The Lions are 1-4 and running out of patience, and a banged-up Argos team limping in on a three-game skid looks like the cure.
Game Details
- Matchup: Toronto Argonauts at BC Lions
- When: Saturday, July 25 at 7:00 PM ET
- Where: BC Place Stadium, Vancouver
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Toronto Argonauts -3
- Moneyline: BC Lions +154, Toronto Argonauts -185
- Over/Under: 58
BC sits 2-3 against the spread this year with four overs hitting in five games, while Toronto is 2-4 ATS with four overs of its own. Books clearly expect these two to put points on the board no matter who wins.
Overview
This one's ugly on paper. The BC Lions have dropped four of five and just got picked apart in a 19-17 loss at Edmonton where Chase Brice threw four interceptions in a game BC actually led. The Lions are 1-4 with a minus-16 point differential and their bye week hangover clearly didn't cure what ails them. Toronto isn't much better off. The Argonauts have lost three straight, the latest a 23-24 heartbreaker to Hamilton where Chad Kelly admitted after the game the pick and a bad sack in the fourth quarter cost his team the win. Both clubs are staring up at the playoff picture from the outside.
What tips this toward BC is health at the most important position, relatively speaking. Nathan Rourke remains out with a left shoulder injury that's kept him sidelined, so Chase Brice keeps the keys, turnovers and all. But Toronto's defensive front is dealing with its own issues — Andrew Chatfield just landed on six-game injury, and the Argos have been shuffling defensive linemen all week, adding Dewayne Hendrix and Shawn Lemon off the street. That's not the profile of a defense playing its best football in Week 8.
Toronto is favored, and Kelly's arm is the reason why — he's thrown for 2,126 yards and 15 touchdowns, tops on this roster by a mile. But he's also tossed 9 interceptions, and BC's front seven, led by Mathieu Betts, has a way of making quarterbacks pay for hesitation. If the Lions can force even two takeaways at home, this game flips. James Butler and the ground attack give BC a path to control tempo that Toronto hasn't consistently shut down. The edge here goes to Toronto on paper, but BC Place has a way of being a great equalizer for a desperate home team.
Key Players
- Chad Kelly (Toronto Argonauts, QB) — 147/212 for 2,126 yards and 15 touchdowns, but the 9 interceptions and last week's costly sack show a guy pressing.
- James Butler (BC Lions, RB) — BC's workhorse and the engine of an offense that needs to lean run-heavy behind a shaky quarterback situation.
- Mathieu Betts (BC Lions, DL) — the Lions' top pass rusher and the key to forcing the mistakes Kelly is prone to making.
- Damonte Coxie (Toronto Argonauts, WR) — a veteran target Kelly leans on when the Argos need to move the chains through the air.
- Chase Brice (BC Lions, QB) — making his fourth start, still searching for consistency after a four-interception nightmare against Edmonton.
Keys to the Game
- BC needs Chase Brice to protect the football — four picks last week can't turn into a repeat performance at home.
- Lean on James Butler and control the clock; keeping Kelly and Toronto's offense off the field is the surest path to a Lions win.
- Get pressure with Mathieu Betts and the front four to force Kelly into the kind of mistakes that plagued him in Hamilton.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Cristophe Beaulieu (DB) | BC Lions | Out — Knee |
| Levi Bell (DL) | BC Lions | Out — Hip |
| Stanley Berryhill III (WR) | BC Lions | Out — Thigh |
| Jevon Cottoy (WR) | BC Lions | Out — Thigh |
| Nate Demontagnac (WR) | BC Lions | Out — Shoulder |
| Ben Hladik (DB) | BC Lions | Out — Ankle |
| Mark McNamee (K) | BC Lions | Out — Hip |
| Andrew Peirson (OL) | BC Lions | Out — Shoulder |
| Garry Peters (DB) | BC Lions | Out — Knee |
| Dawson Pierre (LB) | BC Lions | Out — Knee |
| Patrice Rene (DB) | BC Lions | Available — Thigh |
| Nathan Rourke (QB) | BC Lions | Out — Left Shoulder |
| Matt Spatny (DL) | BC Lions | Out — Foot |
| Stantley Thomas-Oliver (DB) | BC Lions | Available — Thigh |
Depth Chart
BC Lions starters by position, built from the Lions' official Week 8 depth chart. This is a projected look and may shift with game-day roster moves.
| Position | BC Lions |
|---|---|
| QB | Chase Brice, Kaidon Salter, Tyrie Adams |
| RB | James Butler, Zander Horvath |
| FB | Riley Pickett, Jacob Bond |
| WR (Boundary) | Keon Hatcher Sr., Jaden Williams |
| WR (Field) | Nick Cenacle |
| SB | Jermaine Jackson, Kieran Poissant, Hergy Mayala, Justin McInnis |
| LT | Kory Woodruff |
| LG | Brandon Yates, Anu Una |
| C | Michael Couture |
| RG | Chris Schleuger |
| RT | Joshua Donovan |
| DE | Colby Taylor, Hayden Harris, Mathieu Betts |
| DT | Nathan Cherry, Jonah Tavai, Casey Sayles, Tibo Debaillie |
| LB | Chase Henning, Ralen Goforth, Parker McKenna, Woodly Appolon, Adam Konar, Darnell Sankey |
| NKL | Pierre Kemeni, Deontai Williams |
| S | Joshua Hagerty, Patrice Rene, Jackson Findlay |
| CB | Stantley Thomas-Oliver, C.J. Coldon |
| HB | T.J. Lee, Ronald Kent Jr. |
| K | Sean Whyte |
| P | Carl Meyer |
| LS | Cam Foran |
Score Prediction
BC Lions 28 - Toronto Argonauts 31. Two shootout-prone offenses and shaky defenses point to points, but Kelly's playmakers and a slightly deeper Toronto receiving corps give the Argos just enough to escape BC Place with a road win, even as Brice and Butler keep it a one-score game to the final whistle.
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Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.