The Calgary Stampeders came into McMahon Stadium on Friday night with a huge opportunity.
Win and they could have potentially found themselves in third place in the West Division standings, continuing to build the momentum that began a week ago when they took the defending champions to a tie. They also would have extended the misery of an opponent who was suffering their own winless woes.
Instead, in the words of head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson following a 37-29 loss in front of what may have been the greenest-clad crowd I’ve ever witnessed at McMahon: “Every time we get to a place where we need a win to get going in the right direction, we lose.”
Here’s what I saw in the game.
Lots of Rock but no hard place
Building on his previous success against the Stampeders while a member of the Ottawa Redblacks earlier this season, Ryquell ‘Rock’ Armstead ran roughshod in this game. He would carry the ball 25 times and totalled 207 yards rushing.
The Stampeders surrendered 244 yards on the ground as a team, raising their per-game average for the season to over 125 yards — by far the worst in the league.
When reviewing the stats pack for the Stampeders’ defensive front seven, the day gets even gloomier for fans. The team is near last in sacks and is also second worst in tackles for a loss — not a recipe for success.
Maier keeps it tight
Much of Jake Maier’s stat line from this game was impressive. Completing 25-of-31 passes is a night most quarterbacks would be pretty happy with. Two touchdowns against a lone interception, which came when pressing on the game’s final drive, are also numbers that most QBs could justify when they laid down at night.
However, with just 197 yards coming from those completions, questions were once again raised about this team’s offensive scheme and their seeming unwillingness to throw the ball downfield.
Maier is the only current starting QB with an average completion of less than eight yards. Many of his throws start out as a loss, completed behind the line of scrimmage, before the receiver has to try and fight their way forward, typically for five or less.
Injuries elsewhere in the league do make it a little more difficult to compare Maier directly to other quarterbacks, but he is near last in attempts in this category as well when you take a team approach. Maier’s 57 attempted throws over 20 yards are only ahead of Toronto. The available stats are somewhat incomplete but Chad Kelly already has more than half Maier’s amount despite being suspended for the first nine games of the season.
There are three possible culprits: scheme, Maier, and his receivers. Is Maier being limited in who he should be throwing to in his progressions? Is Maier unable to see and recognize receivers downfield and, therefore, doesn’t throw them the ball? Or are receivers unable to get open?
I’m sure the answer is a mix of all three but the results are an uninspiring passing attack that is far too often stopped in its tracks.
Touchdown Tommy takes a tour
On the Stampeders’ first possession, Tommy Stevens was called in for a short-yardage play and ended up with the longest play from scrimmage by either team, as he scampered 69 yards for a touchdown.
This isn’t the first time he’s done this to the Riders in his career. In October 2022, he took the ball 85 yards to the house in what was the season’s longest run by any player.
Stevens’ play is currently the longest rushing touchdown this year and he sits second behind only Chris Streveler for the most rushing scores this season with nine.
Tensions boiling over
Following the game, there was a heated altercation in the locker room as frustration continues to build on this team.
It has been reported that Tre Roberson Sr. and Josiah Coatney needed to be separated by teammates, although it appears the argument went no further than words being exchanged.
It speaks to a disconnect between the veterans on this team that were here in the good times and the younger players that haven’t seen that kind of success at the professional level.
The league is littered with former Stampeders stars and every team has at least one player under contract who played playoff football in Calgary. One has to wonder if the mystique of that era has now been spread so thin as to have left the building entirely.
Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye
The Stampeders will have to let this latest wound fester as they head out on their final bye week of the season.
While not mathematically eliminated yet, they have entered the “Rider Math” section of the postseason hopefuls and may just be stringing out the ending of the longest current playoff streak in North American sports.
When they return against the B.C. Lions on October 5, the Stamps may already find themselves in a “stave off elimination” scenario.
