The Saskatchewan Roughriders are short home underdogs to the B.C. Lions this week for a game that will likely determine second place in the West Division.
The Riders have won three straight games since a midseason seven-game winless streak that cast their playoff hopes in doubt. The club has since clinched a spot in the postseason after beating the Edmonton Elks at Commonwealth Stadium on the strength of a sensational touchdown catch by rookie KeeSean Johnson, securing a playoff berth for the first time since 2021.
B.C. punched their ticket to the postseason this past week after beating the Calgary Stampeders by a score of 32-15 on the strength of defensive touchdowns from Mathieu Betts and T.J. Lee. Despite the win, the team remains 3-7 over their last 10 games with Nathan Rourke going 3-4 as a starter since his return from the NFL.
Saskatchewan can clinch second place in the West Division with a win this week, while B.C. would need one more win or a Riders loss to do the same. The season series between the two teams is irrelevant as Saskatchewan has an odd numbers of points by virtue of their tie against Ottawa earlier this season.
Saskatchewan will finish the regular season with a game at home against the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday, Oct. 26 following a bye in Week 20. The Stampeders have already been eliminated from playoff contention after falling to B.C. this past week.
The Lions will wrap up their regular season next week at home against the Montreal Alouettes, who have already clinched first place in the East Division. B.C. is the only team in the CFL that will not play in Week 21, the final slate of the regular season.
The two teams have met once previously this season when the Lions won 35-20 in Vancouver on July 13.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-7-1) will host the B.C. Lions (8-8) on Saturday, Oct. 12 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT.
