The Saskatchewan Roughriders are no longer among the ranks of the unbeaten after a 24-10 loss against Calgary in what was a very unusual weekend.
This game was a fitting tribute to the entire 24-hour stretch that led to kickoff. Friday Night Football on Saturday afternoon, featuring the team with the highest points per game in the CFL scoring just 10, the league’s leading rusher only putting up nine yards against one of the worst run defences, and nearly 900 total yards of offence with the point total still hitting the under.
Now that the smoke has literally and figuratively cleared, I have plenty of thoughts on the Riders’ first loss of 2025.
Failure to launch
I have been frustrated by the Riders’ poor starts this season. Well, it wasn’t a bad start for the defence. It was the exact opposite, actually.
The defence stepped up with two turnovers in their first two possessions. Considering the uniqueness of the week and everything that Calgary was dealing with, this was a perfect chance to put the Stamps on the back foot early. Instead, the Riders turned it into three points total and were trailing 7-3 before the first quarter was up.
The offence needed to do a better job of taking advantage of what the defence gave them. Not only did they not do that, but they couldn’t even give them a chance to catch their breath. Calgary’s first interception came at 14:37. They were back on the field by 12:49. The Riders ran a total of six plays, including one punt, after the two turnovers they were gifted by their defence.
Big boys beat up
In this week’s Best Bets story, I said that this game would be won in the trenches. Well, I was right about that. I was just wrong about which team would have the advantage.
The Stampeders’ offensive line dominated the Riders in a way that few have over the last couple of seasons. The holes Dedrick Mills had to run through probably had more space than the dorms some of the Stamps had to stay in.
However, Vernon Adams was unbothered on basically every throw that he had, allowing one of the best QBs in the league to pick the Riders’ secondary apart. Adams was sacked only once on the day, and it didn’t feel like he was pressured on many more plays than that.
Speed bump
The Riders have been able to have success running the ball all season long. Not Saturday.
After three straight games of 90+ yards for A.J. Ouellette, Thor had his hammer taken away from him with Calgary holding the back to just nine yards on six carries. That is against the Stampeders, who entered this game having given up the third-most rushing yards per game this season. It was an unexpected problem for the Riders on a day when they really needed some help for Trevor Harris, who struggled in the first half.
No time for Trevor
If you didn’t watch the game, you would look at the box score and wonder how Trevor Harris threw for 425 yards and the team only put up 10 points. Well, having watched it, the 425 yards part is the outlier, not the 10 points.
That was one of the least impressive 400+ passing yard games you’ll see. Calgary gave Harris nothing in the first half and seemed content to allow him to slowly work the ball down the field in the second half. When it came time for someone to make a play, it was the Stampeders’ defence, not the Riders’ veteran QB, that did it basically every time.
When this offence gets into a groove, it can be very efficient and fun to watch. But this game showed that they aren’t necessarily built to come from behind.
A Robustelli-ctric day
Ok, that headline is a bit of a reach, but it is not a reach to say that one of the lone bright spots of the day for Saskatchewan was the play of Joe Robustelli. The 27-year-old came away with almost 200 receiving yards and his first career CFL TD in the loss.
Each week, a different player seems to be stepping up in the receiving corps, and this week it was his turn. The Riders are likely going to get some reinforcements back soon, but this stretch has been very valuable to the pass catchers who were left standing. Robustelli and Duncan-Busby had their moments, while KeeSean Johnson, Dohnte Meyers, and Mitchell Picton all showed they could be effective in larger roles.
Now, this game highlights the fact that Saskatchewan needs to see Samuel Emilus, Shawn Bane, and Kian Schaffer-Baker back in green and white sooner rather than later. But it is nice to see so many players step into bigger roles.
Ring the Camp-bell for service
This was not the week to have one of your key players in the secondary miss action. Tevaughn Campbell gave up some big plays in Week 1, but since then, he has been a huge addition to the Riders’ secondary. So, it is pretty easy to suggest that Vernon Adams Jr.’s demolition of the Riders’ defence could have at least something to do with Campbell’s absence.
Whatever wind they were hoping for on Friday was felt by Antoine Brooks Jr. on Saturday in the form of Damien Alford blowing past him for an 81-yard TD. I don’t know if Campbell, or anyone else, would have stopped Alford in this game — the first overall pick looks like a matchup nightmare with his speed — but the Riders’ secondary was tested a lot in this game. With a couple of exceptions, they didn’t look great. This defensive unit needs the services of the former NFLer back ASAP.
No excuses
This was not a regular game for anyone involved, but that is no excuse for the Riders’ performance. The Stampeders were one step away from seeing if their players could share a tent with people at Craven, and they still came to play.
It would be easy to blame the situation for the performance, but Saskatchewan got to go home to their own beds when things were finally called off last night; Calgary most certainly did not. Maybe they should stay at the dorms for their next home game.
Wild West
The 4-0 start was nice, and there were a lot of positives to take away from that. But this game really showed that this is going to be a battle all the way to the last game of the year.
This Stampeders team has proven over the last couple of weeks that they aren’t going away. I’m done predicting the Bombers’ fall off because they keep showing the poise you’d expect from a team that has been in every Grey Cup played since 2019. B.C. has stubbed their toe a couple of times, but they have a ton of talent, and they won’t go quietly. The Riders could very easily go from being a team that was in first place after a 4-0 start to playing in the East Division Semi-Final. I don’t think that is likely, but this is a scary tough division, and it won’t be easy.
The Riders now get ready for another date with the Lions next Saturday in Vancouver. I feel pretty confident we won’t have another smoke delay this week. What I’m less confident about is how Saskatchewan will handle that test on the road without the good fortune of facing Jeremiah Massoli this time around.
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