The BC Lions are 1-0 ahead of their home opener against the Edmonton Elks. The BC Lions defeated the Calgary Stampeders on the road to open the season. The Edmonton Elks look to correct the start of their season after a loss to Saskatchewan at home.
Just like last year the BC Lions are opening the season with a concert before the game. 80s/90s hip hop sensation, LL Cool J, will take the stage 1 hour before kickoff.
BC Lions (1-0): The BC Lions had a great start to their season in a 25-15 win over Calgary in their home opener. Vernon Adams played well at quarterback, Dominique Rhymes had a superstar day, and rookie running back Taguan Mizzell looked really good. BC’s defense also played very well holding Calgary to just 249 yards total offense.
Edmonton Elks (0-1): The Edmonton Elks are coming off a disappointing home game in which they extended their at-home losing streak to 18. They really struggled to get a passing game going as Taylor Cornelius completed just 13 of his 25 passes for 202 yards. Edmonton’s highlight was a 102-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis but without that play, they only completed 50% of their passes completed for 100 yards with 2 interceptions.
Game Details:
Date/Location: Saturday, June 17 / BC Place, Vancouver, BC
Kickoff Time: 7 PM ET, 4 PM PT
Channel: TSN (Canada), CBS Sports (USA), CFL+(International)
Odds:
Spread: BC -7.5 (-105), Edmonton +7.5 (-115)
Moneyline: BC -290, Edmonton +240
Over/Under: 45.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
BC Lions vs Edmonton Elks Season Breakdown:
Don’t call it a comeback! The BC Lions’ passing game has been here for years.
Although BC Lions fans were greatly disappointed to lose Canadian quarterback sensation Nathan Rourke to the NFL, they still look to be in good hands. In 2021 Mike Reilly led the league in passing yards before passing the torch to Nathan Rourke.
Now Vernon Adams is under center who had the highest pass completion percentage in week 1. He also had the second most yards as he completed 28 of 36 for 300 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also added a touchdown on the ground.
The defense also played very well for BC in its week 1 victory over Calgary. BC showed why 3 of the 5 defensive backs named as West Division All-Stars were BC Lions players. Last year Jake Maier threw for 263 yards per start yet BC held him to 165 yards in week 1.
Players to Watch:
Dominique Rhymes WR
Rhymes had 8 receptions on 13 targets for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns in week 1. With Lucky Whitehead out for the game, he should continue to be a major factor for the offense.
Taquan Mizzell RB
Taquan Mizzell was impressive in his first CFL game. He spent time in the NFL from 2017 to 2021 mostly on practice squads. He had the highest yards per carry among starting running backs in week 1 with 12 carries for 81 yards (6.8 average).
Alexander Hollins WR
I expect Hollins to continue to have an expanded role while Keon Hatcher and Lucky Whitehead are injured. In week 1 Hollins had 6 catches for 85 yards.
Woody Baron DT
Woody Baron was named to Pro Football Focus Week 1 Team of the Week as he had 3 QB pressures generated and 1 QB hurry.
Garry Peters CB
Gary Peters was named to the Pro Football Focus Week 1 Team of the Week as he had the third-highest coverage grade among defensive backs. Peters had 3 tackles and 2 knockdowns. Halfback Marcus Sayles had the 8th highest of BC.
BC Lions Injury Report/Game Status:
The only change from last week’s depth chart is Lucky Whitehead is out with a hamstring injury and is listed on the 1-game injured list. Ayden Eberhardt is elevated from the practice roster to get the start at wide receiver in his place.
Depth Charts:
Score Prediction:
I see the BC Lions coming out on top over the Edmonton Elks. I do believe Edmonton Elks quarterback Taylor Cornelius is going to have some good games this year but I am not sure this will be one of them as he comes off a tough performance against Saskatchewan and now is playing a defense that was tied with the Bombers last year in giving up the fewest passing yards.
I predict the BC Lions to win this game by a score of 25 to 13.
You might also like:
CFL Fantasy Discount Deals, High-Value Players: Week 2 CFL Fantasy at Game Zone
Mike Mitchell’s Post-Week One Power Rankings
Follow me on Twitter: @JonathanClink
