This story was originally published by Dead Spin
The Ottawa Redblacks can clinch a playoff spot with a road victory Saturday afternoon against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Ottawa (8-3-1) has not been to the postseason since losing to the Calgary Stampeders in the 2018 Grey Cup.
The red-hot Redblacks are in second place in the East Division and have lost only once in their past eight contests. It has been a dramatic turnaround for a franchise that went 14-54 over the previous four seasons.
“We’ve got to be the beast of the East,” Ottawa defensive back Adarius Pickett told TSN, when asked about the team’s mindset down the stretch.
“We have set ourselves up really good … and we control our own destiny. At the end of the day, if we take care of business, one game at a time, we’ll be right where we want to be.”
Redblacks quarterback Dru Brown has thrown for 2,881 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. Leading target Justin Hardy entered the week ranked No. 2 in the league with 910 receiving yards.
Hamilton (3-9) is coming off a bye week, idle since a 31-28 home win against the Toronto Argonauts on Sept. 2. That snapped a four-game losing streak for the Tiger-Cats, who are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
“It’s been a tough year,” Hamilton coach Scott Milanovich told reporters after the win over the Argos. “We’ve had changes at two coordinators, players have been in and out, and for them to just keep at it and keep believing makes you proud as a coach.”
Tiger-Cats veteran quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell entered this week as the CFL’s top passer with 3,383 yards and 21 touchdown passes. Tim White leads the team with 829 yards on 53 catches with six touchdowns.
The Redblacks won the first meeting this season against Hamilton on June 30 in Ottawa, 24-22, on Lewis Ward’s 46-yard field goal as time expired.
The East Division rivals will meet again in the regular season finale on Oct. 25 in Ottawa.
–Field Level Media
