Riders, Als set to battle with both needing wins to clinch playoff berth

The CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders are inching closer to a playoff spot – and a win in Montreal on Saturday will go a long way in helping them accomplish that goal.

The Riders (6-4) are heading east of Winnipeg for the first time this season to meet the Alouettes (6-4) in a Saturday showdown. Kickoff for the game is set for 5 p.m.

The Riders can clinch a spot in the playoffs if they beat Montreal and the B.C. Lions lose Saturday to the Toronto Argonauts.

“(Clinching a playoff spot) is one of our goals and that is important – get into the tournament and if you get into the tournament, then you’ve got a chance,” Riders head coach Craig Dickenson said.

But Montreal is set to pose a difficult challenge for the Riders as the Alouettes also look to punch their ticket to the CFL playoffs.

It’s a win-and-in situation for Montreal.

“It will be a hard-fought, entertaining football game with a lot of ramifications and a lot of things on the line. I think this is going to be our toughest game in a long time, I really do. I think it’s going to be a tougher game than even playing Calgary,” Dickenson said.

After beating a Calgary team that had won three straight, the Riders will once again try to end a winning streak this week. The Alouettes are coming into the game having won four in a row.

“Montreal is another team that is really hot in the CFL. They are playing really well on defence and are creating pressures and doing a really good job of creating turnovers and getting teams into second-and-long,” Saskatchewan quarterback Cody Fajardo said.

“We’re going to have our work cut out for us and I think it’s going to be an exciting football game.”

The game will feature two very different offensive philosophies so far in 2021. The Alouettes have decided to make the deep ball the main part of their offence, leading the CFL with 28 pass completions that have gone over 20 yards through the air.

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan has struggled to find any sort of success over 20 yards, with only nine passes on 47 attempts over 20 yards finding the hands of receivers. That’s last in the CFL and the Riders have only completed one such pass like that over the past three games.

Saskatchewan does have a few weapons who joined the lineup recently who could help with those woes. The game Saturday will mark the second straight game the Riders will have both wide receiver Shaq Evans and slotback Duke Williams on the field.

“I was a little nervous and had some apprehensions about going out there. I feel like it’s natural for any human being coming off an injury like that to be a little nervous,” Evans said about making his debut in a 20-17 win over Calgary last week. “Once I got going and got warm and stuff, I really wasn’t even thinking about it during the game.”

Evans feels like the team is close to turning a corner when it comes to hitting the big play.

“(It’s important) having guys like Duke and myself in there just to help people and help them understand what kind of focus it takes this time of year,” Evans said. “This time of the year, every game is like a playoff game.

“I think we will be good if we just keep working.”

The Riders will have to overcome the absence of one of the CFL’s top punters in the game against Montreal and for the rest of the season.

The ankle injury to Jon Ryan is worse than originally thought, landing the 39-year-old punter on the six-game injured list. Dickenson thinks Ryan’s season has come to an end.

“It’s a bad ankle sprain and he might have even cracked a bone in there so it’s pretty severe. (The trainers) think it’s going to be a six-week injury minimum,” Dickenson said.

With Ryan on the mend, the team will turn to Kaare Vedvik to handle punting duties. The Norwegian played college football at Marshall and spent four years bouncing around eight different NFL teams.

“It’s kind of surreal. I wasn’t really expecting it. Jon Ryan is a phenomenal guy, a phenomenal punter and a phenomenal teammate. (It’s unfortunate) what happened last game, but now I’m in a position to go in there, step in and I’m going to do my best,” Vedvik said. “I’m excited. I get to go line up and help the team.”

Dickenson, who has spent years as a special teams co-ordinator, says a good punter can go a long way to determining the game.

“They can save you if you get a blown protection by being quick, they can flip the field if they hit a good punt and you cover it well and if they are a good enough athlete, they can even run for first downs,” Dickenson said. “I think the punter in the CFL is one of your more valuable players.”

On defence, the Riders will try to stop a Montreal offence that runs through running back William Stanback.

Stanback is the CFL’s top rusher in 2021 with 880 yards and he’s coming off a game against the Toronto Argonauts that saw him rush for 203 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s a downhill runner and he does a good job setting up his blocks between the A and B gaps,” linebacker Deon Lacey said. “He’s a grown man and I’m a grown man. He puts on his cleats just like I do.”

“It should be a fun game,” Riders defensive tackle Micah Johnson said. “He’s a very physical runner and he’s also very patient. He does a good job of finding holes. You’ve got to be disciplined as a D-line and everybody needs to stay in their gaps or he will make you pay.

“You’d better have your chinstrap strapped up heading into a game like this. You’ve got to have your mindset that you’re going to be physical and be physical for four quarters.”

Johnson could be one of the keys to stopping Stanback in the game; Johnson leads the entire CFL with eight tackles for loss.

While newly acquired quarterback Trevor Harris got his first week of practice in with the Alouettes, the team will stick with Matthew Shiltz as its pivot.

Shiltz has taken the job over from Vernon Adams Jr., who injured his left shoulder in an Oct. 11 win over the Ottawa Redblacks.

“I didn’t know (Shiltz) was as mobile as he was. He has shown a lot of mobility when plays break down,” Johnson said.