WINNIPEG — The Saskatchewan Roughriders have what the Winnipeg Blue Bombers want.
Saskatchewan clinched a berth in the CFL playoffs Monday with a 19-12 victory over the visiting Edmonton Eskimos. The Roughriders (10-5-0) hold down second place in the West Division, four points ahead of the third-place Bombers (8-7-0).
Saskatchewan and Winnipeg are to meet Saturday at Investors Group Field (noon, CKRM, TSN), so the Bombers are looking to close the gap on the Roughriders — and to close in on a playoff spot themselves.
The Roughriders, meanwhile, can move another step closer to clinching a home playoff game. A Saskatchewan victory and a loss by the B.C. Lions to the Calgary Stampeders later Saturday will give the Roughriders a post-season game at Mosaic Stadium.
Here’s one man’s list of five things (or players) to watch during Saturday’s game.
- Willie Jefferson: The Roughriders’ defensive end single-handedly turned around Monday’s game, snagging a Mike Reilly pass at the line of scrimmage and returning it 49 yards for a touchdown that turned a 12-9 deficit into a 15-12 lead with 1:37 left in regulation time. Jefferson did something very similar in Winnipeg on Sept. 8, picking off a Matt Nichols throw at the line of scrimmage and going 97 yards for a TD. Winnipeg led 10-0 at the time and was on the verge of scoring again, so Jefferson’s play completely changed the momentum of that game. His two picks this season, like his nine sacks, are a career high.
- Cameron Judge: After being the second pick overall in the 2017 CFL draft, Judge played in just three regular-season games with Saskatchewan last season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. In 2018, the 23-year-old linebacker has appeared in every game and, slowly but surely, has earned more playing time at the expense of veteran Sam Hurl. Judge has recorded 35 defensive tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in 15 games this season; his strip sack of Reilly late in Monday’s fourth quarter left the Eskimos in a third-and-14 situation that they weren’t able to convert, setting up Brett Lauther’s final field goal.
- Kicking back: Lauther went 4-for-6 on field-goal tries in Monday’s game, missing from 46 and 50 yards. That marked the first time all season that he (a) had missed more than one field-goal attempt in a game and (b) had missed a try from beyond 41 yards. Lauther said after the game that he felt like he let his teammates down, so he’ll be looking to rebound in Saturday’s contest. He’ll likely get a pep talk from his opposite number Saturday; Lauther learned a lot about kicking in the CFL from Justin Medlock when they both were members of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2014. Lauther still views Medlock as his mentor.
- Kenny Shaw: Since being activated off the practice roster, Shaw has played in two games in place of Naaman Roosevelt. In the first, Shaw was targeted seven times and caught five passes for 75 yards against the Montreal Alouettes on Sept. 30. On Monday, Shaw was targeted a team-high nine times and recorded five catches for a team-high 70 yards (and he would have scored on a 42-yard reception if the pass hadn’t bounced off his facemask). Of his 10 catches to date, five have come on second downs and have resulted in first downs. Shaw’s stats would seem to suggest that quarterback Zach Collaros is relying on the veteran receiver in clutch situations.
- The line forms here: Brendon LaBatte, who played centre in place of an injured Dan Clark during the 2017 season, takes over in the middle again Saturday with Clark on the one-game injured list. That move opens up a hole at left guard, so in steps Philip Blake. Acquired from Montreal on Wednesday, Blake has been inserted into the Roughriders’ starting lineup. Saskatchewan’s O-line allowed three sacks in Monday’s game, its highest single-game total since it gave up three to Hamilton on July 5. Even so, the Roughriders still lead the league in sacks allowed (19) while Winnipeg’s defence is fourth in the CFL in sacks (37).
