Riders look to end seven-game slide in showdown against Stamps
14h ago
Riders take on the Calgary Stampeders for the first time this season on Friday.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders gave the CFL the boost in the arm it needed to lead to a strong television rating for the West Division semifinal.
More than one million people on average watched, making it the most-watched sporting event in Canada over the weekend. While the ratings were down from the 2019 season, that has been the tale of the entire season.
The bonus of the 33-30 double-overtime game is the fact that it creates enough of a buzz on not only the exclusive rights holder of TSN but Sportsnet had it up in its newscasts as well.
The league is relieved the high-flying shootout-style CFL showed its face in the playoffs after scoring was down all season.
In fact, it was the only game this season that had both teams score 30 points or more. There were six of those games in 2019.
With that game, it should create some momentum for the East and West finals with the added bonus of two great rivalry match-ups. The Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers are Labour Day classic rivalries.
After a frustrating year, hopefully strong playoffs will carry momentum into 2022.