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It may be the lights out game but the spotlight will be shining bright on the Riders on Friday night. The Stamps are in town and the Riders need a win. A win clinches a playoff spot and keeps us in the hunt for second. A loss could drop us down into the West basement and leave us having lost the season series to every western opponent.
Coming into town is a team that quite frankly defies most conventional logic. The Stamps are at risk of missing the playoffs despite leading the CFL in scoring, having a +9 turnover ratio, having a QB with a 29/3 TD/INT ratio, and the CFL sack leader. They should be in contention for a home playoff game not in contention for an extra early Dickenson bowling extravaganza.
If you want to know how you struggle with an offense this powerful, just pair them with an abysmal defense like the Stamps have. The existence of the RedBlacks is the only thing keeping the Stamps from being worst in every defensive category. 8th in both yards and points allowed. Where I would immediately look to attack is the ground. They allow a league worst 6.0 yards per carry. Neutralize the pass rush of Hicks and attack a weak point. Ouellette ran well against the league’s #1 run D last week. He should have a big game against the 8th ranked run D. We even have an opportunity to mix in Conley for the first time this season with both on the roster. The Stamps will give up a ton of yards and points but they are ball hawks and look for turnovers. Gotta be smart with the ball. I think getting Wiebe back will be an underrated boost. He is essentially a Canadian Dressler at this point and Harris likes him underneath. Now with Keesean, Baker and Wiebe there’s no reason not to not only chew up yards but get into the endzone with some regularity.
Defense is really gonna depend on which version shows up. I have seen them punch above their weight class and keep us in games our offense has no interest in helping them win. I have seen them look so lost they can scarcely tie their cleats let only cover a pass. The run D will be rock solid, that we know. Pass D… who knows. We know that VA is a Jekyll and Hyde type QB. When he’s on he can play like the second coming of Doug Flutie. When he’s off he makes Chris Jones’ assessment that Brandon Bridge belonged above him on the depth chart seem justified. The key is pressure. If he has time he will dissect you. If he is rushed and more importantly hit, he will make mistakes at an increasing rate. The good news is that Calgary’s O-line’s only claim to fame is that they have made VA the most sacked QB in the league. No excuse not to win the battle in the trenches. In their second game as a unit we need to see the secondary look they aren’t looking at 5 different play books.
Another weakness of Calgary that could play a role is discipline. No one has taken more penalties than the Stamps. They balance that with a dangerous kick returner that I could see having a big return at some point.
The Riders need a win. We could win out and still finish 3rd place. That’s how tight the race in the West is. But here’s the thing… the Stamps are 2-5 vs. the West. Their offensive stats are impressive but they are somewhat inflated from averaging 42 points per game when playing Ottawa or Hamilton. We should be the better team. But the Stamps are no pushover. If we take them lightly they could easily lay a beating on us.
The last time we played at home we won. Hopefully the comforts of home are exactly what we need to get back on track.
Riders by an Ouelette TD.
