Drew Willy, Blue Bombers QB, out 6-8 weeks with right knee injury

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers may have lost starting quarterback Drew Willy to a right knee injury for the balance of the season.

Willy suffered a tibial plateau fracture and partial tear of the posterior cruciate ligament in Sunday's 38-8 loss at Hamilton and will be sidelined at least six to eight weeks, and perhaps longer.

At the end of the third quarter, the 28-year-old pivot's right knee bent awkwardly when his foot came down hard on the Tim Hortons Field turf after Willy was hit cleanly by Tiger-Cats linebacker Erik Harris.

On July 25, Willy was forced to leave a 32-3 defeat at the hands of the hometown Edmonton Eskimos midway through the third quarter with an injured right knee but returned five days later to start against B.C.

Willy's injury filled season began in Winnipeg's home opener versus Hamilton on July 2 when he absorbed a head shot from defensive lineman Adrian Tracy.

The six-foot-four, 221-pound Willy was in the midst of his most productive season, his fourth in the CFL, having completed 68.6 per cent of his passes (tied for fourth in the league with Montreal's Rakeem Cato) for 1,434 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions.

He was also getting the job done along the ground, averaging 8.5 yards on his 19 carries.

Second-year backup Brian Brohm and Robert Marve each saw duty in the fourth quarter Sunday.

Marve completed four of seven passes for 49 yards and an interception while Brohm was 2-for-4 for 18 yards.

Barring a trade or free-agent signing, Brohm is likely to receive the bulk of playing time in Willy's absence. The 29-year-old has connected on 27 of 51 pass attempts this season for 235 yards, no TDs and four interceptions.