Upon Further Review | The Labour Day Classic

And the evidence says they are a team which can tease its potential and flash greatness in one week and then can also cause everyone to scream at the sun and moon in frustration with a series of 'what the?' moments the next.

It's all been right there in front of everyone over the last three games against three of the best teams in the CFL.

It started with a solid first-half performance against the Edmonton Elks followed by an implosion in the final 30 minutes; then an absolute gem in a dominating decision over the Montreal Alouettes, the best team in the CFL and then Sunday's 32-26 OT loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders that was another an all-over-the-map performance.

So, at 6-6 and a third of the season left to play -- including the rematch this Saturday at home in the Banjo Bowl and home dates with the Toronto Argonauts and Calgary Stampeders before finishing the year with road trips to Edmonton and Vancouver -- what are we to make of this bunch?

Do these last three games feel like progress, even with a 1-2 record, given the quality of the opponents?

Do the losses to Edmonton and Saskatchewan feel like opportunities lost, especially given the battle royale that is the West Division playoff fight?

Or is it simply a combination of all of the above?

"The good in this is we see them again in a few days. We're .500 and a playoff spot is still in front of us," began defensive back and rookie-of-the-year candidate Major Williams late Sunday night inside the Blue Bombers locker room. "It really is now, more than ever, about a day at a time for us.

"We've got (Dorian) Singer in there making plays now and you still see the signs of things coming together. It's not over yet. I was beating my chest before the game today saying, 'Believe. Believe and have faith.' That's what it's going to come down to -- belief.

"The results are inconsistent times, but I still feel good about it. There are times when you see the oohs and aahs with everything. We started this and we're going to finish it together. I know we've got the Banjo Bowl at home and we're going to win that one."

The Blue Bombers are in the middle of the West Division race behind the Elks (9-3) and Roughriders (8-4) and alongside the B.C. Lions (6-6) and ahead of the Stamps (5-7) after their loss Monday to their provincial rivals.

What follows is the rest of this week's edition of UPON FURTHER REVIEW...

THREE NUMBERS WHICH JUMPED OUT AFTER A SECOND GLANCE AT THE STATS SHEET:

1 The inconsistency of the Blue Bombers this season can be summarized in part by the team's last two offensive possessions. First, Zach Collaros helped lead the team to a game-tying score with a six-play 77-yard drive in just 32 seconds, capped with a TD toss to Dorian Singer as the clock hit zeros and the convert sending the affair to overtime.

And then in OT, following a Roughriders score and failed two-point convert, Winnipeg's chance to match was a mess. A four-yard completion to Tommy Nield was then followed by an inexcusable time-count penalty that turned a second-and-six into a second-and-11. A short five-yard connection to Gavin Cobb netted some yards back, but on third-and-six -- and the game on the line -- a throw to Tim White was well behind the first-down marker and resulted in just two yards.

All that momentum after the Singer score was gone in a flash.

"Great play. Good drive," said head coach Mike O'Shea of the Singer TD at the end of regulation. "Understanding that we had extra plays... I didnt think there was a rush and the offence was very calm about it and went about their business and Zach throws a great strike; Dorian with a good catch and gets his foot in bounds, Sergio (Castillo) pops the convert.

"Then we know we're going defence first (in overtime). We've just got to be better in those situations offensively and defensively."

"It's just us not executing again in critical situations," added guard Pat Neufeld. "That's kind of been the tale of us on offence so far this year where we're not finding ways to get the ball in the end zone when we're in the red zone.

"In a critical part of the game we've got to find a way to get the ball in the end zone. We've got to find a way to start the play and get things going.

"We've showed some resilience, we showed some character, we showed some fight to keep battling. In an adverse situation when everything's going against you we kept plugging away and plugging away."

And one more on all this, from Willie Jefferson:

"It's still the little things. The offence did what they needed to put the ball in the end zone to force overtime but we've got to be better with the penalties, communication in the back end with those explosion plays that put (Saskatchewan) into position to go for the quarterback sneak in overtime. Then we fight to make sure they don't get the two-point conversion but we have to be better with the operation on the offensive side of the ball.

"We have plays, we have players we know can make plays, we've just got to be better with the time.

"We've got to flush it now. We played a good team in their house. It was loud, just like we knew it was going to be and it's going to be even louder this week in the Banjo Bowl."

2 The Blue Bombers didn't have a first down in the first quarter and generated just 12 yards of net offence. The Roughriders also did an effective job of limiting Brady Oliveira, who finished with just nine carries for 28 yards and added three receptions for 38 yards.

He had just two carries in the second half, but with his longest run being eight yards, eight of his other carries netted just 20 yards.

In fact, Winnipeg's longest run on the day was an 11-yard scramble by Zach Collaros inside the final three minutes.

The attack missed Nic Demski, to be sure, but did get a sensational debut from Singer. Critical now for the Blue Bombers would be to make room to keep the young receiver -- who had five catches for 62 yards and a team-best two second-down conversions -- on the roster.

Singer had been credited for the long wait before the chance to make his CFL debut, and did admit that process was a test of his mental toughness.

"It was a huge test," he said. "It tested me mentally a lot but just with prayer and family... that's what brought me this far."

Added Major Williams on the rookie receiver:

"The play he made is what I've seen since camp. I'm guarding him every day in one-on-ones since we got here in May. It's just great to see the light shine on him and he gets everything he deserves -- especially with this being his first game and scoring his first career CFL touchdown. I'm very happy for him and I know he's ready to get back out there.

"I went up to him after, congratulated him and told him there's many more to come."

3 The Roughriders cranked out 463 yards of net offence (Winnipeg was at 307) as Trevor Harris threw for 362 yards. Even with that discrepancy, Saskatchewan ran just six more offensive plays than Winnipeg, but got some big-time chunk plays -- including a 72-yard Harris-to-Daniel Wiebe reception down the sidelines that included a couple of missed tackles.

The Roughriders got 107 yards on two plays, including a 35-yard reception by running back Quali Conley, and had 11 other receptions of 10 yards or more. Winnipeg had 13, with the longest offensive play a 28-yard reception by Pokey Wilson.