Friday night’s result has likely crushed the Stamps’ chances of getting to the playoff for a 19th consecutive season
The Calgary Stampeders experienced yet another frustrating finish.
It was certainly another missed opportunity.
That frustration erupted vocally in the locker room after Friday night’s 37-29 defeat to the Saskatchewan Roughriders at McMahon Stadium.
“It might be necessary… you never know,” remarked Stamps defensive captain Mike Rose about the heated three-minute exchange that unfolded moments after the disappointing loss.
“Sometimes adversity brings out a bit of tension,” Rose added. “But it might have been needed.”
The focal points of the disagreement were cornerback Tre Roberson and defensive lineman Josiah Coatney, illustrating how the team’s six-game winless streak — potentially leading to the franchise’s first missed playoffs in 20 years — is impacting morale.
“The atmosphere here is exactly what you’d expect,” said Stampeders quarterback Jake Maier right after the heated exchange. “It’s incredibly frustrating. It feels like a failure.
“At the end of the day, everyone here is a genuinely great person — a leader in their community and family,” Maier explained. “When you put all those individuals together, high accountability naturally follows.
“But we really don’t like losing.
“However, it’s completely normal for football teams to feel frustrated and sometimes even take that frustration out on each other. That’s just part of the game and life.
“It’s an unfortunate feeling right now, and there’s no way to sugarcoat it. We are what we are.”
What they truly are, as reflected in the standings, is the worst team in the league.
The loss to the Roughriders dropped their record to 4-9-1, leaving them four points behind Gang Green, who hold the third and final playoff spot in the West Division with a 6-7-1 record.
With only four games left in the regular season, the Red and White are quickly running out of opportunities.
In fact, Friday night’s outcome has probably dealt a severe blow to the Stamps’ hopes of reaching the playoffs for the 19th consecutive year.
“It’s painful,” said Stamps GM and head coach Dave Dickenson. “We had a clear path to achieve what we needed, but we haven’t managed to do it. Each time we’ve reached a point where a win could turn things around, we end up losing.
“That’s a challenge we face.”
The specific challenge against the Riders was containing running back Ryquell ‘Rock’ Armstead.
After being released by the Ottawa Redblacks a few weeks ago, Armstead rushed for 207 yards on 25 carries against the Stamps.
This isn’t the first time he’s caused trouble for the Stampeders this season; just last month, while still with the Redblacks, he racked up 120 yards on 11 carries in a narrow 31-29 victory over them.
Interestingly, the Redblacks cut Armstead despite him being the CFL’s fourth-leading rusher at that time, due to repeated disciplinary issues. He was ejected from a Week 8 game for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and has faced fines for verbal abuse.
Now, the Stamps had to face him again, this time with the Riders.
“He’s been tough to stop,” Dickenson remarked about Armstead. “He’s a strong downhill runner.
“We’ve had a couple of recent games where we’ve given up over 200 rushing yards, and that’s just not a winning formula.”
While Armstead and the Riders’ rushing attack dominated the game, veteran quarterback Trevor Harris was also impressive, completing 16 of 18 passes for 248 yards.
He effectively exploited a Stampeders defense that was inconsistent, shining last week against the Montreal Alouettes but faltering in this game.
“It’s a tough game,” veteran defensive lineman Rose said. “We didn’t meet our standards, and they played well.
“We didn’t perform well, plain and simple. It’s on the entire defense, not just one person.”
The Stampeders’ late-game mistakes also contributed to their downfall.
Late in the game, with the visitors holding a five-point lead, Stamps special-teamer Tyler Richardson ran into punter Adam Korsak, giving the Riders a major penalty and keeping their drive alive, which culminated in a 40-yard field goal by Brett Lauthier.
On the next drive, needing a touchdown and a two-point conversion, the Stamps chose to pass on a crucial third down instead of using Tommy Stevens, their short-yardage specialist who started the game with an impressive 69-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown.
And with that, the game was sealed for the Riders.
“I did think about running it there,” Dickenson acknowledged. “But we had a similar run play earlier on the goal line and didn’t execute effectively.
“Some calls just don’t pan out.”
And for the Stamps this year, too many endings have been hard to take.
They fought hard until the end, especially in the second half, with quarterback Jake Maier connecting on two touchdown passes to Clark Barnes and Jalen Philpot.
It was an entertaining game, no doubt.
But again…
“We fought back, but it wasn’t enough,” Dickenson said. “They beat us. They were more physical and controlled the line of scrimmage.
“Bottom line… they were the better team.”
Short Yardage:
Friday’s result marked the Riders’ first post-Labour Day victory since 2021, ending a 1-14 stretch. Coatney (knee) started for the Stamps after being labeled a game-time decision. The Stamps’ next game, after a bye week, is against the BC Lions (7-7) in Vancouver on Friday, Oct. 4 (8 p.m. MT, TSN, QR Calgary).
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