The B.C. Lions drove into McMahon Stadium with a Ferrari on Sunday night but left in their mom’s mini-van, suffering a disappointing 25-24 loss to the Calgary Stampeders.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Sailing away
The B.C. Lions have been on a historic pace to start the season, averaging a whopping 428.7 yards of net offence per game. Entering Sunday night, they had surpassed the four-century mark in four straight contests and many predicted they would do the same again against a struggling Stampeders defence.
It was clear that would not be the case early on in Calgary, as Vernon Adams Jr. missed his first four throws and managed just 49 yards through the air until a scoring drive late in the second quarter. Those numbers improved only moderately the rest of the night, as the CFL’s M.O.P. frontrunner completed just under 55 percent of his passes for 192 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. As a result, B.C. stumbled to 274 net yards on the evening — a collective total lower than any of VA’s single-game passing yardage marks this season.
The 31-year-old simply couldn’t find his sights with a bad wind ripping through McMahon Stadium, leaving fans begging for fewer yards through the air, not more. Passes were consistently sailing well over the heads of his receivers by 10 feet or more, leading to critical misses on throws that Adams has made look routine this year.
It was equal opportunity inaccuracy, as VA sailed a ball past Alexander Hollins for what would have been a huge gain at the end of the first quarter. He ripped one over the heads of both Kieran Poissant and Justin McInnis in the end zone, failed to hit a wide-open Ayden Eberhardt for a potential touchdown in the fourth quarter, and outright missed Stanley Berryhill III on what turned out to be B.C.’s final offensive play of the game.
Then there were the turnovers, which had nothing to do with wind-aided balls and everything to do with poor decision-making. Adams never should have lofted a pass to Eyberhardt in double coverage while being chased by Cameron Judge in the second quarter, allowing Tyler Richardson an easy pick and killing a drive that was already in field goal range. His throw to McInnis in the fourth was also late, behind, and in too tight a window, allowing Kobe Williams to snag a difference-maker. Other passes should have been taken away as well — more on that later — but the Lions got lucky.
While VA wasn’t the only player drifting in the breeze, his struggles were far more pronounced than anyone else’s and it’s clear the elements weren’t the only reason for the misfires. He took a few huge shots to the ribs and was seen grimacing throughout the game, though the blame can’t be pinned on poor protection either. The simplest explanation is that B.C.’s star quarterback had an off-night on the eve of a much-needed bye week.
Death by flagging
The Lions and Stampeders were the two least penalized teams in the league heading into this matchup, averaging just six flags per game each. Both had either equalled or exceeded that mark by halftime of this game, as B.C. finished with 11 penalties for 70 yards and Calgary committed 12 infractions for a stunning 180 yards.
It was sloppy, undisciplined football at times and both teams are sure to hear it from their coaching staffs in film study. However, there were several occasions when the official should have opted to keep the laundry in their pocket and didn’t. Unfortunately, one of those ended up being the difference in the game.
With B.C. backed up at their own one-yard-line after a goal line stand, centre Tyler Packer was called for holding against Josiah Coatney as Adams evaded pressure in the end zone. By rule, the result of the penalty was a safety, costing the Lions two critical points in a one-point loss. The problem is that the replay showed Packer didn’t hold Coatney at all, rather that a hard chip from right guard Sukh Chungh only gave the appearance that the defender was torqued to the ground. The rookie DT also got up unimpeded and rejoined the play, dismissing initial speculation that he had been pinned to the turf.
As a former offensive lineman, I’m pretty lax on what I consider holding but this was as egregious a missed call as I’ve ever seen. While head coach Rick Campbell was helpless to prevent it as holding is not a challengeable penalty, this felt like a moment when the command centre should have stepped in. After all, this was technically a scoring play, which are always automatically reviewed.
That mistake by the referees might have been the difference in the ball game but the Lions shouldn’t spend too much time crying about it. They got far more chances than they deserved thanks to the oodles of penalty yardage by the Stampeders which was inflated by three pass interference calls, one of which certainly should not have been flagged.
No, I insist!
This game came down to the wire but it seemed like neither team really wanted to win it based on the chaos of the final drive.
After B.C. elected to punt on third-and-eight with just under two minutes remaining, Jake Maier fired an errant backward pass in the direction of Canadian Clark Barnes, resulting in an eight-yard loss. Seemingly gifted a chance for a quick two-and-out, the Lions kindly softened up their coverage for the deep-ball-averse Stamps and allowed Barnes to stand open at the sticks for an easy conversion.
