The Saskatchewan Roughriders enjoyed a 2-0 start to their championship season of 2025.<\/p>\n
How does this year\u2019s edition \u2014 also 2-0 \u2014 compare to a team that established a benchmark for success?<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t 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\u2019re ahead and in some places we could consider ourselves behind,\u201d quarterback Trevor Harris said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, it\u2019s about, \u2018Are we figuring out what is needed to be done to win football games?\u2019 That\u2019s what we\u2019ve done so far.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the standard continues to elevate. We want to make sure we\u2019re getting better and better. I think the best days for this offence are right in front of us. I think the best football we\u2019re going to play is right in front of us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to be careful about comparing seasons, because if you fall short at a certain time, you feel like you\u2019re behind. Then you start scrapping and you feel rushed. That\u2019s not the best way to play football, with high stress.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about doing the next right thing and executing one play at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The nailbiters are hardly novel for the Roughriders, who registered 11 of last season\u2019s 14 victories (playoffs included) by a single-digit margin.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not where we want to live \u2014 winning close games,\u201d Harris said. \u201cWe want to be able to press the pedal and bury teams and put them away.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut 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 \u201924, we just kept finding new ways to lose for six or seven games in a row. It\u2019s about finding ways to win those games.<\/p>\n
\u201cInevitably, when you get toward the playoffs and you\u2019re playing in the West Final or the Grey Cup, they\u2019re going to come down to one-possession games. When the moment gets big, you deliver.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis team has that hallmark. Now that we know that, let\u2019s stop this \u2018close game\u2019 stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
INJURY UPDATE<\/p>\n
Running back A.J. Ouellette did not practise on Tuesday after injuring an ankle late in the third quarter of the game in Calgary.<\/p>\n
His status is unknown for Friday\u2019s matchup with the Toronto Argonauts (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium; tickets are AVAILABLE HERE<\/a>).<\/p>\n