The Saskatchewan Roughriders missed a chance to solidify a playoff spot Friday, and now that postseason berth is in serious jeopardy.
A 37-31 loss to the Calgary Stampeders – a third straight defeat and fifth in the last seven games – leaves the Riders at 8-7 and tied with the Stamps and B.C. Lions at 16 points. They also lack the tiebreaker against both of those teams and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who are 7-7.
One of those four squads won’t make it to a 19th game. Things are suddenly tight around the collar for the Riders considering a home-and-home set with the CFL-best Montreal Alouettes is next and then a clash with the second-place Edmonton Elks follows to conclude the campaign.
It’s not like they’ve been terrible over this stretch, especially the three-game losing streak. It’s just that they’ve merely been mediocre.
And that doesn’t cut it once the CFL schedule gets past Labour Day.
Friday was another example of type of performance. Really though, some late points in garbage time only made the score look closer than the game really was.
All that’s the focus of Riders Morning After.
Why they lost
This was one of those games where it was a little bit of everything.
The Riders had two turnovers, whereas the Stampeders didn’t have any. The Stamps capitalized on their takeaways in the form of touchdowns, too, and both came at inopportune times.
Quali Conley fumbled his first attempt at a punt return as the replacement for James Letcher Jr., who was out with a shoulder injury. The loose ball was recovered by Calgary early in the opening quarter to postpone what would have been Saskatchewan’s first possession of the game.
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Three plays later, Damarcus Fields was burned by Stampeders receiver Clark Barnes for a 13-yard touchdown.
Though the Riders answered right back with a Kian Schaffer-Baker major, they never led in his game following Conley’s slipup
The other giveaway occurred in the four quarter with the Riders down two majors and clinging to their last hopes of a comeback. Quarterback Trevor Harris was picked off by Ashton Miller-Melancon, giving the Stamps primo field position on the Saskatchewan 27-yard line.
A Jalen Philpot touchdown with barely more than five minutes on the clock finalized the outcome.
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Those errors resulted in 14 points against, but there were several other contributing factors to the loss.
The Riders couldn’t stop Vernon Adams Jr. when it mattered most. The Stamps quarterback threw for 242 yards but the four touchdowns are what truly hurt.
They couldn’t run the ball. A.J. Ouellette had just 28 yards on eight carries to go along with two yards on as many touches for Tommy Stevens.
They struggled in the kicking game. Dawson Hodge made his first five field-goal attempts over his first two games but went 2-for-4 on Friday, missing from 53 and then 45 yards. Those failed tries both came in the second quarter and kept the score locked at 17-10 heading into the half.
This might have been Hodge’s last appearance of the season given that the Riders reacquired Brett Lauther on Wednesday. If so, that was a tough way to go out.
Game ball
It’s not like Adams went off, but it just seemed like he was in complete control all game. Never was that more evident than on Calgary’s second scoring drive in the first quarter.
Adams appeared to challenge Riders rookie defensive back Malcolm Bell on three straight plays.
Bell’s missed tackle on Tevin Jones on second down extended the Calgary possession when it could have been quashed. He then found Erik Brooks, who was being defended by Bell, to move the chains. Finally, there was a 48-yard pass by Bell to Damien Alford for a touchdown.
Adams put on a clinical performance. It’s no wonder he’s now up to 34 touchdowns and just five interceptions on the season.
On the Riders side, seeing Schaffer-Baker catch nine of the 12 throws that came his way for 120 yards in his second game back from a knee injury was a positive sign. He was an absolute beast on his first-quarter scoring drive, picking up 64 of the 71 yards required to find the end zone.
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Needed more from
It’s probably not fair to pin this all on Ouellette, who’s wearing a knee brace in his second appearance back from an eight-game injury absence.
Simply put, though, the Riders need more than 28 yards on eight carries from their feature running back.
Ouellette couldn’t get much of anything going early. With the Riders in catch-up mode most of the night, they largely had to veer away from the ground game. Ouellette didn’t even touch the ball in the fourth quarter.
Ouellette had 77 yards rushing in his return to the lineup last Friday in Vancouver. This was a step back for him and the overall dynamism of the offence.
Play of the game
The Adams-Alford long-distance connection for a six point was a thing of beauty.
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Riders’ Bell will want that one back.
The stat that matters
Between the points-off-turnovers disparity, Hodge’s disappointing numbers, and the paltry running totals for the Riders, there are a few options from which to choose.
This is a take-your-pick scenario. We’ll go with Hodge’s 50 percent night. This might have been a different ballgame if he makes even one of his kicks to close out the first half.
Suddenly, the Riders reaching playoffs isn’t the foregone conclusion its long been assumed.
