Talk about pulling it out of you know where.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders looked like they were destined for a fifth straight loss for much of the afternoon against the undermanned Montreal Alouettes. And it looked like they were inching closer to an epic collapse this season, one that would have been on the short list for the worst in CFL history.
But a last-possession drive that ended with quarterback Trevor Harris finding KeeSean Johnson along the side of the end zone from 17 yards out with 29 seconds remaining led to celebration and sighs of relief.
A 16-12 victory allowed the Riders to inch over the finish line and make the playoffs for the third straight campaign. It also prevented the possibility in their season finale against Edmonton of them becoming the first CFL team to start 6-2 and miss the postseason.
The Riders will play a semifinal game on Halloween either in Toronto or Vancouver depending on if they’re able to secure the third seed in the West Division next week.
The whole situation doesn’t exactly scream success, nor does it necessarily mean much for a playoff run. But the Riders will take the small steps forward they made late against Montreal as part of a massive victory.
All of that is the subject of Riders Morning After.
Why they won
One of Lloyd Christmas’ famous lines to his pal Harry Dunne in the film “Dumb and Dumber” summarizes the Riders offence.
“Just when I think you couldn’t possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this … and totally redeem yourself!”
The Riders were pathetic with the ball for most of the game. The offence put up a paltry nine points and 179 yards until late in the fourth quarter against a team that had nothing to play for and was resting several key players.
Considering the Riders’ season was on the line, it was an unacceptable display.
It felt like they were done for when third-down specialist Tommy Stevens was slowed up by a collision behind the line of scrimmage, which resulted in a turnover on downs with 2:57 remaining in regulation. That gave the Alouettes prime field position to put the game away.
But the defence, as it did most of the day, held tough and limited the Alouettes to a field-goal attempt. The offence was given a reprieve when Jose Maltos Diaz missed a 44-yard try.
Seven plays and 74 yards later, the Riders took their first lead of the game on the Johnson touchdown.
The Riders and their fans can feel free to exhale now.
Game ball
While the offence gets the glory for scoring the decisive touchdown late , there’s no question the Riders had a chance to win the game because of the defence.
Sure, there’s an asterisk attached to their performance since the Als didn’t use offensive stars Davis Alexander, Tyson Philpot, and Tyler Snead. It’s hard to read too much into this effort in terms of what – if anything – it means for the playoffs.
But they deserve plenty of praise for Saturday’s outing. The Riders held the Als to just 12 points and 317 yards of net offence.
The Riders were led by linebackers Jameer Thurman and Aubrey Miller Jr., who both had nine tackles and a sack on replacement quarterback Dustin Crum. They should share the honours here.
Couldn’t have done it without
Johnson scored the big touchdown – Saskatchewan’s lone major of the contest – which capped off a solid performance after missing Monday’s tilt in Montreal with an ankle injury.
The team’s most productive receiver this season caught seven of the nine passes that came his way for 85 yards. He moved into second place on the franchise’s single-season receptions list with 108 catches in the process.
Of course, saving the Riders’ season gives Johnson some bonus points here.
Play of the game
Did you really think it would be something else?
https://x.com/CFL/status/2111576136983732720
Just look at the reaction from coach Corey Mace. That says it all.
The stat that matters
The Riders have now qualified for the CFL playoffs in each of the last three straight seasons.
How they backed in with four straight losses and six in their previous eight games before Saturday doesn’t inspire much confidence. Neither does their effort, most notably offensively, for much of the afternoon against a depleted Montreal roster.
But they’re in, and they have a game left to fine-tune some things.
The Riders clearly won’t be anyone’s favourite to defend their Grey Cup title. But they’ve at least got some chance, however small, which was good enough for Lloyd Christmas in his pursuit of Mary (Samsonite) Swanson.
Three wins to earn another trophy. It seems farfetched today, but stranger things have happened.
