The Saskatchewan Roughriders enjoyed a 2-0 start to their championship season of 2025.

How does this year’s edition — also 2-0 — compare to a team that established a benchmark for success?

“I can’t really speak for the other sides of the football, like special teams and defence, but the one thing I will say is I feel like in some places offensively we’re ahead and in some places we could consider ourselves behind,” quarterback Trevor Harris said on Tuesday.

“To me, it’s about, ‘Are we figuring out what is needed to be done to win football games?’ That’s what we’ve done so far.

“But the standard continues to elevate. We want to make sure we’re getting better and better. I think the best days for this offence are right in front of us. I think the best football we’re going to play is right in front of us.

“We’ve got to be careful about comparing seasons, because if you fall short at a certain time, you feel like you’re behind. Then you start scrapping and you feel rushed. That’s not the best way to play football, with high stress.

“It’s about doing the next right thing and executing one play at a time.”

The Roughriders opened their 2026 season with a 31-27 victory over the visiting B.C. Lions on June 13. Saskatchewan followed up a week later with a 40-37 overtime victory over the host Calgary Stampeders.

The nailbiters are hardly novel for the Roughriders, who registered 11 of last season’s 14 victories (playoffs included) by a single-digit margin.

“It’s not where we want to live — winning close games,” Harris said. “We want to be able to press the pedal and bury teams and put them away.

“But the mark of a good team is one that can find a way to win. A lot of times when you go through a losing streak, like we did in ’24, we just kept finding new ways to lose for six or seven games in a row. It’s about finding ways to win those games.

“Inevitably, when you get toward the playoffs and you’re playing in the West Final or the Grey Cup, they’re going to come down to one-possession games. When the moment gets big, you deliver.

“This team has that hallmark. Now that we know that, let’s stop this ‘close game’ stuff.”

INJURY UPDATE

Running back A.J. Ouellette did not practise on Tuesday after injuring an ankle late in the third quarter of the game in Calgary.

His status is unknown for Friday’s matchup with the Toronto Argonauts (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium; tickets are AVAILABLE HERE).

“I gave him a day (off) today,” Head Coach Corey Mace said on Tuesday. “We’ll see how it feels tomorrow. With A.J., we can roll that thing all the way to the game. He’s done it long enough.”

Ouellette rushed for 1,222 yards — the second-best total in the CFL — last season. He had 84 yards along the ground on Saturday before being sidelined.

Although the Roughriders are proceeding with all due caution, there is comfort to be derived from the likelihood that the injury is not a long-term matter.

“You never know, but seeing A.J. after the game and seeing A.J. the last few days and getting some reports back from the docs, it was certainly a relief,” Mace said.

The news isn’t nearly as positive concerning defensive halfback JuJu Hughes, who suffered a non-contact ankle injury during the fourth quarter at McMahon Stadium.

Hughes was making his first CFL start in place of Rolan Milligan Jr. (shoulder).

“That’s a tough one,” Mace said. “Unfortunately, JuJu’s going to be out a long time.

“The kid was having a good game. He had a great camp. He’s a great player — an excellent kid. We just wish him well.”