B.C. Lions' Brandon Stewart (9) can't stop Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Timothy Flanders (32) as he crosses the line for the touchdown during the first half of CFL action in Winnipeg Saturday, October 8, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
Winnipeg, MB– Simply put, this one had it all: acrobatic catches, multiple lead changes and more momentum swings than you can think of. But it was the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-6) who held on for a crucial 37-35 victory to keep their hopes alive for a home playoff date. Despite falling behind 24-3 in the second quarter, your BC Lions (9-5) were in a position to win before Chris Rainey was stopped on 3rd and inches inside the Bombers’ five-yard line. Jonathon Jennings passed for 422 yards, but also threw two first half interceptions that led to ten points for the home squad. Bryan Burnham was a stud with nine catches for 208 yards, the second-highest total in the CFL this season. He is now over the 1,000 yard mark this season. Manny Arceneaux was also a frequent target, recording 158 yards on ten receptions.
“We’ve got a good group. When we were down 21 no one lost faith,” Jennings said. “We knew we were going to come back out there and just chip away. We fell short, but we just gotta make sure we go out there and sharpen it up a little bit.”
Wally Buono acknowledged the fact it is now “game on” when it comes to playoff positioning in the ultra-competitive West Division. “I think the next four games for all the Western teams are going to be like this,” Buono said. “Everybody is jockeying for position and all these games are going to be tough and physical. Our guys persevered, but a loss is a loss.”
The Leos’ comeback started with Rainey’s 56-yard touchdown run. Before the break, Anthony Allen ran one in from three yards out to put them within seven points. In the third quarter, Travis Lulay’s major from one yard out gave them their first lead of the night. Richie Leone chipped in with four field goals, the longest coming from 46 yards out.
Controversy
Following the critical turnover on downs late, the Lions appeared to recover the ball deep in Winnipeg territory when Andrew Harris fumbled. Although the former Lion clearly lost control before he was down, the play was not overturned after a look from the command centre. Adam Bighill and Jason Arakgi forced Harris to lose control of the ball. “I came up and made the tackle and Arakgi came in and stripped that thing out. That’s exactly what we had to do in a situation like that. Unfortunately it didn’t go our way,” Bighill told TSN.
Afterwards, the CFL ruled there was no “indisputable visual evidence” to overturn the call on the field. Harris rushed for 66 yards on 12 carries in his first game against his former squad and also had a touchdown reception on the game’s opening drive.
Quotable
“It was like a boxing match. They threw a few punches, it was our turn to counter and we dug ourselves out of a whole. Unfortunately we just couldn’t finish at the end. It’s kind of been the story of the season, not being able to finish. It’s where all our losses have come from. To have it first and goal and not get it in is hard, but we have a lot of positives out of this one.”- Burnham on the back and forth result.
Bake’s Takes
Rainey took some heat for making a cut towards the end zone on the play he was stopped on third down. I’ll tell you this: He saw an opportunity and went for it and there is nothing wrong with wanting to score. The Bombers’ Maurice Leggett should be credited for making an excellent play as well. These guys play to win. Jennings was trying to win in Calgary when he threw the deciding interception in overtime on July 29th. It’s that type of mindset that has this squad in a position to finish second in the west.
Hat tip to Anthony Gaitor who led all Lions’ defenders with six tackles. The rookie also recovered nicely after an early pass interference call. The Lions will admit penalties did them in during the lacklustre start and it is something they will work on getting cleaned up at practice this week.
They don’t call it the Wild Wild West for nothing. As all four squads in the East jockey to get to the .500 mark, it remains possible to have a Western squad reach double digits in wins and have to crossover for the playoffs. The good news: The Lions remain firmly planted in the driver’s seat to host their first playoff game since 2012. Wins next week over Winnipeg (by three points or more) and October 22nd vs. the Eskimos will clinch second place. They can still clinch their 20th consecutive playoff berth if Montreal (home to Edmonton) and Toronto (home to Calgary) lose their games on Thanksgiving Monday.
Next Up:
These two teams will clash at BC Place on Friday, October 14th. It is a 7:00 kickoff!
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com