Videos: Weston Dressler's punt return and triple spinnerama were critical for the Riders Sunday

Saskatchewan slotback Weston Dressler played a vital role in the Roughriders' 35-32 double overtime win over Ottawa Sunday. On the day, he made a team-high seven catches for an also-team-high 125 yards and a touchdown, returning five punts for 103 yards and another touchdown and catching a critical two-point conversion to tie the game near the end of regulation and send it to overtime. Dressler's two touchdowns were particularly spectacular, though, showing both his athleticism and why he was so coveted by CFL teams (including both the Roughriders and Redblacks) following his return from the NFL earlier this season. First, here's his remarkable fourth-quarter 60-yard reception for a touchdown that cut the deficit to five points, including three spinneramas:

At first, this looks like an ordinary second-down conversion gain. On second and nine, Tino Sunseri drops back about five yards and then throws it 15 yards to Dressler, who somehow was wide open over the middle near the first down marker. Any receiver could have caught that and moved the sticks. Dressler's skills come into play later, though; he's able to catch the ball in full stride, steam towards the outside, fake out one defender and cut inside while throwing off a tackler, spin away from him, spin away from a second defender and break free again, and then spin away from a third defender near the goal line. That's an exceptionally rare play, and one of the best ones of the year.

This was far from Dressler's only massive contribution on the day, though. He was a critical receiver for Sunseri all game long, and he caught the two-point conversion that sent this one to overtime. He also was huge in the punt return game, particularly on this 78-yard return near the end of the second quarter:

What's really impressive here is that this play could have been stopped for next to no return. Ottawa gets decent coverage downfield, and the first man had a shot to bring Dressler down. Dressler smartly evaded him and cut towards the middle of the field, though, and while he picked up some important blocks on the play, a lot of this return was just his ability to outsprint a cover team that was largely flowing towards the wrong sideline. It shows off Dressler's underrated pure speed as well as his impressive football instincts.

This was a vital play, as the Riders were down 15-3 when it happened. Their offence was getting nowhere and they were being solidly outplayed on most fronts. Dressler's huge return helped give them some inspiration heading into the half; Ottawa would score another touchdown before then and take a 22-10 lead into the break, but the seven points Dressler produced on special teams here were critical to keeping Saskatchewan in the game. Combine that with his touchdown reception, his two-point conversion and his other catches, and you can see just how important Dressler was for the Roughriders Sunday. You can bet the Redblacks are upset they missed out on him.