Nathan Rourke is back with the BC Lions and will start at quarterback after signing with the team on Tuesday. The Lions host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday night to wrap up week 11. The Lions aim to end a 3-game losing streak whereas the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are coming off of their bye week. These teams met before the Bombers’ bye in week 9 in which BC lost on the road 0-25 and saw quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. leave the game due to injury.

CFL Power Rankings Week 10

Predictions: CFL News Hub Writers’ Week 11 Picks

Game Details:

Date/Location: Sunday, August 18 /BC Place, Vancouver, BC

Kickoff Time: 7:00 PM ET, 4:00 PM PT

Channel: TSN (Canada), CBS Sports (USA), CFL+ (Global)

Odds: 

Spread: B.C. -2.5 (-120), Winnipeg +2.5 (-102)

Moneyline: B.C. -146, Winnipeg +122

Over/Under: 51.5 (Over -110, Under -110)

B.C. Lions: The BC Lions are at a pivotal moment of their season. The return of Nathan Rourke injects new life into the fanbase as the team looks to end a 3 game losing streak. The Lions are coming off of a lopsided loss to the Edmonton Elks in which they lost 16-33. Edmonton had 456 yards of net offense to BC’s 271 in the game. In the loss, we saw BC start Jake Dolegala who completed 14 of his 23 passes for 146 yards before being pulled late in the game. Since the signing of Nathan Rourke the Lions have released quarterbacks Jake Dolegala and Brennan Armstrong. The Lions had exceptional play from Vernon Adams Jr. through the first 6 games which saw him enter week 9 on pace to finish third in passing yards in a CFL season before a tough game in Winnipeg that saw him sustain an injury. Now he is back in the lineup and will dress as the third-string quarterback.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers: The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, despite their 3-6 record, remain a dangerous opponent. The Bombers are coming off of the bye week well-rested after their 25-0 shutout over BC at home in week 9. Winnipeg’s offense was off to a very slow start due to factors such as not playing Zach Collaros in the preseason and injuries to star receivers Kenny Lawler and Dalton Schoen. Now Kenny Lawler is back in the lineup and will be in the starting lineup. While the Bombers’ offense has the lowest points per game thus far at 19.8, they seem to be moving in the right direction as WR Ontaria Wilson finds his groove in his CFL rookie season. Ex-BC Lion WR Lucky Whitehead begins to make an impact appearing in his first game of the season with Winnipeg last week. On defense, Winnipeg has remained consistent allowing the fewest points in the league heading into the week at 186, 20.7 points per game. Winnipeg will also see defensive end Celestin Haba return to the lineup who missed time due to an injury sustained in week 2.

Lions Keys to the Game

Try to Not Ask too Much of Nathan Rourke

Nathan Rourke is stepping into a trickier situation than most BC fans might realize. While he was very dominant in 2022 it has been a long time since he’s taken first-team reps with a team and he will be starting for a team that he just rejoined mere days ago. BC’s offensive line has often struggled this season so he will need to be ready to play against pressure. Winnipeg as an opponent has been a strong defense. Winnipeg has allowed the fewest passing yards per game and the fewest total yards per game.

Run the Ball and Don’t Abandon the Run

Winnipeg has allowed 5.1 yards per carry which is 6th in the league. BC should do what they did in week 3 and load up the line with a 6th offensive lineman or utilize fullback David Mackie on run plays at times as they did in week 3 which saw them have success running the ball. Against a good defense, it does not help you to be predictable. Running a lopsided ratio of pass-to-run plays will not give Nathan Rourke the best chance to have success in his first game back.

Get Pressure on Zach Collaros

BC’s home crowd is going to be rocking as the fan base is buzzing from the recent Nathan Rourke signing. BC will look to make things increasingly unfomfortable for Collaros by getting pressure on him.

Effective Communication in the Secondary

Winnipeg frequently exploited defenses last year with simple crossing routes. If defensive backs are not effectively communicating quickly when to switch off to covering different receivers it was often costly.

5 Lions to Watch

#18 WR Justin McInnis

Last week McInnis caught all 3 of his passes for 54 yards. He currently leads the league in receiving having caught 51 passes for 834 yards and 6 touchdowns.

#4 WR Keon Hatcher

Hatcher led the team in receiving last week in what was his 2nd game of the season. He caught 4 of his 7 targets for 62 yards.

#1 CB Garry Peters

Last week Peters only had 1 target come his way which he broke up. He had 4 tackles last week and assisted with a run stop.

#17 CB Ciante Evans

Evans had his 2nd interception of the season last week. He now has 2 interceptions on the season and 20 tackles.

#0 DE Sione Teuhema

Last week Teuhema had 3 tackles including a sack and a solo run stop. Additionally, he had a QB hit and 4 total pressures. He has 22 tackles and 3 sacks on the season.

5 Blue Bombers to Watch

#8 Zach Collaros

Collaros completed 27 of his 35 passes for 295 yards and a touchdown in week 9’s victory over BC. Collaros has completed 69.3% of his passes for 2,018 yards and 4 touchdowns with 8 interceptions this season.

#20 RB Brady Oliveira

Oliveira rushed 17 times for 100 yards in week 9, 5.9 yards per carry. He is currently tied for first in rushing in the league after rushing 107 times for 611 yards so far this season, 5.7 yards per carry.

#5 DE Willie Jefferson

Jefferson was a force in week 9 against BC as he had a sack and 7 additional QB hurries by my count. Additionally, he batted 2 passes and assisted with a run stop. He has 4 sacks, a forced fumble, and 17 tackles on the season.

#4 LB Adam Bighill

Bighill had 7 total tackles in week 9 including a sack and 2 solo run stops. He leads the team in tackles with 43.

#30 CB Tyrell Ford

Ford had 2 targets come his way in week 9 and did not allow a completion. He has 29 tackles and 3 interceptions on the season.

Injury Report:

Depth Charts:

Score Prediction:

I think there are factors coming into this game for Winnipeg to pull off the win on the road. Winnipeg is coming off of their bye week and have Kenny Lawler back in the lineup. BC is reacclimating Nathan Rourke to starting quarterback so rapidly, and the concerns in pass protection and run blocking from BC’s offensive line make it a challenging scenario to just jump into the deep end for Rourke. I predict Winnipeg to win 27-23.

@JonathanClink on Twitter