Stamps, Riders face off in battle of teams desperate to make a playoff push

Calgary Stampeders quarterback Jake Maier hands the ball off to Dedrick Mills while playing against the Montreal Alouettes in Calgary on Sept. 14, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Even though the Calgary Stampeders haven’t won a game in more than a month, they’re still right in the thick of things in the CFL’s West Division.

When the Stampeders (4-8-1) host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-7-1) at McMahon Stadium on Friday night, it will be a clash between two struggling teams battling for their playoff lives.

“Two teams that are fighting for their season to continue, and it’s a big series,” said Calgary quarterback Jake Maier, whose team will also face the Riders in Regina to close out the regular season on Oct. 26. “So yeah, I think it goes without being said, this is pretty much a playoff game.”

Since the start of the 2019 season, Calgary has won eight of 10 regular-season meetings with Saskatchewan.

Winless in their past five games, the Stamps can move into third place in the West Division standings if they beat the Riders on Friday and if the Edmonton Elks (5-8) lose at home against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-6) on Saturday.

“I really do like the headspace that the locker room’s in and everybody believes that we can still do this,” said Maier, who completed 29-of-37 passes for 236 yards and one touchdown during Calgary’s 19-19 tie with the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes last Saturday.

The last time the Stamps won a game was on Aug. 4 in Calgary when they beat the Toronto Argonauts 27-23 before they dropped their next four decisions.

Calgary coach Dave Dickenson liked how his team rebounded from their losing streak to give the Alouettes all they could handle, and he wants to see more of the same against the Riders.

“To me, if we can do what we did last game, get out early, get the ball out, try to get the lead — we call it ‘own the ball’ — that’s going to be key,” said Dickenson. “I’ve always believed that if you play well, the results will take care of themselves. I really do. So let’s get better. Let’s make sure as a team, we put our best foot forward, we play our best football.”

Linebacker Micah Teitz forced a fumble and knocked it out of bounds to also get credit for a fumble recovery in the first quarter against the Alouettes.

He has been eagerly anticipating suiting up for the Stamps to face his former team since he signed in Calgary in February.

“I’ve been looking forward to this one for the year, so glad it’s here,” said Teitz. “We felt like we could have had a better outcome in that game, so hopefully we can get in the win column this week.”

Having played 45 games for Saskatchewan over four seasons from 2018 to 2023, Teitz said the Stamps will have to be at their best to beat the Riders.

“They’re physical, they’re fast,” said Teitz. “I think if we have a good game plan, execute it to our full potential, I see us winning this game.”

After starting the season with a 5-1 record, Saskatchewan lost its next two games before eking out a 22-22 tie in Ottawa against the Redblacks on Aug. 8.

Winless since they beat the Blue Bombers 19-9 in Regina on July 19, the Riders will be looking to end their current four-game losing streak against the Stampeders.

“I think it’s going to come down to the importance in the details of every snap,” said Saskatchewan coach Corey Mace. “Both teams are looking to kind of turn over the leaf. We’ve been in a lot of really close games and they haven’t turned out in our favour unfortunately, but we’ve seen on tape the implications of if we’re not detail oriented on every single play, so if we focus on that we should put ourselves in (good) favour.”

The Roughriders haven’t played since dropping a 26-21 decision to the Bombers in the Banjo Bowl in Winnipeg on Sept. 7 when veteran quarterback Trevor Harris threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns two go with a pair of interceptions.

After their bye week, Harris said the Riders are “fired up” and “hungry” to face their rivals.

“(We’re) a team that’s focused and ready to rock,” Harris said. “We’re excited about this one.

“Both teams are positioned in a spot where it hasn’t been a great season to this point or what we had all pictured. The results that we’re looking for are still ahead of us and still within our control, so each team should have a sense of urgency at this point.”

After taking on the Stamps, the Riders will return home to host the Redblacks on Sept. 28. Meanwhile, the Stamps will have next week off before they return to action in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions on Oct. 4.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 19, 2024.