5 things to watch for as the Stampeders host the Roughriders

Turnovers and mental errors doomed the Calgary Stampeders (9-5) in their loss in Montreal last week. In Week 18, the Stamps face the Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-4) at home with the hopes to knock the Riders off the top of the CFL West Division.

Here are 5 things to watch as the Stampeders host the Roughriders:

1. A “must win” game: The Stamps and the Riders have not played head-to-head for first place in the last month of the season since the final game of the 2009 CFL season. If the Stamps are going to win the West and host the West Final, they basically have to win out. If they lose to the Riders, the first place battle will be over.
2. Bo Levi Mitchell vs. Cody Fajardo: It will be Bo’s first start against the Fajardo and the Riders this season. Nick Arbuckle was at the controls earlier in the season when the Stamps rolled to an impressive 37-10 win at Mosiac Stadium. Farjardo has posted a 9-3 record as the Riders new number one, best in club history.
3. Stamps secondary vs. Riders receivers: This could be considered a best-on-best match up. The Riders have some very impressive weapons with receivers Shaq Evans, Naaman Roosevelt and Jordan Williams-Lambert leading the way.
4. Ball security: The Stamps racked up over 550 yards of offense last weekend against the Montreal Alouettes (8-6). However, the offense was derailed by 5 turnovers. In the Stamps five losses this season, they have turned the ball over a staggering 17 times.
5. On-field discipline: Just like the turnovers, penalties have derailed the Stamps in their five losses. In four of their five losses, the Stamps have averaged over 10 penalties a game. It was 12 last week in Montreal.

Join me and the entire Calgary Stampeders broadcast crew as the Stamps take on the Riders on Friday, Oct. 11. The pregame show gets underway at 6 p.m. with kick-off at 7:30 p.m. on the radio home of the Calgary Stampeders — 770 CHQR.