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He’s proven he can play hurt, gritting his way through last year’s playoff game with a calf injury and a broken finger.

He’s proven he can come up with his best game at playoff time, rolling up a combined 761 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions in post-season losses the last two years.

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The next step for quarterback Matt Nichols of the Blue Bombers is to win the really big one.

Yeah, last Sunday’s West semifinal was big.

This Sunday’s division final in Calgary adds the “really.”

These are the games that cement reputations. That separate the good from the great.

A win over the elite Bo Levi Mitchell and the perennial powerhouse Stampeders would shine an entirely new light on Nichols.

The blue-collar passer with the chip on his shoulder would immediately be known as a quarterback who shines when it matters most.

And don’t think that rep doesn’t mean something to the 31-year-old.

“Yeah, it does,” Nichols said, Wednesday. “Every player wants to have that. I don’t go in thinking I need to have a big game. But I’m focused. I block everything else out of my life for these games. Really try and be in the moment. For the most part, it’s always on my mind… I’m all in, all football now, for sure.”