The BC Lions host Montreal Sunday night. Both Montreal and BC were just handed their first loss of the season against a tough opponent last week.
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QB Rankings, Stars of the Week
RB Rankings, Stars of the Week
WR Rankings, Stars of the Week
Fantasy Football Sleepers, Picks
Thoughts Following Montreal’s Loss
BC Lions (3-1): The major storyline last week was the 6 interceptions thrown by Vernon Adams Jr. This was the big reason for the loss to Toronto as it was just too many turnovers to overcome. It was also the first time in the season a quarterback threw for over 200 yards against BC as Chad Kelly threw for 249 yards and a touchdown. The BC Lions will be very hungry to get a win at home this weekend.
Montreal (2-1): Similar to BC, Montreal is also coming off their first loss of the season which was a 17-3 loss to Winnipeg at home after a rain delay. Montreal has the lowest points allowed per game this season at 13.6 and has scored an average amount of points per game at 20 despite the offense looking very capable at times.
Game Details:
Date/Location: Sunday, July 9 / BC Place, Vancouver, BC
Kickoff Time: 7:00 PM ET, 4:00 PM PT
Channel: TSN (Canada), CBS Sports (USA), CFL+(International)
Odds:
Spread: BC -7.5 (-105), Montreal +7.5 (-115)
Moneyline: BC -300, Montreal +250
Over/Under: 45.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
BC Lions vs Montreal Alouettes
Montreal has the fewest points allowed per game at 13.6. BC has the 2nd fewest points allowed per game at 16.5. Montreal’s quarterback, Cody Fajardo, has the 2nd highest QBR at 111.1 while Vernon Adams Jr. leads the league in passing yards at 1,249.
It looks like Vernon Adams Jr. is going to have a full cast of receiving weapons this week as Lucky Whitehead, Keon Hatcher and Dominique Rhymes who all had over 1,000 yards last year are all healthy enough to play in the same game for the first time this season. Alexander Hollins has led the team in receiving yards with 289 yards and a touchdown on 22 catches. Justin McInnis has added 14 catches and 231 yards and a touchdown while Jevon Cottoy has added 11 receptions for 130 yards. So far this season BC has had the most productive receiving room which of course coincides with VA leading the league in passing yards.
BC will however be without Taquan Mizzell who has been a rookie sensation at running back. Mizzell had a somewhat quieter game last week but still has 246 yards on 46 carries (5.3 average) and has looked really good with his touches.
BC’s defense has been elite this season despite what last week’s 45-24 loss would indicate. One of Toronto’s touchdowns was a special team’s touchdown and 4 of Toronto’s touchdowns came off of drives following interceptions as well as 2 field goals. Prior to last week, BC had allowed only 7 points per game.
BC Players to Watch:
#13 Alexander Hollins WR
Hollins leads the team in receiving yards with 289 yards on 22 catches and a touchdown.
#4 Keon Hatcher WR
Hatcher played his first game of the season last week and collected 8 catches for 104 yards and a touchdown.
#18 Justin McInnis WR
McInnis has 14 catches for 231 yards and a touchdown. With so many talented receivers now healthy for BC McInnis will likely be considered BC’s 5th best receiver. With Vernon Adams Jr’s ability to spread the ball around McInnis could have some breakout plays as defenses are worried about other players.
#28 Shaun Shivers RB
Shaun Shivers was recently signed by BC on June 28. He rushed 143 times for 592 yards (4.1 average) in 2022 playing for Indiana. He previously played 41 games for Auburn during which he had 201 carries for 1,020 yards (4.7 average).
#90 Mathieu Betts DE
Leads the league in sacks with 7 in just 4 games.
#1 Gary Peters, CB
Peters has been one of the best corners in the league. Against Winnipeg, he had 2 knockdowns preventing touchdowns. He added another knockdown last week as well as 5 tackles.
#20 Bo Lokombo LB
Leads the team in tackles with 23 and also has 2 sacks on the season.
#33 Emmanuel Rugamba, LB
Had the most tackles last week for BC with 7 last week.
#49 Tibo Debaille DT
Had 3 tackles last week and was named to the Pro Football Focus Team of the Week. He is the first Belgian player to achieve this honor.
BC Lions Injury Report/Game Status:
Taquan Mizzell has been ruled out. The running back out of Virginia has been an excellent back in his CFL rookie season and has shown why he spent time with 4 different NFL teams between 2017 and 2021. Shaun Shivers will be filling in as running back. Kienan LaFrance is also on the 1-game injured list this week. Shivers is the only running back on the depth chart so expect a lot of touches from him.
Manny Rugamba has also been ruled out who led the team in tackles with 7 last week playing linebacker. Brooks Parker is coming on listed as a 4th string linebacker.
Siriman Bagayogo is coming into the lineup as a 2nd string cornerback.
Daniel Petermann at wide receiver is listed on the 1-game injured list this week as Lucky Whitehead returns from injury.
Depth Charts:
Score Prediction:
I expect the BC Lions to win this game. The Lions’ defense has been phenomenal. The Montreal offense has looked very good at times but they have also been predictable. Montreal has not committed to the run more often than not and Fajardo has shown a tendency to distribute his targets almost exclusively to Austin Mack and Kaion Julien-Grant. If this pattern continues I foresee BC exploiting these tendencies. Montreal may be self-correcting this pattern as they are bringing in 2 exciting rookies in Tyler Snead and Quartney Davis for the first starts of their CFL careers. If Fajardo spreads the ball around better this will likely be a very close game.
I also expect Vernon Adams Jr. to play a much more technically sound game after throwing 6 interceptions last week. VA3 leads the league in passing yards for a reason and is a very good quarterback.
I predict BC to win 24-27 in overtime.
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My Twitter: @JonathanClink
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