Nick Demski sat slumped in his locker, staring off into space.

鈥淚t sucks,鈥� the Winnipeg Blue Bombers slotback said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Big offensive lineman Patrick Neufeld heaved a deep sigh.

鈥淚t鈥檚 awful, devastating,鈥� he said, running a hand through his thick beard.

Head coach Mike O鈥橲hea tried to explain the raw emotions his team was feeling after losing their third consecutive Grey Cup game Sunday.

鈥淭hey all have their space to be terrible,鈥� said O鈥橲hea. 鈥淚t will keep building and building to a point where it鈥檚 awful.鈥�

It鈥檚 going to be another long, cold winter in Winnipeg. The forecast is for soul searching and plenty of questions.

A heavily favoured Blue Bombers team lost 41-24 to the Toronto Argonauts at B.C. Place Stadium. It was the second time in three years the Bombers lost the CFL championship to an underdog Argonaut team. They were also upset 28-24 by the Montreal Alouettes last year.

Losing doesn鈥檛 get any easier the more it happens.

The Bombers have earned the Trifecta no one wants to claim.

鈥淚鈥檓 probably more disappointed than anything,鈥� said Neufeld, trying to explain his emotions. 鈥淭he last couple of years is anger and sadness. I guess this is disappointment.

鈥淲e鈥檙e getting a full gamut of negative emotions here.鈥�

The game was closer than the score indicated. Winnipeg led 10-9 at half time. Toronto held a slim 17-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Late in the third quarter, Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros needed stitches to repair a cut on the index finger of his throwing hand. He returned to the field in the fourth wearing a glove and threw three interceptions.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not an excuse for our performance tonight,鈥� said Collaros, who finished the night completing 15 of 30 passes for 202 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.

鈥淚鈥檓 obviously disappointed. Things just kind of snowballed from there. It was just a tough situation.鈥�

O鈥橲hea said Collaros would not have returned to play if it had been a regular season game.

Collaros was asked about next season.

鈥淲e鈥檒l take a deep breath and just kind of let this digest a bit,鈥� said the 36-year-old, two-time most outstanding player.

A gruesome leg injury suffered by quarterback Chad Kelly in last week鈥檚 East Final against Montreal forced Toronto to start journeyman backup Nick Arbuckle against Winnipeg.

Arbuckle, who was close to quitting football last spring, completed 26 of 37 passes for 252 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was named the game鈥檚 most valuable player.

鈥淭hey did a good job of what they did,鈥� said Demski. 鈥淭hey made it simple for him and their defence came out with a chip on their shoulder. They knew they had a big task to stop us, and they did a good job.鈥�

Something the Bombers have to think about over the winter is the chances they had but couldn鈥檛 convert. Defensive end Willie Jefferson had an interception that set up Winnipeg deep in Toronto territory but the best the Bombers could manage was a field goal.

The Bombers blocked a Toronto punt, but the Argos still got a first down because of a penalty.

Jefferson said the game swung in the second half when Winnipeg was outscored 32-14.

鈥淭hey were able to capitalize on their opportunities,鈥� said Jefferson, who had six tackles and two sacks. 鈥淲e had takeaways, we just couldn鈥檛 put the ball in the end zone.鈥�

It was the eighth time the Bombers and Argonauts played in the Grey Cup. Toronto has won all eight, outscoring Winnipeg 185-72.

It was a roller-coaster season for the Bombers. They lost six of their first eight games before winning nine of their last 10. The lone loss was 14-11 to Toronto.

The Bombers finished first in the West with an 11-7-0 record and advanced to their fifth consecutive Grey Cup with a convincing 38-22 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Bombers won their first Grey Cup in 29 years by upsetting Hamilton 33-12 in 2019. They needed overtime to beat the Tiger-Cats 33-25 in 2021. Winnipeg would then be upset 24-23 by the Argonauts in 2022 before losing to Montreal last year.

鈥淲e had a tough year,鈥� said Neufeld. 鈥淲e went through a lot as a team. We felt this game we were going to be in a good place.

鈥淲e just didn鈥檛 play well. When you don鈥檛 play well on Grey Cup Sunday, you鈥檙e going to lose. That鈥檚 what happened.鈥�

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2024.

Jim Morris, The Canadian Press