The BC Lions have won four in a row, completely reversing a tough start to the season to move into a playoff spot in the West Division, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in line to crossover with eight weeks left on the schedule.
The Lions took down the Saskatchewan Roughriders in convincing fashion to cap off Week 12 on Sunday with a 30-16 victory behind four turnovers and three sacks from the defence.
Nathan Rourke, the Lions quarterback who is the reigning Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian and threw for two touchdowns in the victory, gave full credit to the defence for the victory while also calling for improvements.
“Our defence is playing incredible,” Rourke said after the win. “I think we owe this one to them. I don’t particularly feel like I played the way I know I’m capable of playing. Our defence made a ton of great plays to keep us in it.
“That should have been a way higher scoring game than it was. I just feel like I’ve got to be better in this stretch.”
The win improved BC to 5-5, overcoming an 0-3 start to the season and pushing them past both the Calgary Stampeders and Blue Bombers for third in the West Division standings. The Lions played in last year’s West Final, where they lost 24-21 to the eventual Grey Cup-winning Roughriders.
In the East Division, a key matchup between the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats went the way of the Argos in a downpour on home soil. That 39-20 victory vaulted the Argonauts (5-5) two points ahead of the Ticats (4-7) with a game in hand.
“I’d say there was a sense of urgency, for sure,” Argonauts wide receiver Damonte Coxie, who caught two touchdown passes, said after the game. “We understood what was at stake … but once you know these things, you can’t let the game become bigger than the moment.
“You still have to understand these things and execute properly. It’s knowing that and still staying calm in the situation.”
The Blue Bombers lost 22-19 to the Edmonton Elks on Friday, and have just one win in their past four games. The cold stretch has dropped Winnipeg to fourth in the West Division, but their 5-5 record has them set up to crossover if the playoffs were to begin this week.
“We didn’t play very well in the second half and didn’t make enough plays and they did,” Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said after the game. “It was a tight battle. When you lose by three points to a good football team, that’s never going to be good enough. We have to find ways to make plays to get the outcome our way.”
There is little competition atop either division as Labour Day approaches - the Montreal Alouettes (9-1) have been in firm control of the East Division from the beginning of the season, and have won seven straight. In the West Division, the Elks have won two straight and own a two-game lead over the Roughriders at 8-3.
The Ottawa Redblacks have lost 10 straight to open the campaign, and their playoff hopes are just about extinguished in a disaster of a first season for new head coach Ryan Dinwiddie.
Week 13 features a few battles that could have a large impact on the playoff picture - the Tiger-Cats and Stampeders clash in a showdown of teams that need wins quickly to stay in the hunt, while the Argonauts travel to Saskatchewan to take on the Roughriders in a battle of teams holding on to playoff spots.
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