RedBlacks knock off Bombers, clinch East

Henry Burris and the Ottawa RedBlacks never seem to do anything the easy way, but they now have the shortest route back to the Grey Cup.

The RedBlacks (8-8-1) clinched the East Division on their second try by defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-10 on the road at Investors Group Field on Saturday. The RedBlacks defence induced five turnovers, including two interceptions from Abdul Kanneh. Burris kept the Ottawa offence, which has tend to be sporadic in the second half, moving across a full four quarters.

Ottawa had a chance to clinch first place at home last week, but the Hamilton Tiger-Cats overcame a two-touchdown deficit to win in overtime. Hamilton's home loss to the Edmonton Eskimos on Friday reduced the RedBlacks' magic number to one.

The last time the East Division final was held in the nation's capital in consecutive years was when the Ottawa Rough Riders did so from 1975-77.

The Blue Bombers (10-7) missed a chance to clinch their first home playoff game since 2011, but their rematch against Ottawa on Friday will be a nothing game for the RedBlacks. The Eskimos (9-8), whose finale on Nov. 5 is against the lowly Toronto Argonauts, hold a tiebreaker advantage.

In a bit of a role reversal, Ottawa won the turnover battle 5-2 against Winnipeg, who has a league-best +28 takeaway-giveaway ratio.

Burris was 23-of-33 for 338 yards with one interception, and one rushing touchdown. Mossis Madu had 21 rushes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Ernest Jackson made six receptions for 99 yards, including a two-point convert. Patrick Lavoie also added a two-point convert. Ray Early, the regular punter, was 2-of-2 on field goals and added a 65-yard punt single.

RedBlacks kicker Chris Milo was injured during the warmup and was unable to play.

Nichols was 35-of-46 for 289 yards with one TD and three interceptions. Andrew Harris had 12 rushes for 98 yards, while Darvin Adams led Winnipeg with nine receptions for 87 yards and one TD. Justin Medlock was 1-of-1 on field goals.

The RedBlacks, who have the CFL's second-best road record since the start of 2015, scored two touchdowns and a pair of two-point converts in three-and-a-half minutes in the first half. Burris directed an 11-play, 101-yard drive for the day's first points. The Blue Bombers went two-and-out on their ensuing possession. Burris connected with Jackson for a 46-yard reception to ignite a three-play touchdown drive.

Nichols was clearly off all day, throwing three picks in the first half. The Blue Bombers reached the red zone only twice, with the second visit coming in garbage time.

Ottawa's defence took over in the third quarter, thwarting two third-down gambles. On a fake punt, Jesse Briggs took a direct snap, but Nick Taylor made the stop. Linebacker Taylor Reed shot through a gap to drop Harris for a loss on third-and-one at Ottawa's 31.

Following the second stop, a 26-yard circus catch by Brad Sinopoli between four defenders and a 40-yard rush by Madu set up a field goal. That essentially put the game out of reach. Arnaud Gascon-Nadon had two sacks to lead Ottawa's defensive effort.

That catch put Sinopoli past the 1,000-yard plateau. The grab officially made Sinopoli, Jackson, Ellingson, and Chris Williams (out for the season with a knee injury) the first receiving quartet to all gain 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.