Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
The urgency to win is increasing inside the walls of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ locker room.
“You can definitely feel it,” said Roughriders veteran offensive lineman Logan Ferland. “I’d be lying if I said you couldn’t feel it.
“But the important thing, and the thing I love about this group, is we just get back to work and we just focus on the details and focus on getting better, regardless of the outcome each week.”
After back-to-back losses, including a 31-24 defeat at the hands of the B.C. Lions last Friday, the Roughriders fell out of second place in the CFL’s West Division standings — at least for the moment.
With four games to go in the CFL regular season, the Roughriders can mathematically still finish anywhere from first to fifth.
“I think you purposely don’t focus on it,” Ferland said of the tight standings. “This team does a great job of resetting each week regardless of the outcome.”
With four weeks remaining, the Edmonton Elks (11-4), who are on a bye this week, sit atop the West Division standings followed by the Lions (8-6), Roughriders (8-6), Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-7) and Calgary Stampedes (7-8).
This week, the Roughriders will host the Stampeders on Friday (7:30 p.m., Mosaic Stadium) in Week 18 in a game that could clinch them a playoff spot with a win. A victory, paired with a win by the Toronto Argonauts (9-6) over B.C. on Saturday, would also vault the Roughriders back into second place in the standings.
“It’s a playoff environment,” said Roughriders head coach Corey Mace. “ It’s just that time of year. It always feels like that around this time of year regardless of the standings.
“But in the situation that the West Division is in right now, no doubt every game is crucial.”
While a win this week would help Saskatchewan’s chances in hosting a playoff game, a loss this week could have the Green and White tied for the final playoff spot, if the Blue Bombers also beat the Montreal Alouettes (11-3). If the Lions lose to Toronto and both Winnipeg and Calgary win, four Western teams would have eight wins — creating quite a logjam in the standings.
While the Roughriders beat Calgary 40-37 in overtime in their only other meeting back in Week 3 of the season, if the Stampeders win by more than three this week then they would secure the season series between the two teams, which serves as the standings tiebreaker, although the Roughriders have a game in hand as Calgary has a bye in Week 21. Winnipeg and B.C. both hold the tiebreaker over the Roughriders.
After this week, Saskatchewan’s schedule doesn’t get any easier to end the season as the defending Grey Cup champions face the East division-leading Alouettes twice before wrapping up their schedule against the Elks, in a game that will decide the season series between the two teams. And that would mean something if the Riders can manage to go 3-0 and have the Elks go 0-2 before then.
The good news for the Roughriders is that four West Division teams will make the postseason as the crossover team has been confirmed after the Hamilton Tiger-Cats dropped to 4-11 last week in a loss to Edmonton, meaning only one West Division team will miss the playoff this year.
The Roughriders — whose chances of hosting a playoff game would drop dramatically with a loss to Calgary this week paired with a Lions win — clearly don’t want that to be them.
“We love the pressure situations,” said Ferland. “We love taking stuff to the last second, as everybody knows. And as much as we don’t want to do that all the time, sometimes it happens in the situation we’re in right now, yeah, there’s pressure on us for sure.”
Next week, while the Roughriders visit Montreal, Edmonton will visit Hamilton, B.C. will host Ottawa and Calgary will take on Winnipeg.
In Week 20, as Saskatchewan and Montreal play their rematch, the Blue Bombers will visit the Elks while the Stampeders will host the Lions in a pair of pivotal divisional games.
In the final week, Edmonton visits Saskatchewan, B.C. hosts Winnipeg while the Stampeders have a bye.
Unlike last year when the Roughriders clinched first place in the division with two games remaining, it appears the Green and White will be playing meaningful football right until the end.
“We’re on a mission right now,” said Ferland. “We remember our recipe. We know our recipe. We’re not phased. We’re treating each week 1-0, and we continue to grind.
“Nothing changes each week. Even after a loss that foot needs to stay on the gas pedal, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Injury report
After sitting out Day 1 of practice on Monday, Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris (illness) was a full participant on Tuesday.
Cornerback Tevaughn Campbell (forearm), who is nearing a return from the six-game injured list, practised in limited fashion for a second straight day. Offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick (illness) missed Tuesday’s workout.
Receiver/returner James Letcher Jr. (shoulder) didn’t practise Tuesday after being limited on Monday while receiver/returner Daniel Wiebe (head) was a full participant on Tuesday after being limited on Monday.
Defensive lineman Derick Roberson (knee) was limited for a second straight day while linebacker Josh Woods (ankle) logged a second straight full workout. Defensive lineman Benoit Marion (shoulder) was limited on Tuesday after being a full participant Monday.
The Roughriders will hold a closed practice on Wednesday before releasing their official depth chart on Thursday.