Unwilling to accept victory, Jalen Philpot carried the ball like a loaf of bread after catching a short pass in the flats, allowing it to be punched free by safety Adrian Greene. Cornerback Ciante Evans jumped on the loose football to give the visitors a final shot at redemption but then clearly thought better of it, botching the recovery so that Philpot could get it back.
Despite his teammates’ best efforts, Dedrick Mills was able to run out the remaining clock and secure a win. The Lions had every opportunity to stop the upset but they didn’t seize it — or the ball.
Lee’s last stand
The Lions’ longest-serving player, American halfback T.J. Lee, returned to the lineup on Sunday night after missing the first third of the season with an Achilles tear suffered in the 2023 West Final. It has been a near-miraculous recovery for the 33-year-old as he is back in action nearly three months sooner than initially expected, a testament to his work ethic and tremendous support network.
Lee sure didn’t look like he’s lost a step against Calgary, finishing with five total tackles, but unfortunately, his first prominent appearance on the broadcast came on the Stampeders’ first touchdown. B.C.-born receiver Jalen Philpot made a spectacular catch with a toe in bounds in front of the 10-year veteran, earning himself six points and the highlight of the week. There was nothing the defender could have done on the play as he was in perfect coverage but it still wasn’t the recovery gift anyone wanted for a legend.
Fortunately, Lee got his revenge later in the game after Calgary mounted a fabulous 14-play, 94-yard drive that ate up over six and a half minutes of the third quarter. With a touchdown feeling like a foregone conclusion, the home side elected not to trot out short-yardage specialist Tommy Stevens on third-and-goal, instead asking Jake Maier to throw a quick out to an open Marken Michel for the final yard. Lee somehow fought past the pick from Cole Tucker and arrived in the nick of time to tackle the receiver inches short of the goal line for a turnover on downs.
While the ensuing safety quickly overshadowed it, Lee’s tackle was as good a defensive play as you’ll ever see in that situation. It could not have been made by a more deserving player.
Underutilized asset
Vernon Adams Jr.’s wild throws will garner much of the attention but offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic deserves a portion of the blame for this loss. While the young mastermind has proven himself to be a star on the rise in the coaching world, his decision to run the ball just nine times in this game was a major mistake.
This wasn’t a case of a team going away from an aspect of the offence that wasn’t working, as William Stanback was the team’s biggest bright spot with an average of 7.1 yards per carry. His 64 yards on the ground included three huge runs of over 10 yards and he generated positive momentum on nearly every touch. It was also a perfect matchup to use him in, as Calgary is last in the CFL in terms of yards per carry allowed and third-worst in yards per game.
With the score tight and the passing game unreliable, there was no reason not to feed B.C.’s prized free-agent addition. This was especially true at their own goal line, when simply handing the ball off for breathing room instead of play-actioning might have prevented that critical safety.
There was a reason why the Lions shelled out for Stanback in the offseason and it was to win tight, physical games. This is why you paid the man, let him do his thing!
Failing the test screening
Vernon Adams Jr.’s two interceptions in this game should have been four, but the Stampeders dropped a pair of balls thrown straight to them. Strangely, both of these came on screens, usually high-percent throws where rare mistakes can be disastrous.
VA led Stanley Berryhill III by a foot and a half too far on a hitch screen early in the first quarter, driving the ball straight into the body of veteran cornerback Tre Roberson. The former college quarterback, who once outdueled Adams in the FCS playoffs, was too engaged with a blocker to squeeze the ball, which is forgivable.
Defensive lineman Charles Wiley deserves no such kindness for his dropped pick later in the game, as Adams tossed a running back screen directly into his hands. It should have been a pick-six with no one in front of him but he somehow volleyed the ball right to Stanback, allowing him to get back to the line of scrimmage.
If the Lions are looking for inspiration on how to execute a screen properly, Calgary provided it in the fourth quarter. Clark Barnes got perfect blocks from his fellow receivers and made Ronald Kent Jr. miss as he ran for 40 yards — the longest play from scrimmage by either team. It helped set up his own touchdown a play later.
Missing persons report
Star receiver Alexander Hollins wasn’t a popular figure last week after he committed a couple of critical drops in a tight victory over Saskatchewan, some of which should have been touchdowns. It seems that his response to the criticism was to go into witness protection, as he managed just one catch on four targets for seven yards this week.
