FRIDAY COMMENTARY – ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)

TO DISCUSS THE PLIGHT OF THE SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS AS THEY PREPARE TO VISIT THE WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS FRIDAY NIGHT, I’LL USE THE WORDS OF DALLAS COWBOYS OWNER JERRY JONES.

THEY’RE “WALKING IN SOME TALL GRASS”.

ACCORDING TO THE CFL’S WEEKLY GAME NOTES PACKAGE, THE RIDERS’ MAGIC NUMBER TO CLINCH A PLAYOFF SPOT IS THREE.

THEY’VE CALCULATED THAT SASK NEEDS TO WIN THREE OF ITS LAST FOUR GAMES TO ENSURE A PLAYOFF SPOT VIA CROSSOVER AND ONE OF THOSE GAMES IS THIS ONE IN WINNIPEG.

THE NUMBERS DON’T GET ANY BETTER THERE.

THE BOMBERS HAVE WON THE LAST FOUR IN A ROW OVER THE RIDERS, AND ARE 10-5 AGAINST SASKATCHEWAN GOING BACK TO 2016.

THEY’VE LARGELY BEEN BLOWOUTS TOO, WITH ONLY ONE GAME GOING DOWN TO THE LAST 3:00 AND THAT WAS THIS YEAR’S LABOUR DAY CLASSIC.

WHAT’S TOUGH FOR THE RIDERS RIGHT NOW, AT LEAST FOR THIS WEEK ANYWAY, IS THAT THEY’RE GOING UP AGAINST A JUGGERNAUT.

OVER THEIR LAST TWO GAMES THE BOMBERS HAVE SCORED A TOUCHDOWN ON 50% OF THEIR POSSESSIONS. ALL SEASON LONG, 25% OF THEIR DRIVES HAVE REACHED THE ENDZONE WHICH IS A CFL RECORD.

SO TO PUT IT MILDLY, SASKATCHEWAN HAS ITS HANDS FULL IN WEEK 17.

BUT THERE ARE A COUPLE OF BRIGHT SPOTS. EACH TIME HAMILTON AND OTTAWA LOSES, THE MAGIC NUMBER DROPS BY ONE AND THOSE TEAMS ARE TRAINWRECKS. AND THE SECOND EDMONTON LOSES THEIR NEXT GAME, THEY’LL BE OUT OF THE RUNNING TOO.

AND THE NUMBERS DON’T ALWAYS MEAN ANYTHING ANYWAY!

REMEMBER TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN ALL SIGNS POINTED TO A ROUGHRIDERS HOME VICTORY OVER EDMONTON BUT IT WAS THE ELKS WHO WALTZED OUT OF MOSAIC WITH A 26-24 VICTORY?

ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA and on 99.1 WQEE. Call your cable provider to subscribe. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)