The Saskatchewan Roughriders returned to practice with a lot of confidence on Tuesday after winning their second straight game over Hamilton last Thursday.

One area that showed some big improvement in the win over the Tiger-Cats was the Riders' play on offence, which seems to be getting stronger as Brandon Bridge gets more comfortable at quarterback.

Bridge said the offence having confidence is a big thing.

"We went out there and executed as an offence, we really got the run game going and that will help out any offence, our play action worked really well because of how we were running the football and that opened up the pass," said Bridge, who finished 17-of-22 for 165 yards and a touchdown in the win.

Bridge had been okay during his previous two games under centre for the Riders this season, but he showed more of what he's capable of during last Thursday's win.

"After the first game against Montreal, having to speak to a lot of those veterans, they just said to control whatever I can control, so that changed my whole mentality, as opposed to going out there and thinking, 'I only have two series, this sucks,' and having a bad attitude about, but just executing whatever is called," he said.

"It was definitely helpful for my whole mindset and how I’m going to approach every game."

Marcus Thigpen taking the opening play of the second half for an 80-yard touchdown was no doubt the turning point in the game for the Riders and sparked their huge second half. The Riders finished with 198 rushing yards in the win with improved play from the offensive line being a key part of that big performance.

"It was just a matter of sticking to it, they're pros too, so they get paid and they're going to be able to get off blocks and make plays, we've just got to continue to stay with the game plan," said Riders head coach Chris Jones.

The first five games have seen plenty of up-and-down for the Riders, but securing back-to-back wins and showing stark improvement from game-to-game could be the spark that the team has been looking for early in this season.

They will be tested coming up this week with a showdown against the Calgary Stampeders on the way for Saturday.

Riders Add Super Bowl Champ

The Saskatchewan Roughriders signed three players to their practice roster on Tuesday, one of them drew a lot of attention.

The Riders signed international defensive back Will Blackmon, who played in 96 career NFL games from 2006-2016, including winning the Super Bowl with the New York Giants in 2012.

Jones said he expects Blackmon or Matt Elam to help fill the hole left with linebacker Derrick Moncrief heading to the six-game injured list, "They've had a lot of NFL experience," said Jones.

The Riders also added international linebacker Thomas Gordon and defensive back Shawun Lurry to their practice roster on Tuesday.

International defensive lineman Curt Maggitt was also suspended by the team.