Riders Playing Best Ball Heading into the Playoffs

In terms of hometown ship kicking by the Riders, the best is obviously the 52-0 win by the Riders over the Riders followed by the Riders 40-0 win over the Edmonton Eskimos. This was an unusual game for the Riders in 2024 in that they managed to consistently put pressure on the Lions, and they beat them in every phase of the game.

Until the BC game, the Riders usually won by a touchdown or less, and the last time the two teams played, Vernon Adams Jr. and Justin McGinnis burned the Riders all game, and the Riders were being quarterbacked by Shea Patterson. This time Trevor Harris was back under center for the Riders and AJ Ouellette came off the injury list to provide the Riders with a physical running game and great blocking to keep Harris relatively clean from the BC pass rush.

This time it was Nathan Rourke quarterbacking the Lions and his record since coming back from the NFL has been mediocre to say the least. Rourke, by virtue of his contract and the money being paid, was given the starting position over Adams who until he was hurt was having a Most Outstanding Player type of season.

The knock-on Adams is some feel he is too small and if you force him to stay in the pocket, you can knock down a lot of balls. Adams can scramble and force the defense out of its comfort zone while Rourke looks out of sync with the offense.

To be fair to Rourke, his first interception, coming on the second play on offense, was one for the blooper reel for the ages. The ball bounced off the receiver, bounced nine times before AJ Allen picked it up for a 48-yard score.

The other turnovers were the result of a quarterback who has not really played in almost two years trying to rely on muscle memory to force the ball into tight spots and recreate the magic that made him the most outstanding Canadian. The anointing of Rourke though seems to have sparked a split in the BC locker room and the team in their pregame practice right through the final gun looked like it would rather be anywhere than Mosaic Stadium.

The Lions would have loved to have won and moved into second place with a shot at hosting the western semifinal. The Lions now must go home to host the Montreal Alouettes before having a bye the last week of the season.

The Lions announced they will be starting Adams, which indicates BC head coach Rick Campbell knows his job security is on the line if the Lions with big ticket players like Rourke and Matthieu Betts fail to make it to be the Grey Cup being held in Vancouver.

The Riders are benefitting from letting their players rehab on the injury list and bringing them when they are ready, not because the club needs them. This approach is probably attributable to Rider Head Coach Cory Mace being a former player and knowing how players try to rush back after injury before they are ready.

The final weekend has Winnipeg going to Montreal Saturday at 1 pm CST with the Riders Calgary game set for 5 pm. If Winnipeg wins, they clinch first place and the Riders make the last game a chance for back ups to show their talents and perhaps help some players reach individual marks.

If Winnipeg loses, the Riders have a chance to clinch first on the final day of the regular season and get a bye to the western final. The Riders are looking to see which players are ready to come off the injury list and they may or may decide to bring in the potentially devastating backfield of Ryquell Armstead and Ouellette.

If the Riders do debut that combination, either against Calgary or more likely in the playoffs, I would have to say they have a very good chance of getting to the Grey Cup. The BC Lions, regardless of whether they are playing against Winnipeg or the Riders, are going to have to show more than what they did last week.

If the Lions win with Adams, I can’t see them not allowing Adams to start the playoffs. It makes the decision to start Rourke instead of easing him in look like nothing else, but a PR move that alienated the locker room and currently has BC with an 8-9 record.

Montreal is coming off a 19-12 win over the Ottawa Redblacks with Davis Alexander at quarterback reliving Cory Fajardo who took the game off following the birth of his new son. Montreal shut down Ottawa and Jeremiah Masoli, forcing them to settle for field goals and the Redblacks with their whack of penalties showed the team is not even close to putting together a firm run heading into the playoffs.

It seems the plan is to have Fajardo play out next year and then turn the team over to Alexander who in his appearances has acquitted himself well, but again, any new quarterback or player can look impressive at first, but when opposing defensive coordinators get enough film, they usually can come up with a way to shut them down.

Montreal heads out to BC and again, when looking at east west games, the further a team has to go, the harder it is for them to win, especially when Montreal will be playing what is for them a late game. Montreal has clinched first place and I think they will be more focused on the final game when Winnipeg comes to Montreal and Montreal may find it funny to do what it can to keep Winnipeg from finishing first.

If the Lions show a zip under Adams they did not show against the Riders, it makes one wonder how the Lions will handle Adams in the off season when the size of his contract and guaranteed money combined with Rourke and Betts’ contract come up against the salary cap.

I like Adams and feel he got a raw deal this season from the Lions. When Rourke was finally pulled in the fourth quarter against the Riders, the Lions passed on putting Adams in, opting for their third string quarterback.

For that reason, I am going to say Adams has a lot to prove and Montreal does not, at least this week, so look for the Lions to grab a 24-18 win and spark another two weeks of media and fan scrutiny before the Lions take the plane to either Regina or Stony Mountain.

Ottawa is a team that banked wins early but with their linebacking corps being decimated by injuries, is showing absolutely no sign they will put up more than token resistance in the playoffs.

They go to Toronto with the winner probably getting second place in the east and a home playoff game. Toronto managed to survive a phantom pass interference penalty against them in the Winnipeg game and showed they are probably the team that gives the Bombers the most problems because of their physicality.

At this point it seems Dru Brown will start for Ottawa, and while I am not sure it will make much of a difference because Brown cannot play linebacker, there is the possibility it may pay off for the Redblacks who must show they can play desperate football, especially with second place in their sights.

Toronto is coming off the road win in Stony Mountain that featured the Stony Mountain fans, smug in their entitlement, booing their offence off the field in the first half. Toronto finishes the regular season on the road in Edmonton while Ottawa plays Hamilton.

Toronto is the better team, but Ottawa has desperation on its side. I am not sure Ottawa won’t self-destruct again with their penalties, but let’s say Brown has a similar effect on Ottawa that Adams should have with the Lions and given Ottawa a narrow 18-17 win.

The remaining game has Calgary go to Hamilton in a battle between two franchises out of the playoffs. Expect to see changes in Calgary this offseason and the Stamps 20 year run in the playoffs comes to an end. Calgary is another team that has a split locker room, this time between the remaining vets who have a clue how to win and a bunch of new players who don’t really care.

Calgary has brought in former Carolina Panthers quarterback PJ Walker as a possible replacement for Jake Maier and while I don’t expect to see him play, likely is another signal that Head Coach and GM Dave Dickenson, who will miss the playoffs for the first time in his CFL career, will likely give up the head coaching and concentrate on the GM position.

Hamilton started off horribly, then Bo Levi Mitchell caught fire and may even come out of the east as their most outstanding player candidate. The Cats even added former Edmonton head coach Chris Jones who kind of gave the Cats some hope they could win their way back into the playoffs.

It was another year of heartbreak for the Cats but in this game, look for Mitchell to send Calgary off to the offseason in fine style with the Cats winning the game 29-10.

by Greg Urbanoski

Riders Playing Best Ball Heading into the Playoffs

What's Trending