CALGARY — Two CFL teams on the ropes for different reasons seek traction Saturday at McMahon Stadium.
The Calgary Stampeders (5-8) are battling for their playoff lives while the visiting Ottawa Redblacks (0-12) just want their first win of 2026.
“They’re coming in desperate. We’re desperate,” Stampeders quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., said Friday. “They’re trying to find a win and we are too.”
Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson gets his first start for Ottawa this season. The 38-year-old replaced Jake Maier during last Saturday’s 26-23 loss in Toronto that ended with a 29-yard walk-off field goal by the Argonauts.
Bethel-Thompson moved the ball efficiently in completing 16 of 23 pass attempts for 192 yards and a touchdown pass.
“He played well and gave us a spark,” Redblacks coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie said. “That was what I was looking to do when I put him in the game. At this stage, Jake’s had a lot of opportunity. Let’s see what Mac’s got.
“We’ve got to get the football ran, we’ve got stop the run. We don’t have to be perfect on defence. We’ve got to be a little bit better than we were last week, create a few turnovers and offensively we’ve got to finish in the red zone. We’ve been right on the edge of scoring 30 about each game, but we got get in the 30 range to win this football game.”
The Redblacks have lost 18 consecutive games dating back to last season.
“We’re not happy with how the season’s gone and we very much want to win,” Bethel-Thompson said. “I’m proud of how this group continues to go to work and focuses on the process.
“Once that dam breaks, I think that out of this, you’ll see a lot of good players come out of it and play in the CFL for a long time. So we’re just trying to chop wood, carry water and do as best we can for that week of practice, and then give it our all Saturday and not worry about it, play one play at a time, let our talent show and see what the result is.”
The Stampeders struggled in a 53-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton last Saturday when Calgary turned the ball over four times, the Elks blocked a punt in the Stampeders’ end zone for a touchdown and Josh Love replaced Adams at quarterback in the second half.
“I just want to be better, myself,” Adams said. “Play with more swagger, play more free, and whatever happens, just on to the next play. I’ve been playing a little tight these last few weeks.”
Calgary, which has lost four of its last five, led the league in average points per game in the first half of the season (39), but dropped below 30 in its last four.
“As an offence, we’ve got to stay on the field, give our defence a break and score some points,” Adams said,
Saturday’s game is the first of a home and home between the two clubs as the Stampeders visit the Redblacks next week.
“No way can our team look past anybody,” Stampeders head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson said. “We’re not playing our best football. Let’s make sure we play better. We understand that at a critical time of the year that we need wins and it has to start this week.”
Calgary’s leading rusher Dedrick Mills (hip), receiver Dejon Brissett (elbow) and interceptions leader Ben Labrosse (knee) won’t play Saturday.
Calgary cornerback Adrian Greene, a division all-star in 2025 with six picks, reclaimed the starting job from the injured Labrosse.
Deonta McMahon, a Grey Cup winner with the Argonauts in 2024, came off the practice roster to share rushing duties with Ludovick Choquette and returner Tyreik McAllister.
“It’s going to be running back by committee,” Dickenson said. “We’ll have all three guys play running back, and if someone has a hot hand or looks like they’re seeing it better than the other guys, certainly you lean on that guy.”
McMahon, whose last name isn’t pronounced like the stadium, but MACK-muh-HAWN, says he’s accustomed to hearing his name mispronounced in Calgary.
“I’ve been called it my entire life, so I don’t have a problem with it, honestly,” McMahon said Friday.
Stampeders veteran receiver Reggie Begelton, who played his first game Saturday in over a year, was listed as a game-time decision for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2026.
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
