October 23, 2017

First things first for the Roughriders

The Saskatchewan Roughriders aren’t sure where they’re headed for their first game of the CFL playoffs.

They don’t really care, either.

“The biggest thing is just getting into the playoffs,” Saskatchewan quarterback Kevin Glenn said following Monday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium. “That’s what you set out to accomplish at the beginning of the year as a team and we’ve done that, so now the next thing on the agenda is to be playing good football going into the playoffs …

“As long as we’re playing good football, it doesn’t matter where we go.”

The Roughriders clinched their berth in the post-season Friday, when they defeated the host Calgary Stampeders 30-7.

That locked up at least a crossover berth into the East Division playoffs for the Roughriders (9-7-0). But Saskatchewan still can finish third in the West Division; it’s two points back of the Edmonton Eskimos (10-6-0) with two games left to play on both teams’ schedules.

The Roughriders are to face the visiting Montreal Alouettes on Friday, one day before the Eskimos are to entertain the Stampeders. An Edmonton victory and a Saskatchewan loss this weekend will clinch at least third place for the Eskimos.

However, if the Roughriders win and Edmonton loses this weekend, the teams will be tied for third. And that scenario — or if both teams win (or lose) this weekend — would mean that their game Nov. 4 at Mosaic Stadium will be key in deciding the order of finish in the West.

If the Roughriders finish third, they’ll travel to Winnipeg to face the Blue Bombers in the West semifinal.

If Edmonton wins out and the Bombers lose out, the Eskimos would claim second place, which means the Eskimos would play host to Winnipeg in the West semifinal.

Whoever finishes fourth will travel east to face either the Ottawa Redblacks or Toronto Argonauts in the East semifinal. It’s still unclear which of those teams will finish second in the East (and play host to the division semifinal) or first (and play host to the division final).

“We’ll play these next two games and then we’ll see where everything falls,” Glenn said.

Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones couldn’t care less about the various scenarios.

“We want to win the next two ball games and then whatever happens, happens,” he said. “You spend time worried about this, that and another. You should really just worry about playing great football regardless of who you play.

“So much energy is spent talking about it and thinking about it that can be spent in other places.”

The B.C. Lions could have done Saskatchewan a favour in the race for third on Saturday, when they led the visiting Eskimos 29-13 in the fourth quarter.

But Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly piloted his team to two touchdowns and a pair of two-point converts to tie the contest, and to another major in overtime. The Eskimos’ defence then shut down the Lions in OT to win 35-29.

“It would have been great (if the Lions had won),” Glenn said. “But at the same time, I wouldn’t say, ‘Let me hold my breath hoping that they’re going to do something,’ because I wouldn’t be here right now if that happened.”

The Roughriders clinched their spot with a dominant effort in Calgary, holding the Stampeders to 10 first downs, 168 yards of net offence and seven points (comprising two field goals and a single).

Saskatchewan’s defence was stout, its special teams were stellar and its offence did just enough to win the game.

One of the stars of the contest was receiver-turned-cornerback Duron Carter, whose 43-yard interception return for a touchdown was the game’s signature moment.

Carter — who was making his first start at corner at any level of football — was expected to play both DB and wide receiver, but the Roughriders opted not to use him on offence.

Jones said Carter likely will play both ways in Friday’s game against the Alouettes, a tactic that would give starting corner Kacy Rodgers II at least another week to rest.

The health of his team, not its possible playoff destination, is Jones’ concern.

“My job now that we’re in the playoffs is to make sure we’ve got the healthiest bodies available to attempt to win this next football game and put ourselves in a position that we have the healthiest roster possible when we go to play a playoff game,” Jones said when asked about keeping Carter on defence.

“That’s our goal, so if that includes him playing corner until Kacy is 100-per-cent healthy, then that’s the way we’ll go.”

After Friday’s victory in Calgary, Roughriders guard Brendon LaBatte said snapping a two-year playoff drought was huge for the team and for the province of Saskatchewan. On Monday, he added he wasn’t concerned with how the Roughriders’ post-season schedule will end up looking.

“We want to look to get two games above .500 and make sure we get that 11 wins,” LaBatte said. “We’ll go wherever we’ve got to go to play the playoff games.”