Photo credit: Steven Chang
Time flies when you’re having fun. And although the final chapter of this 2023 BC Lions story has yet to be penned, the tale has provided no shortage of storylines. A few of those may be settled as the 12-5-0 squad plays host to the 5-11-0 Calgary Stampeders this Friday (7:00 pm, TSN/CFL+/AM730) at Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place.
From Vernon Adams Jr.’s quest for 5,000 passing yards, Mathieu Betts and Ben Hladik knocking on the door of CFL history, and a crazy and almost unprecedented comeback over the Ottawa just to name a few, Lion fans have certainly been treated to some solid memories. Now the focus is on the big prize in November.
A win over the Stampeders keeps the door slightly open for the Western crown and home field for the November 11 Division Final. More on scenarios can be found below. For Garry Peters and company, they will treat it like they always do: with everything on the line.
“At this point of the season, you want to be sound and technically sound at that,” said the veteran defensive back.
“For us, it’s just coming out with a win every week. The playoffs are coming up. Nobody remembers how many yards you held the offence to or how many points. All they remember is the wins. We’re not really watching the yards we’re giving up or so much the point totals. It’s just us getting the offence back on the field and getting wins. That’s how you minimize the game and worry about what we can control.”
Photo Credit: Steven Chang
On the other side of the ball, Vernon Adams Jr. declared as early as Monday that he is good to go despite leaving late in the win at Hamilton after re-tweaking his left knee. The Lions’ pivot led the starting offence all week and Rick Campbell has re-iterated they would not be playing him if there was even a shred of doubt over his health being compromised.
“I don’t think I need two weeks off to be ready. I need to stay sharp and be good with my reads and things like that. We’ll see how much coach Rick thinks I can play, but I told him I’m playing,” said the CFL passing leader during the practice week.
“We’re in practice, so you don’t really get that same game feel. I think getting the brace back on gives me more confidence to get out there and do my thing.”
Jake Maier and the Stampeders come to down with two games remaining and are back in control of their own playoff fate following last week’s come-from-behind win over Saskatchewan. A possible division semi-final rematch on tap here two weeks from now certainly adds another layer to this matchup. Despite their record, this Lions team knows it can’t take anything for granted.
“I have so much respect for the Calgary program and their coaching staff,” added Peters.
“(Reggie) Begelton has been around for a long time, Jake Maier, I think, is in the top three in passing. You can’t go out there and take them for granted even though you beat them last game by so much of a point total. It’s a Western opponent, and they’re very hungry to get into the playoffs. We can’t come out and just lay an egg and have a bad taste or a bad feeling going into the playoffs. We want to play our best football right now and let that momentum carry through.”
“Our mindset is we’re preparing like we’re playing on November 4 (in the Western Semi-Final). So, we have to handle tomorrow first, we’ll have a bye week after that and let everything settle itself out,” explained Adams Jr.
“Winnipeg is a good team, we don’t expect them to lose two, Calgary is a good team too, they’re coming in and trying to fight for a playoff spot, so we’re going to give them our best shot, end the season off right in front of our home crowd. That’s our plan.”
More on Calgary’s quest for the league’s last remaining playoff spot can be read below.
The final Depth Chart of the regular season is here!
Here’s how we will line up against the Stamps tomorrow night at home 🏠@Playnowsports#BCLions pic.twitter.com/vbUvTywf7m
— BC LIONS (@BCLions) October 19, 2023
4 Lions To Watch
RB JaQuan Hardy #27- gets a second straight look in the backfield after racking up 66 yards from scrimmage in Hamilton. Having two capable backs in Hardy and Mizzell will allow some roster flexibility toward the playoffs.
WR Jevon Cottoy #86– King of the Yards After Contact (YAC), Cottoy has enjoyed a career-best season of 753 yards and gives the offence yet another weapon to play with when they need to flip the field.
DL Mathieu Betts #90- A sure-fire candidate for Most Outstanding Defensive Player, Betts is on the verge of CFL history (see below) and is a major piece to a pass rush that will be a big key to success next month.
DB Garry Peters # 1– the Iron Man prepares for his 86th consecutive start, having never missed one since joining the Lions ahead of the 2018 season. Peters leads the Lions with four interceptions this season.
Photo credit: Steven Chang
Extra Yardage
Only one big change on the roster front as defensive lineman Josh Archibald is back after missing two games with a shoulder injury. Defensive back Adrian Greene (knee) will sit this one out meaning Quincy Mauger slides back to starting safety.
Plenty at stake: A win for the Lions keeps the small crack in the window open for 1st in the West. They would then need Winnipeg to drop its final two contests. The Bombers host Edmonton on Saturday and then wrap up their regular season in Calgary one week from Friday. The Stamps control their playoff destiny. Two more wins or one win and a loss by Saskatchewan on Saturday to Toronto and Calgary would nab third in the West and travel to either BC or Winnipeg for the Division Semi-Final on Saturday, November 4. The Stamps currently enjoy a CFL-high 17-season streak of making the playoffs.
The Stampeders are also vying to be a sub-.500 playoff team for the fifth time in their history. One of those years was 2001 when they became just the second team ever after the 2000 Lions to win the Grey Cup despite a losing regular season record.
Brooms out: After victories in weeks one (25-15) and ten (37-9), the Lions are eyeing a three-game sweep in the season series. The last time they went unbeaten against Calgary in the regular season was 2007 with two victories and a tie. The last sweep was in 2005 with two wins.
Heritage Moments? With 17 sacks on the year, CFL leader Mathieu Betts has matched the single-season record for Canadians first set by Lion legend Brent Johnson in 2005. Ben Hladik needs five more defensive tackles to become the first Lion Canadian ever to record 100 in a season.
VA and the race for 5K: CFL passing leader Vernon Adams Jr. needs 357 yards to hit 5,000 in a season for the first time. The last Lion quarterback with over 5,000 passing yards was Jonathon Jennings in 2016 (5,226). Adams is also on a streak of nine consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass.
‘Scary’ Terry is ready for the Halloween season. Terry Williams has enjoyed a career year on special teams as he enters the finale 142 punt return yards shy of 1,000 on the year. He has racked up a CFL-best 1,207 kickoff return yards, 71 better than Montreal’s Chandler Worthy.