Top 5 – Things to Watch for Riders vs Bombers
Published: Saturday, Sep 2nd 2023, 12:09pm
By Alex Dormuth (@RealAlexD)
Throw the record out the window, they don’t mean a THING when it comes to Labour Day Weekend! The Riders have a great chance of keeping the pressure on the BC Lions for a home playoff game with a win against Winnipeg. Outside of looking forward to the Bomber fans coming here and the atmosphere, here’s what I’m looking for from the Riders in Sunday’s tilt with the Bombers:
1. Let Jake Keep Cooking! – Against the BC Lions, Head Coach Craig Dickenson and Offensive Coordinator Kelly Jeffrey let QB Jake Dolegala push the ball downfield and take chances. Dolegala made some great decisions, very good throws and was rewarded by his receivers. Let him keep doing it!
2. Which Receiver Shines? – The Riders seem to now have an embarrassment of riches in the receiver room. Tevin Jones and Shawn Bane Jr. lead the team in receiving, but Samuel Emilus has been excellent this season as well. Now they have Kian Schaffer-Baker back in the mix with Mitch Picton making important catches, a different receiver every game seems to step up. I wonder who it will be this week.
3. The (Larry) Dean of Mean – The Bombers have a great ground game with Brady Oliviera and the Riders will need a big game from stud LB Larry Dean to slow it down. He’s been great all year and that will have to continue if the Riders want to take down the top team in the West.
4. Strain on the Secondary – The Riders defense started to get picked apart by the Lions after the injuries to Amari Henderson and C.J. Reavis. Already missing Rolan Milligan, the Riders are also down Reavis against the Bombers, who boast studs like Kenny Lawler, Nic Demski and Dalton Shoen. This is a tough task for the Riders secondary, but having Henderson playing is essential to the Riders keeping this game close and even winning it.
5. Who will be the hero? – It seems like every few years in the Labour Day Classic, a new hero emerges. Rocky Butler, Kerry Joseph, Brett Lauther to name a few. Will this game produce a hero that will forever be remembered in Rider lore?
For more on this game and everything else going on in Riderville and the CFL, check out this week’s episode of the Piffles Podcast (presented by Dairy Queen Grill & Chill)!
We also had a chat with CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie this week! Watch the show on YouTube or listen anywhere you get your favourite podcasts!
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