CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO -- Though they have yet to punch their ticket to the 100th Grey Cup Playoffs, The Argonauts' Week 18 matchup vs. the Roughriders in Regina is as close to a playoff environment as they can get, right now.

Needing just one win over their last two games, or a Tiger-Cats loss, to secure themselves home-field advantage in the Eastern Semi-Final, the Boatmen head into Saskatchewan excited for the reception that awaits them at Mosaic Stadium.

"It's a great place to play," said Head Coach Scott Milanovich on Wednesday.

"The closest thing I can compare it to is at Hamilton during Labour Day. It's rowdy like that and it's fun to play there - I've always enjoyed playing there," he added.

Used to playing inside the comfortable confines of Rogers Centre, the Argos might be in for a rude awakening when they land in Riderville, with the temperature expected to drop to as low as minus-10 degrees in time for their 4:00 pm ET scheduled kickoff time.

Despite what Mother Nature might hold for Saturday afternoon's crucial matchup, Milanovich expects his players to be easily motivated.

"I've been fortunate, I've never had too many bad weather games there," said Milanovich, who has yet to play a game in Saskatchewan as a head coach.

"It's usually windy and it's an easy game for guys to get up for, it's like a college atmosphere. The problems the fans pose is being noisy," he added.

Another reason to wake up motivated for battle on Saturday is the fact that the Argos will be looking to end their longest losing streak of the season, a three-game skid that has seen the team give up 104 points while scoring just 54.

What's more concerning for the Double Blue has been the decrease in production from the run game, one that was stymied last week vs. the Bombers, with running back Chad Kackert producing just 50 yards on eight carries.

While it's important to note that it was Kackert's first game back on the field since missing two games with a rib injury, his job won't get any easier this week as he gets set to go up against a Rider run defence that has allowed an average of 98 yards-per-game, the second-lowest total in the West Division.

And with the bad, windy weather having the potential to cripple the passing game, it's possible that Kackert will be forced to handle the ball plenty more than he might expect.

"You have to manage the clock and the situation, but all that's relevant to the score," said Milanovich of the potential problems as a result of the bad weather.

"You'd love to be able to run it when you're going into the wind there," he added.

Saturday's tilt marks the second and final matchup of the season between the Riders and Argos, with the Green and White flexing their muscle in their first clash of the season, downing the Boatmen 36-10 in Week 15.