Montreal signed McLeod Bethel Thompson, who was in Edmonton and before that Montreal, to be the insurance in case Alexander went down. Thompson was the quarterback facing the Riders and they used their defense and Montreal being short two starting receivers to put a defensive vise around Montreal and not allow them to get any closer than the Rider 41-yard line.
The Rider’s defense was so effective, there was even a fumble by Thompson that was returned for a touchdown by Rider defensive lineman Caleb Saunders that was called back when it was determined Thompson was down by contact before the ball got loose. Otherwise, the score would have been 41-6.
This was a statement game for the Riders who have a month of statement games to play with their next opponents in order being Hamilton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Montreal. Montreal was without their starting quarterback, but they also have one of the leagues best defenses and how the Riders nullified their defense is a promising sign for the rest of the games in this stretch the Riders will play.
The win showed how important Trevor Harris is to the success of the Riders and I am still gob smacked at how Harris can take a snap, make his reads, and get the ball out under two seconds. Someone who can get rid of the ball that fast makes it very tough for a defense to mount consistent pressure because the Riders under rated receiving corps will make defensive backs pay for playing man to man coverage.
The Riders are using their bye week to refresh their bodies and get ready for the crucial second half of the season. With 10 games left to play in the season, if the Riders go .500 in those games, their final record will be 12-6, but the Riders seem to be buying into the notion they are Grey Cup contenders.
The Riders have some big-name players on the six-game injury list, with Canadian receivers Kian Schafer-Baker and Samuel Emilus being a big part of a final playoff push. Schaefer-Baker is likely to come off around Labor Day and Emilus could be available around Thanksgiving for the final playoff push.
The Riders though have been fortunate to have depth to make up for the injuries. Ka’Deem Cary was injured and likely gone for the season at running back and the Riders brought back Mario Anderson who had won the backup job to AJ Ouellette only to lose it when the Riders picked up former Argo and Stampeder running back Cary.
The Riders have the personnel to try any sort of game plan, including a physical one where their offensive and defensive lines dominate the opposing teams. With options in the running and passing games, and with the Rider back ups getting invaluable experience as starters, the Riders seem to have the depth to make a decent playoff run.
The Riders game with Hamilton will be interesting between the two best records in the CFL but the Riders have already beaten Hamilton in Hamilton. A win against Hamilton will set up the rematch with Calgary who have given the Riders their only loss this season and more importantly, put space between the Riders and Calgary for first place.
Then there is the Labor Day and Labor Day rematch with the Stony Mountain Blue Bombers. The Bombers have owned the western conference for five years, and this year are hosting the Grey Cup but so far, the team has not performed up to their fan base’s expectations. A split would be nice and a sweep would be possible if the
Bombers continue to have problems moving and stopping the ball, but let’s not get too greedy.
Montreal comes to Riderville and that may be about the time Alexander returns, providing the Riders with another test of dealing with a quarterback who gives them trouble and solving that quarterback. In the meantime, here are the games this week and let’s start with Montreal and Edmonton.
After the Montreal loss to the Riders, there was discussion on whether Montreal should start another quarterback instead of Thompson who looked old, tired, and disengaged against the Riders. Edmonton switched from Tre Ford to Cody Fajardo and almost came away with two wins from the change, but the problem with Edmonton seems to be offensive and defensive schemes.
Well, let’s not forget their offensive and defensive line play as a factor in their record. Edmonton’s lack of sacks and interceptions from a defensive that had a lot of money spent on it has Elk fans wondering if JC Sherritt, the former Elk linebacker who is now the defensive coordinator, is ready to make the jump to a coordinator position.
Last year Sherritt was the linebacker coach for the Riders and either he is a positional coach, or he just needs to go through some growing pains as a coordinator and learn from his mistakes. Edmonton though is trying to convince their fans to return to Commonwealth Stadium after Chris Jones drove them out with his endless training camps and lack of wins or progress and they need wins, especially against teams like Montreal.
