at Rhodes when the cornerback returned to the sidelines, and Winnipeg found themselves with 1st and Goal at the Minnesota 3-yard line. Nichols dropped a short pass to Flanders in the end zone for a touchdown. LeFevour failed to convert for two points on an end run, which left the score at Winnipeg 13, Minnesota 3.
On the very first play of the ensuing drive, Bradford stood too long in the pocket looking to connect on a long pass to Thielen until Winnipeg’s left end Jamaal Westerman swam past Vikings right tackle Jeremiah Sirles for an 11-yard sack, which resulted in Bradford fumbling and then falling on the ball. After the Bombers’ strong safety Brandon Alexander swatted away a pass to Rudolph on second down, Diggs responded on third with a 31-yard reception. Defensive penalties then carried the Vikings into Blue Bomber territory, but Winnipeg shut down Minnesota’s passing attack and the drive ended on 4th and 6 at the Bombers’ 33-yard line when Zimmer decided to avoid another Forbath miscue and tried a short pass to Rudolph, instead, which fell incomplete.
Winnipeg failed to take advantage of the anemic Minnesota offense. The Bombers’ 6-play, 20-yard drive ended in a Medlock punt out the back of the end zone for a touchback.
When the Vikings returned to the field, Bradford failed to connect with McKinnon, Thielen, and Rudolph, and Westerman beat Sirles again for his second sack and a four-yard loss. Locke booted a 44-yard punt, and the crowd, quiet-and-bored, erupted when Winnipeg’s return man Kevin Fogg raced 60 yards for a touchdown. The ever-automatic Medlock licked the extra point to bring the score to Winnipeg 20, Minnesota 3.
Mike Zimmer shot bullets from his bespectacled face as he looked up at the Bud Grant banner in the Vikings Ring of Honor. It was clear to everyone on the Minnesota sideline that the ghosts of the Vikings’ past successes continued to haunt the third-year head coach. With his play chart held close to his face to shield the noise from the Winnipeg fans’ sustained eruption, Zimmer ordered offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to “Stuff that $#%&@! ball up their Canuck asses!”
Shurmur and the team responded with a series of 10 plays, all for positive yardage. On the drive, Rudolph muscled Alexander for the ball and a 15-yard reception in clear revenge, and Asiata ran over Bomber defensive tackle Jake Thomas in an off-tackle explosion. The drive ended on a 4-yard pass to Rudolph in the end zone. Feeling newly aggressive, Shurmur ordered a two-point conversion, but the Bombers kept Asiata behind the line of scrimmage to bring the score to Winnipeg 20, Minnesota 9. On the ensuing kickoff, Vikings fans erupted once again when Winnipeg’s Lankford returned the ball 11 yards from the 4-yard line only to fumble, and Minnesota recovered.
And then a first-half injury came back to haunt the Blue Bombers. (Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg left linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox had suffered a game-ending injury when he lost his footing attempting to swat a Bradford pass.) With the Vikings fired up now and charging from the 15-yard line, McKinnon slipped through the grasp of backup linebacker Kyle Knox for a short gain. Asiata followed suit, and Vikings left guard Alex Boone led the push on a line buck for Asiata to score a touchdown. Forbath missed the extra point, leaving the score at Winnipeg 20, Minnesota 15.
Perhaps it was the cold weather, or perhaps it was a rivalry in the making, but injuries became a problem for both teams in the second half. After Lankford returned Forbath’s kick to the Winnipeg 24-yard line, Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes suffered a concussion on the very next play when he stopped Flanders on a flat pass in the Bomber backfield. Winnipeg responded with more passes to Rhodes’ side of the field, but the drive stalled at Minnesota’s 47-yard line. Medlock was forced to punt, and Marcus Sherels took a knee in the end zone for the touchback.
With 11:00 left on the game clock, the Vikings looked at the scoreboard and measured the distance to the end zone. To drain the clock, Shurmur took the conservative approach and engineered a drive that began with a mix of running plays, followed by a mix of passes to the flat and to the look-in zone on the field. The Vikings survived a near-pick off Patterson over the middle by Bombers middle linebacker Sam Hurl and methodically took six minutes off the clock and scored a touchdown on a 5-yard pass to Rudolph. Forbath nailed the extra point to bring the score to Minnesota 22, Winnipeg 20. During the drive, on a downfield block for Rudolph on a flat pass, Thielen suffered a shoulder sprain and left the game.
Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea looked up at the clock and realized with only 5:00 left to play in the game, his CFL team would need to play Canadian-style football and start tossing the ball around more. His offense took the field after a Lankford touchback, and Nichols promptly completed one pass after another. The Bombers played inspired with right guard Jermarcus Hardrick keeping Joseph’s pass rush at bay and with Dressler beating Greenway in the flat for a 20-yard gain. On the last play of the drive, Flanders once again kept Hunter out of the pocket and away from Nichols, which allowed the Winnipeg gunslinger to complete a 22-yard pass to Adams for a touchdown. Medlock’s automatic extra point reversed the lead to Winnipeg 27, Minnesota 22.
A hush fell over the Minnesota fans in the stands as their beloved Vikings took the field following the kickoff and a touchback. Only 1:15 remained on the game clock. Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano warned his troops they had to hold the pocket because Bradford would be looking downfield.
On the first play of the final drive, and hoping for a significant effort after the catch, Bradford targeted Patterson, but the receiver outran the throw. On the next play the Bombers executed a pass rush, but right guard Brandon Fusco held off left tackle Jake Thomas and Bradford completed a 10-yard pass to Diggs. On the next play, center Joe Berger threw his body into blitzing right linebacker Ian Wild, but Bradford missed Diggs on the downfield pass. With 15 seconds left to play, things didn’t look good for the purple and gold, so Shurmur called Patterson’s number again. And while the speedster outran the ball once again, the hot-headed Bombers were called for roughing the passer, which moved the ball to the 50-yard line. When Bradford stood up and cleared his head, he saw double-zeroes on the game clock, but because the game cannot end on a defensive penalty, the game continued. In the huddle Bradford gave Diggs the nod, and on the next play the second-year man out of Maryland beat Bombers cornerback T.J. Heath on a fifty-fifty ball and ended the play 27 yards downfield at the Bombers’ 23-yard line. The double-zeroes on the clock force the air out of the crowd until they saw the side judge throw his flag. It was Heath this time who drew a personal foul and the Vikings found themselves with life on the Winnipeg 16-yard line. With the Vikings down by five points, the Minnesota faithful thanked God they didn’t have to depend on Forbath for a game-winning field goal, and they crossed their fingers and rose to their feet to cheer on Bradford and his men. The Vikings lined up with one tight end and three wide receivers and Bradford shot a bullet to Rudolph. The tight end reached for the ball but got caught up in traffic and the pigskin hit the turf. The Bombers beat the Vikings 27-22.
2017 WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Nichols 32 of 51, 359 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 2 carries for -5 yards
LeFevour 6 carries for -13 yards, 1 TD
Harris 9 carries for 35 yards, 7 catches for 60 yards
Flanders 1 carry for 6 yards, 7 catches for 42 yards, 1 TD
Adams 5 catches for 106 yards, 1 TD
Dressler 6 catches for 76 yards
Feoli-Gudino 6 catches for 63 yards
Denmark 1 catch for 12 yards
Fogg punt returns 10, 60 (TD)
Lankford punt returns 9, 5, kick returns 33, 11, 32
Givens kick returns 15
1 fumble lost
Westerman 2 sacks
Injuries: Santos-Knox
Medlock 3 extra points, four punts 68, 50, 49, 50
2016 MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Bradford 30 of 42, 2 TD, 0 INT, 1 carries for 9 yards
Asiata 20 carries for 48 yards, 1 TD
McKinnon 8 carries for 17 yards, 5 catches for 53 yards
Rudolph 10 catches for 81 yards, 2 TD
Diggs 6 catches for 91 yards
Thielen 6 catches for 51 yards
Patterson 3 catches for 31 yards
Diggs punt returns 1, 1, 1
Patterson kick returns 26, 29
2 fumbles, 1 lost
Joseph 1 sack
Injuries: Rhodes, Thielen
Forbath 1 FG (12 yds), 1 miss, 1 XP, 1 XP miss
Locke four punts 47, 37, 51, 44