Last Thursday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders kept their undefeated record of 4-0 intact when they beat the Toronto Argonauts 30-23. Shea Patterson started as their quarterback.

Former Roughrider legend and 2024 Plaza of Honour Inductee Darian Durant was cautious in assessing the young quarterback.

“I think he took care of the football. He didn’t make any mistakes that would, you know, put the team in harm’s way,” Durant explained to host Barney Shynkaruk on SportsCage yesterday.

“I will give him another week. I think he did what he needed to do to get the win.”

Patterson finished the game with 192 passing yards and threw and ran for a touchdown.

This is Patterson’s third year in the CFL, where he initially played for the Montreal Alouettes in 2021. He then played in the United States Football League ( now UFL ) in 2022 before joining the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2023.

Durant pointed out that other teams will have a different game plan for Patterson due to his ability to rush with the football.

“That dual-threat dimension that he can bring is definitely something that defences will have to key on,” details Durant.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defence was stellar during their match against the Toronto Argonauts. They forced five turnovers.

A topic that Durant is surprised about in the CFL is that the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are 0-5 for the start of this season.

“I thought that they {Hamilton} would build on, you know, the success they had towards the end of last year,” said Durant.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats made the playoffs last year but were eliminated by the eventual Grey Cup Champions, the Montreal Alouettes.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders next opponents will be the BC Lions on July 13, and Durant believes that the Riders will need their offence to pressure them to succeed.

“You have to match them with a touchdown for a touchdown, and you can’t settle for field goals,” Durant explains.

Double Take with Darian Durant is always on the SportsCage every Monday afternoon at 5.