‘We’re going to fight to the end’: Riders continue to build momentum

REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders came through with another key victory in Week 17, edging the Edmonton Eskimos in a 19-12 game that could only be described as an all-out defensive battle. Sitting in second place in the West Division with a 10-5 record and three regular season games remaining, the Riders are finding ways to win at exactly the right time.

The team now has three straight victories, and their Thanksgiving win was the result of a 49-yard pick-six from Willie Jefferson and a defensive unit that refused to quit for four quarters.

“We’re a bend but don’t break defence,” Jefferson said after the win. “We’re going to fight to the end, and we’re going to give it everything we got.”

Mike Reilly had no answer for the Riders’ consistent pass rush and tight coverage down the field, as the veteran passer finished the game with zero touchdowns and three interceptions.

“Our mindset as a defence is takeovers,” Jefferson said. “We know we have one of the most athletic defences in the league, and when we get our hands on the ball we want to finish the plays.”

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Few defensive units boast pass rushers as athletic as Jefferson, and the 27-year-old defensive end knew the game was all but over as soon as he secured the interception with less than two minutes to go.

“Most of the time when I catch interceptions it’s mostly just linemen and quarterbacks chasing me,” Jefferson said. “I already have my momentum going down the field, so I don’t really think any of them were going to catch me. It was just cross the field, take a little time off the clock and then at the end of the day get in the end zone.”

This was the second time this season that Jefferson has taken an interception back for six points, as he previously returned an interception for a 97-yard touchdown against Matt Nichols and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers back in Week 13.

“We practice stuff like that during the week, but you know most of the time it doesn’t really happen in a game,” Jefferson said. “But last couple of weeks I’ve had the opportunity to catch two and then just so happened to finish in the end zone.”

Charleston Hughes also had a big day for Saskatchewan, recording his league-leading 15th sack of the season while applying pressure from all angles. Hughes was just as entertained as the Saskatchewan home crowd when Jefferson found his way to the end zone for the game-winning score.

“Heck yeah I like that touchdown,” Hughes said. “Any time you get a chance to score a touchdown as a defensive end, you gotta really cherish those moments because they don’t come around too often.”

The Riders are stringing together wins and building momentum down the stretch when it counts the most, and the entire team knows these final few weeks of the season will be crucial as they chase the division-leading Calgary Stampeders.

“Every game right now is important coming down the end,” Jefferson said. “This West side of the league is real tough. Like they say every year, it’s hard to come out of the West. Hopefully we can keep winning the rest of these games and give Calgary a run for their money.”

The Riders will look to make it four in a row when they travel to take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers next Saturday in Week 18 action.