Winless Roughriders look to snap streak against reeling Blue Bombers

The winless Saskatchewan Roughriders will play host to the struggling Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a battle for the bottom on Sunday.

The Roughriders sit in dead last at 0-9, while the Blue Bombers - at 3-6 - have lost three straight to slide into fourth place in the West.

Something has to give.

The sides clashed in Week 1, when the Bombers squeaked by with a 30-26 victory. A fourth-quarter drive by quarterback Drew Willy ended with an 18-yard touchdown to Nick Moore, which gave Winnipeg a rather unconvincing victory.

For the Riders, the issue isn't offense: they lead the the league in total yards, tallying nearly 300 more yards than their closest competitor. Granted, they've struggled to convert, scoring just 24.2 points per contest with a pedestrian touchdown percentage of 4.7, but scoring hasn't been the problem.

The problem is the Roughriders' defense, which has betrayed any offensive gains. They rank dead last in the following categories: opponent yards, sacks, interceptions, and opponent points per game.

The bottom line, though, is the Roughriders remain winless, which has cost head coach Corey Chamblin and general manager Brendan Taman their respective jobs as they were fired earlier this week.

Interim head coach Bob Dyce will get his first crack against a reeling Blue Bombers squad that has lost five of their last six contests.

Some hard luck has cost Winnipeg - Toronto's fourth-quarter comeback and Calgary's late field goal come to mind - but they've also looked completely lifeless in lopsided losses to Hamilton and their last game against the Stampeders.

Unlike the Roughriders, the Blue Bombers are a well-balanced team, but unfortunately in the sense that they're decidedly bad on either side of the ball. The Bombers rank last in points for and second last in points allowed.

Not surprisingly, Winnipeg's point differential sits at a league-worst minus-105, a full 29 points worse than Saskatchewan.

Injuries have also played their part in Winnipeg's demise. They continue to be without Willy, who sustained a tibial plateau fracture in August. Backup quarterback Robert Marve has struggled in two fill-in starts, notching 297 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions.

The contest will kick off at 4 p.m. ET.