Late touchdown by KeeSean Johnson clinches playoff spot for Roughriders

A late touchdown by KeeSean Johnson lifted the Saskatchewan Roughriders into the CFL playoffs Saturday with a 16-12 victory over the Montreal Alouettes.

Trailing 12-9 with 1:29 left, the Riders marched 74 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown with 33 seconds remaining as Trevor Harris connected with Johnson on a 17-yard scoring strike down the right sideline.

"I had a go ball and once I passed the defender, I saw the ball in the air," said Johnson, who finished with seven catches for 85 yards. "Trevor threw a great pass, and I just had to make the catch."

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The victory improved Saskatchewan’s record to 9-8 while the loss dropped the Alouettes to 13-4. The Riders snapped a four-game losing skid and booked their playoff ticket in the second half of a home-and-home series after Montreal won 44-24 on Monday.

Harris completed 26 of 38 passes for 231 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also had a pivotal 22-yard scramble during the game-winning drive, his first 20-plus yard run since 2022.

"We were at our best when our best was required," said Harris. "They don't ask how; they ask how many. We got a win today. We're thankful. We're never going to apologize for it."

The Riders struggled for the majority of the game in front of an announced crowd of 28,611 at Mosaic Stadium. Montreal held an 11-3 lead at halftime after capitalizing on an interception by Wesley Sutton deep in Saskatchewan territory and a 25-yard field goal by Jose Maltos-Diaz.

Montreal rested a number of veterans including quarterback Davis Alexander, tailback Stevie Scott and receivers Tyson Philpot and Tyler Snead. Dustin Crum, starting in place of Alexander, finished 19 of 25 passing for 173 yards and one touchdown. Shomari Lawrence got the start in place of Scott and gained 109 yards on 16 carries.

The Alouettes led 12-9 late in the fourth quarter but were forced to settle for a 44-yard field goal attempt with 1:42 remaining. Maltos-Diaz, who has a field goal conversion rate of 93 per cent this season, missed wide left and Matthew Sexton gave the Riders excellent field position with a 46-yard return.

Maltos-Diaz suffered an injury to his left arm attempting to make a tackle on the missed field goal and was carted from the field with an air cast.

Head coach Corey Mace was happy to grab the playoff spot, but said improvement is required.

"Yeah, we won. That was nice, but yeah, obviously not the standard of ball we want to get to," said Mace. "In saying so, being able to solidify ourselves into playing a second season, I'm hoping that that's the momentum that we needed."

Riders receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker caught four passes for 45 yards and passed the 1,000-yard mark for the season with 1,006 yards. Johnson has 1,328 receiving yards this season, giving the 30-year-old back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.

Johnson now has 108 receptions in 2026, the second highest single-season total in Riders history.

Brett Lauther kicked field goals of 31, 48 and 52 yards for the Riders. Punter Joseph Zema had two singles for the Alouettes.

Depending on results next week when the regular season comes to a close, the Riders will either finish third in the West Division or cross over to the third-place spot in the East.

The Roughriders host the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, Oct. 24.

With files from The Globe and Mail, Sportsnet and Regina Leader-Post