CFL Week 2: Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Hamilton Tiger-Cats Game #2

Visiting Team: Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-0)

Home Team: Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-1)

Game Location: Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton, Ontario

Game Date and Time: Saturday, June 14th at 7 pm EDT

Where to Watch: In Canada, TSN, CTV In the US, CBS Sports Network

DraftKings Betting Line: Saskatchewan Roughriders (-3), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (+3), O/U 51.5

Week 2 of the 2025 CFL season features a matchup between teams working in opposite trajectories. On Saturday night, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders during Hamilton’s home opener. When the Tiger-Cats face the Roughriders, we will see a game between a Tiger-Cats team that is working for the second season in a row to re-build and regain championship contender status against a Roughriders team that could be good enough to legitimately make a run for a Grey Cup championship in 2025.

Coming into this game, the Tiger-Cats are a relatively healthy team that needs to make improvements in both their offensive and defensive line performance. At the same time, the Tiger-Cats have no problem putting up impressive offensive passing numbers with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and a fleet of receivers, including Tim White, Kenny Lawler, and Shemar Bridges. In addition to the passing game, the Tiger-Cats desperately need to get their running game started early and then use play-action to produce some explosive plays.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders come into this game off an impressive performance against the Ottawa Redblacks in Week 1. The core that leads this Roughriders team is quarterback Trevor Harris and running back AJ Ouellette. Early this week, Ouellette dealt with an injury, and Saskatchewan responded by signing running back Ka’deem Carey. Carey and Ouellette both come to Saskatchewan knowing what it takes to win a Grey Cup because both backs won the Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts in separate seasons.

While defeating the Roughriders will be a significant challenge, Hamilton’s five areas of strength would allow the Tiger-Cats to upset Saskatchewan if they can excel in those areas.

Saskatchewan Roughriders Depth Chart

Hamilton Tiger-Cats Depth Chart

Key to Victory #1: Stop the Roughriders Running Game

The most significant difference in this matchup will feature the strong running game of the Saskatchewan Roughriders against the struggling defensive front seven for Hamilton. Early in the week, it appeared that Roughriders’ heart and soul, running back AJ Ouellette, could be missing time due to an injury, but it now looks like he will be ready to go. In addition to Ouellette, the Roughriders added more depth to their running back position by signing former Argonauts running back Ka’deem Carey. The key to the Tiger-Cats winning this matchup will be either to beat the line of scrimmage with their struggling defensive line or to bring their Sam linebacker, Branden Dozier, into the box.

Key to Victory #2: Pressure Roughriders QB Trevor Harris

Harris is a veteran CFL quarterback who has proven that when not under pressure, he can pick apart any CFL defensive unit. In contrast, when he is under pressure and forced to leave the pocket, Harris tends to make poor throws and decisions that can lead to interceptions. Hamilton will need to be proactive when it comes to Harris having a bad game, which will be necessary for the Tiger-Cats’ defensive unit to get stops against the efficient Roughriders’ offensive unit. Early this week, Hamilton signed former Roughriders backup quarterback Jake Dolegala, and it appeared that Hamilton added Dolegala to get information about Saskatchewan’s passing game and pass protection.

Key to Victory #3: Continue to Force Turnovers

The Tiger-Cat’s best opportunity to upset the Roughriders will be their ability to force turnovers. In Week 1, the Roughriders turned the ball over three times against the Ottawa Redblacks. Hamilton protected the ball well last week against the Stampeders, and they had three takeaways with two interceptions and one fumble recovery. If the Tiger-Cats can continue to handle the ball well on offense and force the Roughriders to turn the ball over, Hamilton could tilt this game in their favor.

Key to Victory #4: Establish the Tiger-Cats Running Game

A common feature of the Tiger-Cats defensive and offensive units is that they both struggle in the running game. The frustrating part of this offensively is that during the Tiger-Cat’s first pre-season game, Hamilton showed that they could win the line of scrimmage and run the ball. Last week, head coach and offensive coordinator Scott Milanovich must not have been aware of his Team’s ability to run the ball, and the result was a good statistical performance, but Hamilton lost the game. For Hamilton to start winning games this season, they need to establish the running game early and often with running backs Greg Bell and Johnny Augustine.

Key to Victory #5: Use Play-Action to Produce Explosives

One reason an effective running game is important for offensive success is that it draws more defenders to the box, allowing the offensive coordinator to take advantage of this with play-action passes. In recent history, the Tiger-Cats have depended on their quarterbacks being effective from the pocket and getting the ball to their wide receivers on timing routes. Philosophically, the need to wait for receivers to get open can be a significant detriment to Hamilton’s passing game. The Tiger-Cats could help their offensive line, wide receivers, and quarterback by using play-action plays to take shots downfield, especially as they enter the red zone. For this to be effective, Hamilton must be able to run the ball effectively.

Game Prediction

Saskatchewan Roughriders 31, Hamilton Tiger-Cats 26

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The post CFL Week 2: Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats first appeared on CFL News Hub.

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