Winnipeg, MB- The visiting BC Lions (1-1) ran into an all too familiar buzzsaw on Thursday, falling 34-20 to the hometown Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-0) to begin week two of the CFL campaign. The Lions started slow, traded punches back and forth in a wild third quarter and then weren’t able to capitalize late in their first road test of 2025.
The number one lingering concern coming out of this one will be the status of Nathan Rourke, as the quarterback was knocked out with just over five minutes to play with an apparent oblique injury. The good news is they have plenty of time to recuperate as the rematch with the Bombers takes place at home ten days from now.
Early Optimism For QB1
Nathan Rourke started slowly, a first-quarter interception that tipped off the hands of Justin McInnis being a big backbreaker that led to three points, and was stuck on just two completions for 11 yards late in the opening half before connecting on a 49-yard bomb to Ayden Eberhardt that helped set up Rourke’s three-yard rushing major to cut their deficit to 18-10 at the break.
His only touchdown strike of the night was a 63-yard dart to Keon Hatcher Sr. after the Bombers had once again extended their lead to 15. It’s as close as they would come, as Chris Streveler threw a second touchdown pass to Nik Demski with 12:21 to play.
As for Rourke, the early indication is that he will be behind centre when the team returns to practice next week. He finished the game 12/27 for 249 yards, one touchdown pass and an interception before making way for Jeremiah Masoli in the late stages.
“I’m not sure exactly what it is, I won’t speculate, but it was affecting the way I was throwing it,” said Rourke about his injury after the loss.
“It was better for the team if I took myself out at that point. I just wasn’t able to generate enough power on the ball. I don’t know what it is, I’m glad we’re on a long week. Hopefully, we’ll be able to go next week. I’m optimistic. We’ll see what it is. We’ll go from there.”
The home side proved to be too tough up front as they exploded out of the gate with a four-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to open the scoring and then had two drives of over 100 yards that resulted in majors. Losing star running back Brady Oliveira early on didn’t seem to matter as backup Matthew Peterson ran for 130 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Depth matters in the CFL and the Bombers proved that once again.
“I believe in our guys’ ability to fight and make plays down the stretch,” said Buck Pierce after his first return to Manitoba as Lions head coach.
“They’ve got to understand, it’s a game of opportunities and we didn’t start the way we wanted to start the game, or the first half for that matter. I was happy to see some guys making some plays for us. We’re going to be a resilient group and we’re going to learn from this and move on.”
On the play of Rourke, Pierce had this to say:
“I’ve got to look at the film, but I think he made some plays when plays weren’t there, that’s what he does. I’ve got to help him out a little bit more offensively. We’ll continue to build, right? I think he calmed down after a little bit and was seeing things good.”
Key Numbers
201– The Bomber rushing attack was the main consistent element on this night as they racked up 201 yards on 33 carries.
438-410– Winnipeg narrowly edged the Lions in net offence.
34:28– The time of possession was heavily in Winnipeg’s favour, mainly due to those two long scoring drives.
150– a game-high receiving-yard total for Hatcher Sr.
10– The ferocious Micah Awe led all Lion defenders in tackles, proving once again he brings a nasty element to this defence.
Quotable
“It’s a great defence. There’s a reason why they’ve been so successful the past couple of years. Tough environment, but it felt like we hurt ourselves out there.”- Rourke on the Blue Bombers’ aggressive defensive unit.
Next Up
The same two teams will battle it out at Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place on Saturday, June 21. Kickoff is 4:00 pm. Join us for our Summer Camp contest, presented by PlayNow Sports, featuring a Backyard Party with plenty of cool activities, including fire-roasted marshmallow s’mores to get people in the camping spirit! Tickets are available HERE.