Hamilton 39, Winnipeg 28

With everything that has gone on this week, I think I speak for all Tiger-Cat fans when I say: we really needed this. This fan base has been in the dumps all week, and I felt that a win against the Bombers would help alleviate all the stress and worry in the hearts and souls of the fans.

Mission: Accomplished!

The Cats went into Winnipeg and simply manhandled the Bombers. At one point or another, every facet of the offense, defense and special teams was clicking on all cylinders. This was as dominating a performance as I have seen. The final score actually flatters the Bombers. This was not an 11-point game.

Positives
Where to start. Well, why not with a guy who has been among the most vilified in the city recently: Mr. DeAndra' Cobb. Great game by Cobb. His rushing average wasn't great, but he ran with purpose, especially at the end of the game, and showed flashes of his 2009 self. Big round of applause for Cobb tonight.

The Defense, once again, was lights out. They still gave up some big plays, but they harassed both Buck Pierce and Steven Jyles. The pressure was relentless. Garrett McIntyre is starting to show that he can be a star in this league. A great game by the Defense all around.

Kevin Glenn continues to put up great numbers. To think that just a few short weeks ago people were wondering if he should still even be the starter. After the past three weeks, I hope that talk is put to bed. This wasn't even a particularly good week for Glenn, but he did what he needed to do. He's a big part of why the Cats have climbed out of the East Division basement.

The passing game was very diverse this week. Arland Bruce had a quiet day by his recent standards, but other guys picked it up. Marquay McDaniel led the team in yards, while Matt Carter showed why he should be a starter. It's nice to know that if Bruce or Stala is being covered, there are others that can pick up the slack.

Negatives
Not many this week, but Jason Shivers needs to be singled out once again. He wasn't the typical terrible tonight, but he was hot and cold. Hot: great INT (though it was questionable). Cold: giving up a big TD catch. He's just not consistent enough play in, play out.

As well as Glenn played, those two INTs were bad. These might have been the first two all season that were actually on him. I hope this is what Bomber fans call "the typical Glenn 'crap game.'"

Is it just me, or does it seem that every week the Cats come out flat to start the second half? I know they had a huge lead, but it seemed like they weren't even playing for the entire third quarter. A better team would have capitalized on that, like Saskatchewan did three games ago. In fairness, the Cats had a much bigger lead this week, but they needed to go for the jugular; instead, they eased up.

Final Thoughts
Thank Christ, we are finally done with Winnipeg. At the start of the season, I predicted that the Cats would win at least three of the four against the Bombers. Well, now that they have, they hold the playoff tiebreaker against them should it come into play at the end of the season.

I was very happy with how the Cats came out and took it to Winnipeg. Hamilton dictated the play and went for the throat right away. They didn't sit back and wait for the game to come to them. They went out and took it.

With two wins in a row, the Cats have clawed (pardon the pun) their way back into the thick of the East Division race. Next up, a date with the Argos in Toronto, followed by... LABOUR DAY! Nothing gets the blood boiling more than the Battle of Ontario. With both teams in the thick of things in the East Division, these games should be intense. Oh, and with the upcoming game, I'll once again be instituting "Ti-Cats Week," which will see me wear at least one piece of Ti-Cats merchandise every day that I go to Toronto next week.

But that's next week. This week, we can bask in the glory of a job well done.