The Saskatchewan Roughriders are playing less like a playoff team with each passing game, and they’re getting ever closer to making that a reality.
The latest low point came Monday as the Riders were crushed 44-24 on the road by the Montreal Alouettes in a Grey Cup rematch.
The loss was their fourth straight and their sixth in the last eight games. They’ve completely flipped the 6-2 start to their season and are 8-8 with the biggest collapse in CFL history staring them right in the face.
No team in league history has ever had that record through its first eight contests and missed the postseason. The Riders are now at the .500 mark and tied at 16 points with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Calgary Stampeders with the two spots – third place in the West Division and the East crossover – up for grabs.
The Riders don’t have the tiebreaker if they finish with the same record with either team.
Monday’s performance didn’t provide much optimism that the Riders can pull themselves out of this nosedive, not with the way the defence crumbled and the offence stalled as it has for several weeks.
The Riders have Montreal again and the Edmonton Elks to close out the season. Those are the CFL’s top two teams. It feels like the only hope for the Riders is those teams basically have nothing to play for and could bring out the reserves.
Otherwise, infamy is on the horizon for the Roughriders.
How they got here is the subject of Riders Morning After.
Why they lost
This one is crystal clear: The Roughriders simply gave up too many explosive plays.
The Riders ranked last in the CFL in this regard entering the game, surrendering almost two big plays per contest. They were far worse on Monday as three of Montreal’s touchdowns alone were scored in such a variety.
Davis Alexander found Charleston Rambo for 45-yard score in the second quarter. After the half, he connected with Tyson Philpot and Rambo again for 46- and 51-yard majors to put the game away.
The Riders didn’t finish drives well enough, something that’s becoming a common refrain of late. The offence isn’t absolved from blame here.
But the fact of the matter is they could have had a puncher’s chance if they’d gotten three stops near midfield. Instead, they allowed Alexander to bomb the ball to a receivers three separate times for six points apiece.
One of those types of plays in a game is tough to swallow. Three is unacceptable.
The secondary continues to be a major issue for the Riders.
Game ball
This was the Davis Alexander Show.
The Alouettes quarterback was as slippery and elusive as he was dynamic. The Riders front four looked like they were about to wrap him up several times, only to have him duck, spin, or slither out of trouble to help his team gain yards – some of them for big gains.
The most dejecting example for the Riders came early in the second quarter when Habakkuk Baldonado had a grip on Alexander. He got away but could manage only run backward a few yards. Jaxon Ford then hit Alexander, and he was on his way down with Jameer Thurman charging to finish the job.
That’s when Alexander flipped a side-armed, side-bodied toss to Stevie Scott III, who picked up 17 yards.
https://x.com/CFL/status/2109702940462346489
The first of the two big Rambo touchdowns occurred two plays later.
Alexander was the headliner on Monday, completing passes to seven different receivers for 403 yards and five touchdowns after Marcus Sayles picked him off on Montreal’s first possession.
The Roughriders sacked him just once with Aubrey Miller Jr. doing the deed.
The best Rider was either receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker or kicker Brett Lauther.
Schaffer-Baker caught four passes for 76 yards and recorded two touchdowns, albeit one of them in garbage time. Lauther made all three of his field-goal attempts with a long of 51 yards in his first action since being reacquired from Ottawa.
Alexander and the Als made their efforts immaterial, though.
Needed more from
There are plenty of candidates here, but we’ve narrowed it down to three players.
Tevaughn Campbell’s return to the lineup wasn’t very good. It’s harsh to judge the cornerback so strictly in his first game since getting hurt Aug. 1, but that’s what it was.
Campbell got burned on the first of those two big Montreal touchdowns from Rambo and Philpot. That can’t happen considering his grand stature on the Roughriders (and their struggling secondary) and how dire their situation is right now.
Ford picked up where he left off in terms of his lack of discipline. His last start before Monday came at safety way back on Aug. 23 in Vancouver and he was penalized for a late hit that led to a touchdown against.
Ford got the call at linebacker against the Alouettes and his needless penalty for roughing the passer – the hit was late and to the helmet of Alexander – preceded the second Rambo major that sealed the loss.
Finally, let’s check in on the offence, which wasn’t without flaws.
Shemar Bridges got the start in place of injured top receiver KeeSean Johnson, and he wasn’t up to snuff. Bridges was targeted seven times but made only two catches.
One of Trevor Harris’ passes that was intended for him resulted in an interception by Geoffrey Cantin-Arku. The throw wasn’t quite on the mark. But it was catchable, considering Bridges got his fingers on it.
He needed to find a way to haul in a couple more balls, especially the one that resulted in a turnover.
Play of the game
Any of those three massive touchdowns for Alouettes scored could have been the call here, but none of them could match the razzle or the dazzle of Alexander’s rabbit-out-of-the-hat play.
Have another look for good measure.
https://x.com/CFL/status/2109703585306964474
The stat that matters
Alexander threw for five touchdowns and the finishing strikes on three of them took up a total of 142 yards. That’s a lot of real estate to give up on a trio of point-scoring plays.
And it’s hard to win that way.
