CFL FRIDAY: Roughriders, RedBlacks Lose

CALGARY 37, SASKATCHEWAN 31

The Calgary Stampeders made perhaps their biggest statement of the season Friday night, knocking off the Saskatchewan Roughriders 37-31 at Mosaic Stadium and taking a crucial tiebreaker in the crowded Western Division playoff race.

Vernon Adams Jr. was outstanding, completing 22 of 29 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. The four majors went to four different receivers, with Jalen Philpot leading Calgary with eight catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.

The Stamps came out firing. After a Quali Conley muffed punt gave Calgary an early opportunity, Adams found Clark Barnes for a 13-yard touchdown. Saskatchewan answered with Trevor Harris connecting with Kian Schaffer-Baker, but Adams immediately responded with a 48-yard strike to Damien Alford.

From there, Calgary’s defence gradually took control.

The Stampeders forced two Saskatchewan turnovers and converted both into touchdowns — a critical 14-point swing in a game decided by six points. Rookie defensive back Ashton Miller-Melancon’s fourth-quarter interception was particularly costly, setting up Adams’ touchdown pass to Philpot.

Calgary led 20-13 after three quarters and then appeared to put the game away early in the fourth. Adams engineered a 13-play scoring drive, including a 15-yard scramble on a long second down, before finding Tevin Jones in the back of the end zone to make it 27-13.

Saskatchewan made the final minutes interesting. Harris threw touchdown passes to Daniel Wiebe, Dhel Duncan-Busby and Johnny Johnson III, with the latter coming as time expired. But the Riders’ furious comeback fell short.

The bigger problem for Saskatchewan was its inability to establish the run. The Riders finished with only 30 rushing yards — a season low — and had just four rushing attempts after halftime. Meanwhile, Calgary’s 84 rushing yards helped keep the Stampeders’ offence on schedule.

For Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace, the defeat was about more than one bad quarter.

“Three games there that are important head-to-head matchups and right now we don’t have that killer instinct to go ahead and take advantage of those,” Mace said after the loss.

The loss snapped Saskatchewan’s opportunity to clinch a playoff berth at home and dropped the Riders to 8-7, while Calgary improved to 8-8. More importantly, the Stamps now own the season tiebreaker between the clubs.

And suddenly, Calgary looks very much alive in the West.

HAMILTON 34, OTTAWA 16

Earlier Friday night in Ottawa, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats erased a 16-13 halftime deficit with a dominant second half, defeating the REDBLACKS 34-16 and snapping a five-game losing streak.

Hamilton quarterback Harrison Frost put together one of the best games of his young CFL career, completing 28 of 35 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns. Kenny Lawler was his primary weapon, catching six passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Lawler’s first major gave Hamilton the lead late in the third quarter, and the Ticats never looked back.

Ottawa had actually looked like it might finally break through. The REDBLACKS led 16-13 at halftime after controlling much of the opening 30 minutes.

Then everything changed.

Hamilton’s defence completely shut Ottawa down after intermission, allowing zero points and just three first downs. Ottawa ran only six offensive plays in the third quarter as the Ticats seized control of field position and momentum.

Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich had emphasized the importance of continuing to compete despite the Ticats already being eliminated from playoff contention.

For Ottawa, however, the defeat extended an extraordinarily difficult season to 0-15.

Ryan Dinwiddie took responsibility for the second-half collapse.

“I don’t think I called the best game in the second half,” Dinwiddie admitted. “I probably should have simplified a little bit and let our guys play a bit more.”

Dinwiddie also acknowledged the frustration of Ottawa’s fan base after another loss.

“Our fans have been great,” he said. “I know they probably want me out the door and I don’t blame them, right? We haven’t won a game. You know, I apologize to those guys. I haven’t done a good enough job.”

For Hamilton, it was a night of pride and production. For Ottawa, it was another reminder that finishing games remains the biggest obstacle.

THE BIG PICTURE

Friday’s two results significantly reshaped the Western playoff picture.

Calgary’s victory moved the Stampeders to 8-8 and gave them the head-to-head tiebreaker over Saskatchewan, while the Riders remain at 8-7 and still have work to do to secure their playoff position.

The Stampeders have now won three straight, while Saskatchewan has lost three consecutive games.

And that makes the final weeks of the CFL season even more intriguing.

Calgary has gone from desperately trying to stay in the playoff conversation to legitimately threatening the teams ahead of them. Saskatchewan, meanwhile, has seen what appeared to be a comfortable playoff position become considerably less comfortable.

In Ottawa, the story is simpler: the REDBLACKS are still searching for their first victory of 2026, while Hamilton at least found a reason to feel good about itself heading into the final stretch.

There is a Saturday CFL doubleheader featuring BC at Toronto followed by Winnipeg at Montreal.

– RP