Two teams that are aiming to grab a hold of what appears to be the final playoff spot in the Canadian Football League will clash Friday night at Tim Hortons Field.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-10) host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-9) at 7:30 p.m. CHML’s coverage of the game begins with the Pregame Show at 6:30 p.m. A half-hour after the final whistle, catch The 5th Quarter post-game show on CHML radio, CHML’s Facebook page and online at 900chml.com.
You can make the argument that Friday’s game is a virtual must-win for the Tiger-Cats, who find themselves four points behind the Roughriders in the race for the last post-season berth.
The same could also be said for Saskatchewan.
The Riders enter the contest on a crippling four-game losing streak — their longest since 2016 — and will have two games left to play against the Calgary Stampeders after their tilt in Hamilton.
The Ticats, who are coming off a bye week after suffering a big loss the previous week against the surging Montreal Alouettes, will have three games remaining on their schedule after Friday’s contest.
Hamilton will travel to Calgary on Oct. 14 before ending the regular season with a home-and-home series against the last place Ottawa Redblacks.
Receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. will not play Friday night due to what the team is calling a ‘non-football related’ issue while a head injury will keep fellow receiver Papi White out of the lineup.
Hamilton will also be without defensive back Alden Darby Jr., who was traded earlier in the week to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for rookie defensive end Cedric Wilcots II, and defensive tackle Lee Autry II was released Thursday.
Receiver Lemar Durant, cornerback Ciante Evans and kick returner Lawrence Woods III are all returning to the field after a spell on the Tiger-Cats’ injured list.
The Roughriders beat the Ticats 30-13 in Week 1 in a game in which Hamilton allowed eight sacks but Saskatchewan has not tasted victory at Tim Hortons Field since 2018.
The Ticats would clinch a playoff berth by running the table and beating Saskatchewan, Calgary and Ottawa twice, even if the Riders win their last two games of the season against the Stampeders to finish 8-10.
Hamilton would also be 8-10 and would win the tie-breaker no matter the point differential in their games against the Riders.
3 quick stats:
- The Tiger-Cats are 2-0 when returning from the bye week this season, beating Ottawa 25-23 in Week 6 and topping Winnipeg 48-31 in Week 15. Hamilton is 8-2 after a bye week since 2018.
- Riders QB Cody Fajardo is 3-0 all-time against Hamilton, the only team he has not lost to in the CFL. Fajardo has completed 68 per cent of his passes in his three games against the Ticats for 981 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
- Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans is 0-2 in his career against the Roughriders, one of only two CFL teams he has not beaten. The other is Calgary. Evans’ QB rating against Saskatchewan is 67.6, the lowest against any opponent.
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