It’s only the third game of the season but it is an important one for Zach Collaros and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Winnipeg (0-2) hosts the B.C. Lions (1-1) on Friday night following an uncharacteristic slow start to the 2024 campaign. Not since 2016 have the Blue Bombers — who’ve reached the Grey Cup four straight years — been two games below .500.

Again, it’s early, but what’s been very surprising has been the lack of production from a Winnipeg offence that last season averaged a CFL-high 31.7 points per game. Through two games, the unit is last in both offensive scoring (13.5 points per game) and net offence (296.5 yards, compared to a league-high 414.7 last year).