MONDAY COMMENTARY – ON TO WINNIPEG

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

YOU PROBABLY WON’T BELIEVE IT, BUT THAT CFL PLAYOFF GAME SUNDAY AT MOSAIC STADIUM WENT EXACTLY ACCORDING TO SCRIPT.

THE RIDERS BEAT THE STAMPEDERS 33-30 IN DOUBLE OVERTIME OF COURSE, AND THE GAME FEATURED MORE TWISTS AND TURNS THAN AN EPISODE OF MURDER SHE WROTE.

BUT YOU SAW THIS COMING DIDN’T YOU?

AS I SAID HERE FRIDAY, ‘YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE’ COME PLAYOFF TIME AND NOT MUCH CHANGED WITH SASKATCHEWAN.

CODY FAJARDO THREW FOUR INTERCEPTIONS, WAS FORCED TO RUSH FOR 89 YARDS, THE TEAM TOOK SOME COSTLY PENALTIES AND BRETT LAUTHER WAS BITTEN BY THE FOOTBALL GODS IN REGULATION TIME.

BUT … THE RIDERS OVERCAME ALL OF THAT AND PREVAILED, PUNCHING THEIR TICKET TO WINNIPEG AND NEXT SUNDAY’S WESTERN FINAL.

THAT’S PRETTY MUCH HOW THE SEASON HAS GONE FOR THE RIDERS AS THEY ROLLED TO THE UGLIEST 9-5 RECORD IMAGINABLE.

BUT THEY NEVER MADE ANY APOLOGIES FOR THAT, NOR SHOULD THEY FOR SUNDAY’S WIN OVER CALGARY.

SHOOT – EVEN THE POINT SPREAD WAS RIDERS BY TWO. THEY ENDED UP WINNING BY THREE AND WE SAID HERE FRIDAY SASKATCHEWAN WOULD COVER.

AND WHILE THE RIDERS TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO WINNIPEG, KNOWING FULL WELL THEY DON’T STAND A CHANCE IF THEY PLAY LIKE THEY DID AGAINST THE STAMPS, IT’S CALGARY THAT HAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS TO ANSWER TODAY.

THEY CAME INTO SASKATCHEWAN EXPECTING TO WIN BUT NOW BO LEVI MITCHELL IS GOING TO BE DOGGED BY QUESTIONS ALL WINTER ABOUT IF HIS GAME IS SLIPPING.

HE THREW TWO COSTLY INTERCEPTIONS ON SUNDAY AND, AGAIN, DIDN’T LOOK HIMSELF DESPITE A WEALTH OF TALENT AROUND HIM ON OFFENSE.

BUT THAT’S THEIR PROBLEM.

AROUND HERE, IT’S NOW A CASE OF “ON TO WINNIPEG”.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)