No need for the panic button in Rider Nation … yet

PANIC!

Well, not yet.

Read more: 

•  ‘This one sucks:’ Saskatchewan Roughriders’ comeback falls short, lose 27-25 to Edmonton Elks
•  Riders head to Edmonton to take on Elks as final stretch begins
•  Sam Emilus, Shawn Bane Jr. return to Riders lineup against Elks

However, I am reasonably concerned about the Roughriders as they head into the final four games of the season when comparing them to the teams starting to heat up behind them.

Aside from a three-minute mini miracle at the end of the game against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday night, the Roughriders looked just as out of sync as they did two weeks ago in a much more embarrassing loss to the Montreal Alouettes.

The players promised to be better after the bye week.

To their credit, they did give up 21 fewer points than they did against Montreal.

In Edmonton, though, the same problems the Riders have suffered from all season reared their ugly head in the same game and it needs to change.

Or maybe it’s foolish to think if it hasn’t changed after 17 weeks, why would it change now.

We saw the same break downs in the secondary leading to big plays and turned into touchdowns or field goals.

We again saw another slow start from an offence who rank eight out of nine teams in first quarter scoring.

We again saw Brett Lauther miss multiple field goals again. However, for the first time this season those lost points actually factored into the loss.

When will it change?

What will change?

It’s aggravated for the fans, it’s aggravating for the players and it’s definitely aggravating for the head coach.

Corey Mace admitted as much after the game.

‘We can’t afford to find ourselves in a 10-point hole. We can’t continue to spot teams 10 points or 11 points before we score,’ uttered the second year head coach.

‘We can talk about it, which we have done, but clearly that’s not good enough. We have to find other solutions as coaches and see how we can get that fixed because talking about it ad nauseam is not good enough.”

We now know Corey Mace isn’t adverse to change. He changed the punter and the returner going into the game for lack of production.

Although there isn’t a personnel change you can make for the offence. And to those who will say, ‘what about the quarterback’, you can take save your Jake Maier hot takes for a different time because we’re nowhere close to that.

But whatever changes schematically the Riders can make they better make them quick because the grip on the power of the west division is slipping away.

Nathan Rourke might be the best quarterback in the league right now as the B.C. Lions have moved up to a three-way tie with the Stampeders and the Blue Bombers for second place in the West.

Oh, and then there are those annoyingly consistent Bombers who like last year looked completely out of it and find themselves right back in a battle for home playoff spots.

Zach Collaros and the Bombers beat up on the East Division leading Tiger-Cats 40-3 on the same day the Roughriders lost their second straight game.

Yes, Rider fans, your Riders are no longer the best team in the league anymore.

The fall from the CFL pedestal came quick and hard. After back to back wins against the Bombers to start September it felt like the Riders were well on their way to a West Final home game and a trip to Winnipeg.

Well, the Roughriders’ play has turned from green to brown like the autumn leaves.

Now the urgency has to pick up for the Riders urgently!

We’ve all witnessed the hottest team going into playoffs ending up in the Grey Cup and for the Riders aren’t even warm, let alone hot.