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Riders fall to 0-6 for first time since 1979 with 30-5 loss to Eskimos

Riders fall to 0-6 for first time since 1979 with 30-5 loss to Eskimos

The Saskatchewan Roughriders' problems through five weeks were bad enough, but their situation looks much worse still following a 30-5 thumping by the Edmonton Eskimos Friday. Without Kevin Glenn thanks to injury, they were forced to rely on CFL rookie Brett Smith, and although he showed some potential in the first half, Edmonton's defence was able to take advantage of him in the second half. The Riders' defence struggled through their first five weeks, and it didn't look much better this week, but the once-impressive offence also fell off the map Friday, leading to an all-around dismal game. The loss dropped Saskatchewan to 0-6 for the first time since 1979, and unless the Roughriders show drastic improvement soon, they may keep adding to that loss total.

Smith showed some promise early on, and he finished with 15 completions on 22 attempts, which made for a pretty solid 68.2 per cent completion rate. However, many of those were short passes, and he only threw for 132 yards. More concerningly still, he tossed two interceptions, one of which was taken to the house for six points by Eskimos' cornerback Patrick Watkins. Yes, a first start is always tough, especially for someone in his first CFL season, and yes, Smith showed some potential. They'll need a much better quarterbacking performance to pick up a win in this league, though, and they may not get it from Smith, or from backup Tino Sunseri (who completed five of eight passes for 63 yards with an interception at the end of the game). It may well be death from above that's led to the team's worst performance since 1979.

The Riders' ground game, which led the CFL in both rushing yards per game and yards per rush after five weeks, also looked vulnerable Friday night in Edmonton. Anthony Allen recorded three carries for zero net yards, and while Jerome Messam was more effective, picking up 27 yards on three carries, Saskatchewan had to abandon the run in the second half once the Eskimos started to pull away. A more dominant run showing early might have let them put up more points and take some of the pressure off Smith. If this team isn't going to put up big passing yardage after Glenn's injury, the ground game will have to be much better to compensate for that.

The Eskimos deserve a lot of credit of their own, of course. Quarterback Matt Nichols was effective, throwing for 300 yards and two touchdowns on 39 attempts with a 69.2 per cent completion mark and avoiding turnovers, and receiver Adarius Bowman had nine catches for 111 yards. The Edmonton defence was dominant throughout, too, with Watkins leading the way in the secondary with two interceptions (one came at the buzzer, but it still counts) and a sack, linebacker J.C. Sherritt adding another interception, and the defensive line generating consistent pressure on the Riders' quarterbacks (who were sacked five times on the night). That defensive effort was a big part of the Eskimos continuing their early-season dominance.

Edmonton is now 4-1 on the season, with wins by 29, 11, 29 and 25 points. The Eskimos are clearly an impressive team, and they did well Friday night. Still, a lot of this was about Saskatchewan falling flat, and that has to be concerning for Riders' fans. Without drastic changes or significant improvement, the losses may just keep mounting.