Stampeders head to Regina with season series on the line against Roughriders

The Calgary Stampeders (7-8) head to Mosaic Stadium on Friday night for a Week 18 meeting with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-6), with the season series and a return to .500 on the line. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. MT / 9:30 p.m. ET on TSN.

Calgary dropped the first meeting in double overtime back in Week 3, so a win by four or more points on Friday would give the red and white the season series outright, a result that could prove crucial if tiebreakers come into play down the stretch. A victory would also lift Calgary back to .500 for the first time since Week 9 and pull the Stampeders even with the second-place BC Lions at eight wins heading into Saturday's games. Receiver Jalen Philpot said the locker room is emphasizing that it controls its own destiny: "If we take care of what we need to take care of, sky's the limit."

The standings make Friday close to a must-win. Edmonton (11-4) has already clinched a playoff spot, leaving Calgary as the lone West Division team on the outside looking in. The Stampeders sit two points back of Saskatchewan — tied with BC for second at 8-6 — and Winnipeg, which holds the crossover position at 7-7. A victory would pull Calgary even with the Roughriders at eight wins, with two games remaining after Friday.

Head coach Dave Dickenson said Wednesday the urgency is there. "We just want to win this game. We just want to play well. We want to do our part, and if we get beat, make them earn it," he said. "The key is make sure we're prepared, we're ready to play."

The Stampeders arrive in Regina riding back-to-back wins over Ottawa, including a 45-31 victory last Saturday in which Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 422 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers. Running back Deonta McMahon found the end zone twice, on the ground and through the air, for his first two touchdowns as a Stamp. It was the sixth time this season Calgary has scored 40-plus points, and just the third time the Stampeders finished a game without a turnover. Dickenson said the defence works on takeaways through film study and drill work, while admitting it is difficult to practise at full speed with players nursing broken hands and thumbs. "Ball security is usually the way you win or lose," he added.

Adams credited his supporting cast for the 422-yard performance. "Just my playmakers making plays for me," he said. "I got dogs at the receiver position, and obviously my O-line gives me the pocket to get the ball out on time." Of Philpot, who has posted back-to-back 100-yard games, Adams said: "Just being a pro... He's a playmaker." Looking ahead to Friday, Adams pointed to cutting down two-and-outs — "we lead the league in two-and-outs," he said — to "help our defense out, give them a rest, and play complementary football." Philpot said the recent surge comes down to "the little things... just catching the ball first" and not overcomplicating it.

Saskatchewan, meanwhile, has dropped two straight to Winnipeg and BC. The Riders fell 31-24 in Vancouver the night before Calgary's win in Ottawa, with KeeSean Johnson catching nine passes for 119 yards and AJ Ouellette returning from a two-month absence to run 19 times for 77 yards and a touchdown.

Injury-wise, Calgary will be without receiver Ajou Ajou (neck) and defensive lineman Elijah Hills (ankle) on Friday, while offensive lineman Preston Nichols (pectoral) is questionable after practising in full all week. Receiver Reggie Begelton (head) is available after a full week of practice, as is running back Ludovick Choquette (head). Of Begelton, Dickenson said the receiver is trending positively: "Certainly glad that he's back from his concussion, and he looks like himself." The Stampeders are still working through their ratio decisions ahead of Friday.

History favours the visitors in this matchup. Dating back to 2010, the Stampeders are 14-3 against Saskatchewan in October, including a perfect 5-0 in Regina. Calgary's last trip to Mosaic ended in a 24-10 win last July. "It's a fun place to play. It is tough to play," Dickenson said. "Great building, great field, great crowd support. For us, just go do our job and handle their noise, handle their excitement." Philpot called Mosaic "hostile" and "one of the best environments in the CFL." "You can kind of feel it in the air. The cool air's coming up. As a Canadian guy, I know that's when all the best football happens," he said. "We're expecting it to be a dogfight."

One more storyline: US receiver Shawn Bane Jr. faces his old club one week after re-signing with Calgary, following three seasons in Saskatchewan from 2023-25.

Friday's game is also a short-yardage showcase: Saskatchewan's Tommy Stevens (15) and Calgary's Quincy Vaughn (11) sit first and second in touchdowns by short-yardage quarterbacks. "Tommy's been here, very tough to stop," Dickenson said. "It's usually won or lost on the line of scrimmage. Play the play, stay with our fundamentals, understand who we're supposed to cover down to, and then try to make a play." The game airs on TSN in Canada and streams on CFL+ in the U.S. and internationally, with radio coverage on QR Calgary 770 AM and SiriusXM 160.

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