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The Saskatchewan Roughriders are heading into their biggest game of the 2022 CFL season Friday with a pivotal showdown against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
With a 6-9 record, the only way the Riders can qualify for the playoffs now is by way of the crossover.
The rule says that if a fourth-place team in one division has more wins than the third-place team in the other division, the fourth-place team would cross over and play in the other division for the playoffs.
The team that’s chasing Saskatchewan to try and make the playoffs is the Tiger-Cats, who sport a 4-10 record.
Kickoff for the game is set for 5:30 p.m. The Green Zone pre-game show begins at 3 p.m.
“I think the guys are excited. We’ve got three games left and with Hamilton coming up, this is a win-or-go-home mentality,” Saskatchewan quarterback Cody Fajardo said. “It’s a must-win game for us.”
If the Riders win, the only way they would miss the playoffs would be if they lost their final two games — both against the Calgary Stampeders — and Hamilton won all three of its remaining games (one against Calgary, two against the Ottawa Redblacks).
When the two teams met on June 11, Saskatchewan emerged with a 30-13 win.
The Riders went winless in September and have a 1-4 record over their past five games. While the Tiger-Cats have the same record over their past five games, their most recent win came Sept. 17 with a 48-31 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“The optimism is very high still. Looking at 0-and-4 in the month of September isn’t great, but the guys aren’t hanging their heads. We’re not giving up. The guys aren’t waving the white flag,” Fajardo said.
Saskatchewan’s offensive line will try to build off last week’s game against the Bombers, when the unit didn’t surrender a sack.
A part of the O-line’s success there was the return of centre Dan Clark, who had missed most of the season with a broken leg.
“(Hamilton) has an unbelievable defence,” Clark said. “I know that Hamilton is going to be prepared and their fans are going to be prepared for us to come into their house.
“Nothing has really changed (from earlier in the season). Their mentality is to win. If you’re not preparing to win every week, something is wrong with you as a professional.”
The Riders will see some changes at running back. With injuries to Frankie Hickson (wrist), Jamal Morrow (hand) and Kienan LaFrance (knee), Shaq Cooper will start at running back with returner Mario Alford as his backup.
“(Cooper) is a guy who understands this offence. It’s not like he’s going to struggle with the playbook; he’s a guy we can plug and play,” Fajardo said.
As the Riders head into the final stretch of games, Fajardo expects the intensity to be high with both teams fighting for their playoff lives.
“All eyes are focused on Hamilton. They are coming off a bye week and they are going to be hungry. They know the situation as well so it’s going to be a smash-mouth CFL football game that goes into the fourth quarter,” Fajardo said.