With Fajardo having played in Montreal and Thompson in Edmonton, these are two quarterbacks who know their opponents relatively well. Edmonton is in danger of watching the playoffs, even a cross over spot, slip away from them and they will be desperate for a win.
So will Montreal who need to keep Hamilton within reach in the standings while waiting for Alexander to return. With two desperate teams facing off against each other, it should be a tight game and I am seeing Montreal emerge with a 27-23 win as their defense shakes off the Rider defeat and asserts itself against Edmonton.
Another game with more than a whiff of desperation is BC at Hamilton where the Lions are seeing other teams in the East in a position to move up and force them out of the cross over berth. Hamilton is on a roll having gone from the basement to first place, mostly by beating teams they should be beating.
BC is coming off a bye week so they will have had time to plot and plan on handling the Cats and their offense led by Bo Levi Mitchell who is already being acclaimed as the most outstanding player in the CFL this year. BC though has a problem with their defense which can be run on and their offense is suffering from bad blocking by the offensive line and a receiving corps that seems flat.
Mitchell will want to go deep to his receiving corps, especially Kenny Lawler but I can see Hamilton looking to establish the run much like BC did against Edmonton and run the Lions out of the stadium.
A win gives BC a 4-6 record and better positioning for a playoff spot either in the west or more likely the cross over berth in the east. The Lions though need to find some offensive and defensive consistency and if BC’s defensive secondary plays Hamilton like it did Saskatchewan, Mitchell will be in line for a 400 passing yard performance.
Hamilton has enjoyed the benefit of luck with last minute touchdowns to win games against weaker teams, but as we reach the halfway point of the season, Hamilton will find out whether they are a true contender or a team feasting on bottom dwellers in the standings.
BC is coming off a bye with an extra week of preparation. Hamilton has the momentum, and I can’t argue with momentum. Hamilton gets away with a 29-25 score.
Ottawa at Toronto will be interesting because Toronto is coming off a devastating loss to Winnipeg who racked up two special team touchdowns and a defensive touchdown to surprise the Argos who were facing Chris Streveler and not Zach Collaros. Streveler cannot pass more than 10 or 15 yards and his limited skill set should have made this a sure thing for the Argos, but they are giving the impression of waiting for Chad Kelly to come off the injury list and give them some sort of spark.
If Hamilton beats BC, BC drops to 3-6 and Toronto or Ottawa will better their record to 3-6, forcing BC out of the playoffs. Both Ottawa and Toronto have been their own worst enemies, losing games they should have won easily.
Ottawa is coming off a 31-11 win over Calgary who were missing quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and two of their best receivers. Beating Calgary sounds impressive until you get into the details, but Ottawa is in no position to quibble over potential wins.
This week it depends if Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown can lift their offense and if their defense can get people back and play cohesively. This is basically a coin flip and I am picking Ottawa to win 27-26 because I have seen Toronto blow two games on special teams touchdowns given up.
Finally, we have Winnipeg going to Calgary, where on the Bombers fan page site, Morning Big Blue, you would have thought the Bombers had lost to the Argos last week based on the comments. While the Bombers special teams chipped in and so did the defense, the offense was vanilla and if Collaros is starting, the expectation is to see the ball move downfield further than it did under Streveler.
Calgary lost to Ottawa while missing Adams and others and with Adams return, Calgary is trying to stay in the race for first place and with a win will put more distance between themselves and Winnipeg.
There is a factor affecting the game and that is weather. There could very well be showers in Calgary Saturday night and Calgary lost their first game to Ottawa in a downpour. If the forecast is accurate, look for both sides to run the ball more and Calgary does have a better running attack than Winnipeg does.
Throw in Adams ability to scramble and force an aging Bomber defensive line into doing more cardio than they are ready for, and even though Winnipeg has a decent running attack, Calgary is getting critical pieces back into their offense and should win a close battle 27-24.