Marcus Sayles isn't hitting the panic button after the Saskatchewan Roughriders' first loss of the season
Instead, the veteran defensive back believes the formula for getting back in the win column is straightforward.
After Friday night's 43-30 loss to the Toronto Argonauts at Mosaic Stadium dropped the Riders to 2-1, Sayles says the focus has already shifted to cleaning up mistakes before Saskatchewan visits the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m., with Countdown to Kickoff beginning at 2:30 p.m. on the Rider Broadcast Network.
"We feel like we've got a great team," Sayles said following the loss. "We've got a great defence. Offence, too. They're putting up points, clearly. We've just got to figure out a way to stop the little mistakes, stop the penalties, stop the explosive plays, and we'll be okay."
Toronto capitalized on those mistakes throughout the night. The Argonauts generated big plays through the air, while the Roughriders also surrendered another special-teams touchdown for the second consecutive week. Despite the disappointing result, Sayles said there wasn't a lack of preparation.
"I feel like we had a good game plan. We had a great week of practice," he said. "We haven't looked at the film yet, but we've got to stop the penalties, and we've got to stop the big explosive plays. We knew that was the type of offence they had. At the end of the day, we've just got to play better football."
The veteran pointed to discipline as the biggest area requiring immediate attention.
"Coach emphasizes penalties are not playing winning football," Sayles said. "That's something that takes us out of some big plays that we had, especially in this game. Penalties can't roll over next week."
Special teams also remain a priority after allowing another return touchdown.
"We've got to work on our special teams. We gave up another return touchdown this week. We did last week as well. Everybody's got to do their job. We've got 12 guys out there, and everybody has a part to play."
While the defence allowed Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly to throw for 321 yards and two touchdowns, Sayles believes the ball-hawking unit was still close to creating more turnovers.
"They're definitely there," he said of the interception opportunities. "Whenever the ball is going up, we feel like we should have a chance to get it. Josh Woods got one on the first drive and changed the momentum. We've just got to figure out a way to come down with them."
The loss doesn't leave Saskatchewan much time to dwell. The Riders head east to face an Ottawa team still searching for its first win after Sunday's 37-35 loss in Montreal dropped the Redblacks to 0-3.
Friday's game will also feature several familiar faces from Saskatchewan's 2025 Grey Cup championship team. Quarterback Jake Maier, linebacker A.J. Allen, halfback C.J. Reavis, defensive lineman Haba Baldonado, offensive lineman Sean McEwen and kicker Brett Lauther are all now with Ottawa.
Sayles is especially looking forward to matching up against his former teammate under centre.
"I love Jake," Sayles said. "I'm glad he's got his opportunity to start, and he's going to bring a different dynamic to their team. At the same time, we're going to have the film, we're going to see what he likes to do and what he doesn't like to do, and we're going to attack him just like we do every other week."
For a veteran who helped Saskatchewan capture the Grey Cup last season, one loss isn't cause for concern. The message inside the Roughriders' locker room is simple: clean up the self-inflicted mistakes, trust the work that's been done, and move forward.
"We come back, watch the film and get back to it in practice," Sayles said. "We always feel like we have great weeks of practice. Coaches are going to make sure we're set, and we've just got to lock in."
