The Stampeders finally get to sleep in their own beds, and Dave Dickenson can chase win No. 100 against a Lions team he's already beaten once this year.
Game Details
- Matchup: Calgary Stampeders vs BC Lions
- When: Thursday, August 13 at 9:00 PM ET
- Where: McMahon Stadium, Calgary
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Calgary Stampeders -4
- Moneyline: Calgary Stampeders -230, BC Lions +190
- Over/Under: 63
Calgary comes in 4-4-1 against the spread with a wild eight overs and just one under this season, while BC sits 3-5 ATS with four overs, three unders and a push. Books clearly expect fireworks at McMahon, and both teams' trends back that up.
Overview
The Stampeders (4-5) are back at McMahon Stadium for the first time since July 18, and they need the home cooking. Calgary just wrapped a brutal road stretch — two games in five days — and came home empty-handed from Toronto, losing 33-30 despite forcing four interceptions and getting a Damon Webb fumble return. Vernon Adams Jr. has been nails all year, but his streak of 240 straight pass attempts without a pick finally ended in that loss. Still, Calgary's offense has scored 30-plus points in eight consecutive games, and Dickenson is one win from his 100th as Stampeders head coach — a milestone the Red and White would love to hand him in front of the home crowd.
The Lions (3-5) enter with actual momentum for once, riding a two-game winning streak that includes last week's 27-24 escape over Hamilton. Nathan Rourke made his long-awaited return from injury and looked every bit himself, throwing for 370 yards while Justin McInnis went off for 159 and an 82-yard touchdown. That's the version of BC that gives anyone trouble — Rourke is a career 4-1 against Calgary, and he torched the Stamps for 462 yards and three scores back in the teams' first meeting of the year. The catch: BC's defense has been generous, and the Lions rank dead last in the league in forced turnovers with just eight.
Calgary already handled this exact matchup once, running past BC 41-33 in Kelowna in late June, with Adams throwing three touchdowns and Tyreik McAllister scoring the first of what's now a league-best three special-teams majors. The Stamps also boast the league's second-best yards-per-carry average (5.7) against a Lions run defense that's stingiest in the CFL against the rush (3.8 per carry), which sets up an interesting chess match between Dedrick Mills and BC's front seven. Calgary's defense also leads the CFL in sacks with 20, and with BC's line still finding its rhythm behind a QB who missed nearly three full games, the pressure could be the deciding factor. Give the edge to the Stamps at home, especially with the extra motivation of getting Dickenson to the century mark.
Key Players
- Vernon Adams Jr. (Calgary Stampeders, QB) — 2,400 yards, 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions on the year, and he's started and thrown every single pass for Calgary in 2026, one of only three CFL pivots to do that.
- Nathan Rourke (BC Lions, QB) — Fresh off a 370-yard, one-TD outburst against Hamilton in his return from injury, and he owns a 4-1 career record against Calgary.
- Dedrick Mills (Calgary Stampeders, RB) — Leads all CFL running backs with 707 yards on the ground, and he'll be running behind a line facing the league's toughest run defense.
- Jalen Philpot (Calgary Stampeders, SB) — Calgary's top target with 573 receiving yards, part of an offense that's found the end zone at a historic clip lately.
- Mathieu Betts (BC Lions, DL) — BC's sack leader with six on the season, and he'll be the one trying to disrupt Adams' rhythm early.
Keys to the Game
- Calgary needs to establish Dedrick Mills early and force BC's stout run defense to bend before Adams starts picking apart a Lions secondary that's forced the fewest turnovers in the league.
- The Stamps' pass rush — tops in the CFL with 20 sacks — has to get after Rourke and make him uncomfortable in the pocket, because a clean Rourke torched Calgary for 462 yards in their first meeting.
- Calgary can't let this one turn into a track meet where BC's newly potent Rourke-to-McInnis connection keeps hanging around; protecting the ball after last week's first-interception slip-up matters.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Zy Alexander (DB) | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
| Reggie Begelton (WR) | Calgary Stampeders | Out |
| Bryce Bell (OL) | Calgary Stampeders | Questionable |
| Jaydon Grant (DB) | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
| Anton Haie (DB) | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
| Jaylon Hutchings (DL) | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
| Jesulayomi Ojutalayo (WR) | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
| Damon Webb (DB) | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
Depth Chart
Calgary Stampeders starters by position, built from the team's official Week 11 depth chart. This is a projected look and may not reflect late-week changes.
| Position | Calgary Stampeders |
|---|---|
| QB | Vernon Adams Jr. / Josh Love / Quincy Vaughn |
| RB | Dedrick Mills / Ludovick Choquette / Tyreik McAllister |
| WR (Wide) | Tevin Jones / Clark Barnes, Damien Alford |
| SB (Slot) | Jalen Philpot, Ajou Ajou / Dejon Brissett / Erik Brooks, Jesulayomi Ojutalayo |
| OL | LT D'Antne Demery — LG Zack Williams — C Chris Fortin/Bryce Bell — RG Christy Nkanu — RT Bakyne Coly |
| DE | Kelon Thomas, George Idoko, Clarence Hicks (weak) / Charles Wiley, Folarin Orimolade (strong) |
| DT | Miles Brown (weak) / Elijah Hills, Jaylon Hutchings (strong) |
| LB | R.J. Moten, Kyle Wilson (WLB) — Micah Teitz, Marquel Lee (MLB) — Derrick Moncrief (SAM) |
| DB | Anthony Johnson (CB) — Godfrey Onyeka, Zy Alexander (HB) — Ashton Miller-Melancon, Damon Webb (S) — Anton Haie, Jaydon Grant (HB) — Adrian Greene, Ben Labrosse (CB) |
| K | Jude McAtamney |
| P | Mark Vassett |
| LS | Jason MacGougan |
Score Prediction
Calgary Stampeders 34 - BC Lions 30. Adams and the Stamps' offense keep doing what they've done for eight straight weeks — hitting 30-plus — while a healthy Rourke makes it a shootout that Calgary's pass rush and Mills' legs ultimately decide in the fourth quarter.
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Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.