The Winnipeg Blue Bombers scored 27 unanswered second half points and beat the Toronto Argonauts 46-29 Saturday afternoon in front of 25,943 football fans at Investors Group Field.

“We've won differently several times in different styles of games,” Winnipeg head coach Mike O'Shea said to the media after his football team's seventh straight win. “Both Saskatchewan games were physically very tough. This was a physically tough game. The first half was tough. We managed to come out at halftime and respond extremely well.”

Argos quarterback Dan LeFevour, who completed 22-of-34 for 271 yards, tossed four touchdown passes.

His fourth of the game, a three-yarder to Kenny Shaw 4:52 into the third quarter extended Toronto's lead to 29-19.

LeFevour did a great job keeping the Bombers defense off balance as he also took off with the ball 10 times for 57 yards.

“For some reason we couldn't contain him,” said linebacker Maurice Leggett said. “He's great at scrambling. We're so used to having guys just standing in the pocket. They might move around but as athletic as he is, he's one of the more athletic quarterbacks in the league – we just had to adjust to it and once that happened everything started to fall into place.”

And everything did fall into place.

Matt Nichols threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Clarence Denmark with four-and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter which tied the game at 29-29.

Timothy Flanders, who stepped in when Andrew Harris was unable to go, capped off an 11 play, 62 yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run early in the fourth.

Flanders finished the afternoon with 19 carries for 102 yards.

“I feel blessed,” said Flanders. “Blessed and very excited. We came out with the win. That's all that really matters to me. We did what I expected us to do, we got out there, we ran the ball and it opened up the passing game for us.”

Nichols sealed the deal with a one yard touchdown plunge with 3:02 remaining.

Winnipeg had 25 points from it's special teams.

Quincy McDuffie returned a Lirim Hajrullahu kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown with just over three minutes left in the second quarter.

And Justin Medlock was good on all six of his field goal attempts.

The big one was a 53-yarder on the final play of the first half that cut the Argonauts lead to 22-19.

“You always want to make those going into the half,” said Medlock. “You keep the momentum going and it felt like the offense gets some points. It was a good way to finish the half.”

The Blue Bombers (8-4) are tied for second place in the CFL's West Division with the B.C. Lions (8-3) who had the bye in Week 13.

Winnipeg's next game is Saturday, September 24th in Calgary against a Stampeders team that leads the west with 21 points – five more than the Bombers and Lions.

Matt Nichols, who has won all seven games since taking over from Drew Willy as Winnipeg's starting quarterback, says they have a lot to play for.

“We're still in a position to take first in the West,” said Nichols. “We need a little bit of help but we're still putting our nose down and attacking each and every week. Our goal is first place and Grey Cup. That's every teams goal and if that's not your goal – I don't know what you're doing here.”


photos courtesy Jeff Miller