Watch the Redblacks take on the Stampeders LIVE Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET \/ 4:30 p.m. PT\u00a0on TSN1\/3, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.<\/a><\/p>\nDespite four straight losses, the Redblacks are only a win behind the 2-5 Argonauts \u2014 and hoping to close the gap with a much-needed result.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for them to get away was important, to clear their mind and at the same time to analyze us as coaches,\u201d head coach Bob Dyce said of the bye. \u201cTo analyze what we\u2019re doing well and what we need to do better, and I think it\u2019s the same thing for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dyce said the coaching staff used the break to make adjustments, while players emphasized staying in the moment and not getting ahead of themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, it is concerning, but I\u2019ve been part of this league for a long time and I\u2019ve seen crazy things happen,\u201d said defensive lineman Mike Wakefield. \u201cI\u2019ve still got a big belief that we\u2019ll turn this thing around.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bye week also gave quarterback Dru Brown time to recover from the headshot that forced him out against Hamilton. He\u2019s already missed three games with a hip injury from the season opener and is still searching for the form he showed last year.<\/p>\n
Things won\u2019t get any easier against a Calgary defence that ranks among the league\u2019s best.<\/p>\n
The Stampeders lead the CFL in fewest points allowed, giving up just 17.9 per game, and have surrendered only eight offensive touchdowns all season. Calgary makes it tough to score in the red zone, giving up touchdowns on only 8.4 per cent of opponent drives, to lead the league.<\/p>\n
Ottawa\u2019s lone win came against Calgary in Week 3 with Dustin Crum under centre. With the Stampeders (5-2) coming off just their second loss and quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. sidelined with a head injury, the Redblacks have a shot at a season sweep.<\/p>\n
P.J. Walker, who went 3-of-7 for 20 yards in relief, will make his first CFL start in Adams\u2019s place.<\/p>\n
The Redblacks will finally see veteran centre Peter Godber, who\u2019s set to make his season debut.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Godber says he\u2019s done everything he can to make sure Brown will have the time he needs to operate.<\/p>\n
\u201cDru is one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. He\u2019s a great player, and we put that responsibility on our backs to protect him,\u201d Godber said. \u201cThe key to scoring points against this great defence is good protection. They\u2019re a great D-line, so it\u2019s definitely going to be a challenge for us \u2014 but that\u2019s why we play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ottawa will also get reinforcements with veteran receiver Bralon Addison and cornerback C.J. Coldon returning to the lineup.<\/p>\n
STAMPEDERS (5-2) AT REDBLACKS (1-6)<\/p>\n
JUST FOR KICKS: Rene Paredes is one field goal shy of 600 for his career \u2014 a mark only six other players in CFL history have reached.<\/p>\n
NOT SO SWEET HOME: Calgary is a perfect 3-0 on the road this year, outscoring opponents 94-49, while Ottawa remains winless (0-3) at TD Place.<\/p>\n
RED ZONE WARRIORS: Calgary\u2019s red zone efficiency has been a major factor in its success this season, converting 13 touchdowns on 19 trips for a league-best efficiency of 68.4 per cent.<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"OTTAWA – The Ottawa Redblacks return from a bye week looking to reboot a season slipping away.\u00a0 Sitting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36677,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-36676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}