If that was a Grey Cup preview, sign the Saskatchewan Roughriders up.
On Thanksgiving Monday afternoon the Roughriders blasted the Toronto Argonauts 36-10 at Rogers Centre for their third-straight victory and a share of second-place in the CFL West at 8-6.
Things went the Riders' way right from the opening kickoff when Brandon West returned it 84 yards. The Riders got a field goal on the drive and never trailed the rest of the way.
CFL observers may scoff at the notion of the game being a Grey Cup preview, but it's a distinct possibility. The 100th Grey Cup game will be played November 25 at Rogers Centre and both the Riders and Argos are right in the thick of it. Rider coach Corey Chamblin was the first to point that Monday's encounter might be a sneak peek of the CFL's championship match.
"It was a total team effort," Chamblin revealed. "We said we'd approach it like a championship game with the last two wins over Calgary, BC and now here. It was a championship-type game and we played like it and finished."
Did they ever. The Riders never turned the ball over and tailback Kory Sheets shattered the 1000-yard mark for the season on a 48-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Right around that time pivot Darian Durant launched a 78-yard touchdown bomb to Weston Dressler. They were rockin' and rollin'.
Of course these two teams will meet again before the season is over, in Regina, and Toronto will be a much different team by then. They were missing their top quarterback and top rusher on Monday so Chamblin wasn't getting too cocky.
"There's still room for improvement," Chamblin reasoned. "Jarious (Jackson) is a good quarterback but that isn't the real Toronto offence. The next time we face them they'll have Ricky Ray and Chad Kackert."
With four games left the Riders are looking ahead rather than behind but it's prudent to point out the missed opportunities which would have vastly improved their standing. Two blown games against Calgary and a gaffe in Montreal in Week 12 would have the Riders sitting pretty at this point. They are tied with Calgary but have lost the season series which have put them behind the 8-ball in terms of hosting a playoff game.
Those snafus could add up to a collective million dollar mistake since finishing first or second and hosting a playoff game means seven figures into the bank account. Regardless, a playoff berth would represent a massive accomplishment by the first-year coach Chamblin who took over a demoralized 5-13 team.
And, let's not forget, second-place is still there for the taking. The way the Riders are playing now, anything is a possibility.
With a win this Saturday at Edmonton against the 6-8 Eskimos, the Riders can truly start making playoff plans. Maybe they could even start dreaming about another trip to Toronto.
(Rod Pedersen is the voice of the Riders on CKRM radio)
