Bombers head coach reflects on season following playoff loss to Alouettes
Posted November 3, 2025 4:46 pm.
We’re just over a week away from the Grey Cup being hosted right here in Winnipeg. But after a heartbreaking loss to the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Semi-Final, the Blue Bombers’ five-year streak is over, leaving fans to wonder what comes next for the team.
It’s been two days since the season-ending defeat, a rare early exit for a team that’s dominated the CFL in recent years. Head coach Mike O’Shea says the loss still stings.
“We expect to be in and have an opportunity to win the Grey Cup every year; that is never going to change,” said O’Shea.
“We should be practicing right now and getting ready for another one, but it didn’t work out that way. Montreal came out on fire, played a great game, and finished it off at the end when they had to.”
The Bombers finished the regular season 10-8 and crossed over to the East for the first time since 2018. O’Shea says that while disappointing, the fans shouldn’t be worried.
“If they were in here every day, if they take a look at the fight from the start of the third quarter on, they would be less concerned,” said O’Shea.
Quarterback Zach Collaros, who threw for 306 yards and a touchdown in the loss, said the offence never really found its identity this year, something he traces back to training camp.
“I think training camp was tough this year, kind of a weird situation we were put in, repped a lot of things we didn’t rep during the season,” said Collaros.
O’Shea added, “I think there were some things in training camp that made it a little more challenging, that’s for sure.”
As for the future, O’Shea says he doesn’t believe in major changes, and while his own contract has expired, he’s optimistic about the future not just for his role, but for the team as a whole.
“What’s led us to this point is continuity, so I will never believe in wholesale change,” said O’Shea.
Collaros added, “I think we still have the pieces in place, I would like to continue to do this.”
Contract talks aside, O’Shea’s message stays the same: “tweak, not tear down.”
