The BC Lions will host the Calgary Stampeders at BC Place in the Western Semi-Final after securing home-field through their victory over Saskatchewan 27-21 last week. The Calgary Stampeders have not won a playoff game since they won the Grey Cup in 2018, despite making it to the Western Semi-Final 4 times since. Calgary’s last 2 playoff games ended in a BC Lions victory.
Game Details:
Date/Location: Saturday, November 1 /BC Place, Vancouver, BC
Kickoff Time: 5:30 PM ET, 2:30 PM PT
Channel: CTV, TSN, RDS (Canada), CFL+ (USA, Global)
Odds (If you place bets, please do so responsibly in moderation):Â
Spread: B.C. -4.5 (-122), Calgary +4.5 (+100)
Moneyline: B.C. -250, Calgary +202
Over/Under: 54.5 (Over -112, Under -108)
B.C. Lions (11-7): The Lions have now had 4 straight .500 seasons. BC defeated Calgary in the West Semi-Final in 2022 and 2023 before losing to Winnipeg. Last year saw them fall to the Roughriders in Saskatchewan 28-19. Now they will look to give Calgary their 5th straight loss in the playoffs. BC defeated Calgary in both of their meetings this season, winning 52-23 in week 16 on the road and 38-24 at home in week 18.
Nathan Rourke exploded the record of most passing yards by a Canadian this season with 5,290 yards, accompanied by 31 touchdowns with 16 interceptions. The record was previously held by Russ Jackson, set at 3,641 yards in 1969.
Calgary Stampeders (11-7): The Calgary Stampeders have had their first winning season since moving on from Bo Levi Mitchell following the 2022 season. The Stamps are back to a winning season now with Vernon Adams Jr. under center, who was previously with the Lions. Now he will face his old team after throwing for 4,247 yards and 21 touchdowns with 14 interceptions this past season.
Lions’ Keys to the Game
No Interceptions
Rourke has had at least 1 interception in each of the last 4 games, with 7 in that span. There have been some additional turnover-worthy throws as well, mixed in. Rourke has been fantastic outside of those particular throws. He needs to not have any lapses that lead to turnover-worthy throws over the playoffs, and the Lions will have a great shot to win the Grey Cup.
Pound that Rock
The Lions have a great running back tandem in James Butler and Zander Horvath. Butler had 1,213 rush yards on 229 carries (5.3 average) and 11 touchdowns this season. He added 439 receiving yards on 46 receptions and a touchdown. Horvath has 231 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 24 carries this season. Calgary had the 2nd most rush yards allowed per attempt at 5.5. That’s a mismatch that favors BC. Butler was, however, limited this week in practice and is listed as a game-time decision due to an ankle injury.
Another Solid Game Defensively Against VA
BC has played well against Vernon Adams Jr. this season, pressuring him in intelligent ways and covering receivers well. Over his 2 meetings with BC this season, he has 428 yards with 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. BC will want a similar game against him tomorrow as what we saw in the regular season. With Mathieu Betts in the pass rush and fellow defensive ends Bradlee Anae and Levi Bell, the Lions bring a very dangerous pass rush.
Stop Dedrick Mills
Mills led the league in rushing yards with 1,409 on 250 carries (5.6 average) with 11 touchdowns. He added 33 receptions for 292 yards. BC had the third fewest rushing yards allowed per carry at 5.0 and the third fewest rushing yards allowed per game at 105.3. Calgary’s run game is a massive x-factor in this game. The Lions have a great cast of defensive tackles with Jonah Tavai and Dewayne Hendrix starting, and very solid depth of Tibo Debaillie and Nathan Cherry.
5 Lions to Watch
#4 WR Keon Hatcher
Hatcher led the league in receiving yards with over 200 yards more than 2nd place and 400 more than third place. He caught 102 passes for 1,688 yards and 9 touchdowns this season.
#18 WR Justin McInnis
McInnis finished in third in receiving yards this season after catching 76 passes for 1,256 yards and 7 touchdowns this season..
#90 DE Mathieu Betts
Betts led the league in sacks with 15 this season and had 42 tackles and 4 forced fumbles.
#4 LB Micah Awe
Butler is second in the league in rushing yards after rushing 221 times for 1,185 yards (5.4 average) and 11 touchdowns. He has 43 receptions for 401 yards and a touchdown.
#26 CB Robert Carter Jr.
Carter Jr. had 51 tackles and a team-leading 5 interceptions over his rookie season. Last week, he had 4 targets come his way, resulting in 2 completions for 16 yards, and he had 2 pass breakups.
5 Stampeders to Watch
#15 WR Dominique Rhymes
Rhymes led Calgary in receiving, having caught 50 passes for 886 yards and 6 touchdowns.
#85 WR Jaylen Philpot
Philpot was second on the team in receiving, catching 61 passes for 830 yards and 3 touchdowns.
#48 LB Jacob Roberts
Roberts was one of 4 CFL players to have 100 tackles combined with defensive and special teams tackles. He had 93 defensive tackles and 9 special teams tackles. He also had 4 sacks and a forced fumble.
#12 DE Clarence Hicks
Hicks led Calgary in sacks this season with 12 and was third in the league. He had 28 tackles and 2 forced fumbles in what was his 2nd CFL season.
#0 CB Adrian Greene
Greene was tied for a league-leading interceptions with 6. He had 39 tackles and 2 touchdowns over the season.
Injury Report:
Depth Charts:
Score Prediction:
BC’s offense is firing on all cylinders, and the defense is looking good. The dangerous pass rush and high level of play from the defensive line culminate in me believing BC to be the most dangerous team in the CFL right now, and I am predicting them to win every game moving forward this postseason. I predict BC to win 34-27.