Some of that ineffectiveness is a reflection of VA, who missed him deep on one occasion, and Hollins did draw one pass interference penalty. However, after he had the ball popped loose by a big hit on the last series of the first half, the all-star receiver disappeared entirely. He was on the field but the ball never seemed to come his way and he never threatened deep again. Furthermore, nothing was done schematically to get him easy touches on jet sweeps or quick throws.
With Hollins missing in action and McInnis largely covered, no other Lions pass-catcher distinguished themselves. This was especially problematic given that fullback David Mackie and rookie Kieran Poissant, who is straight out of the Canadian Junior Football League, were essentially splitting reps in place of the injured Jevon Cottoy. While I’m a fan of both players, the offence was clearly missing something.
Fortunately for B.C., number one target Keon Hatcher should be in the lineup for the first time after the bye week, which will bring a whole new element of danger to the attack.
Peyton’s place
The Lions had allowed just two big play returns all season before Sunday night but they matched that number in Calgary, as Peyton Logan looked dangerous at times and averaged 26.8 yards per punt return after Erik Brooks suffered a gruesome arm injury. While the wind appeared to affect both punters, Stefan Flintoft went long whereas Cody Grace went short, resulting in a few too many lanes when out-kicking his coverage.
Those special teams mishaps will need to be cleaned up but it was admittedly nice to see Logan returning kicks again after he suffered a fractured vertebrae against B.C. in the West Semi-Final last year. The player on the other side of that hit, linebacker Jack Hinsperger, suffered career-ending nerve damage and the situation could easily have been far worse for the returner.
Of course, Logan never got a shot at a missed field goal return in this game, as Sean Whyte nailed all three of his kicks to officially pass Rene Paredes in his own house for the second-longest made kick streak in CFL history.
Running unopposed
Jake Maier may be the definition of average as a CFL quarterback but he had one of his better outings against the Lions, going 25-of-32 for 307 yards and three touchdowns. I wish that coordinator Ryan Phillips had been a little bit more aggressive with his defensive play-calling, as the ‘Mayor of Calgary’ seemed to run unopposed for long stretches of his highly efficient, if extremely boring, campaign.
Once again, that comes down to pass rush for me. Despite a pair of sacks by Sione Teuhema, I didn’t feel like the Lions generated much in the way of pressure on the quarterback and didn’t force mistakes as a result. This sturdy defensive line rotation was great against the run, holding Dedrick Mills to 48 yards on 14 carries, but it still feels like they are missing a premier disruptor.
With NFL training camps set to open next week, the status of Mathieu Betts in Detroit will be tracked closely across the CFL. If he becomes available, B.C. better beg, borrow, or steal money to bring him home for the Grey Cup stretch run.
Get your Hicks in
It was another below-average outing in pass protection from B.C.’s offensive line, though things got better as the game went on. The Stampeders didn’t send nearly as much pressure as they did in their first meeting with the Lions but a few late-declared rushers got big hits on VA.
The biggest disruptor was youngster Clarence Hicks, who generated pressure on the second play of the game to tee up Adams for a rib shot from Cam Judge and never went away. He gave right tackle Kent Perkins serious issues with his inside move and produced a truly ridiculous three-play sequence using it in the second quarter. After penetrating quickly to wrap up Stanback for a rare four-yard loss on first down, the UTSA product drew a holding call and a hands-the-face penalty on the next two snaps to force a second-and-34 scenario.
Repetition is the key to perfecting any defensive line technique, but that was a little extreme.
A king twice crowned
The Calgary Stampeders honoured legendary coach Wally Buono with a spot in the Wall of Fame on Sunday night, appropriate given that the game was a battle between the two franchises for which he holds the all-time wins record.
Though Buono’s tenure with B.C. was moderately less successful than his time in Calgary, the Lions beat their rivals to the punch by honouring the coach with a spot on their Wall of Fame last year. Frankly, it is ridiculous that it took a full six years after his retirement for the Hall of Famer to be formally recognized by both of the teams he led to Grey Cups, though I’m sure there was some hesitancy about whether he was fully done with pro football.
If you needed another indication of just how incredible Buono’s career was, current Stampeders’ head coach Dave Dickenson would need 72 more victories — the equivalent of four undefeated seasons — to surpass the man he played under for the club record. Rick Campbell would need 95 wins to achieve the same feat in B.C.
Winnipeg’s Mike O’Shea, the active leader in CFL head coaching wins, is still 136 shy of Buono’s combined mark. All three records may never be broken.
Have a Kit-Kat
After seven games of action, B.C. will get a badly needed bye week to rest and recuperate. They looked sluggish and banged up against the Stampeders, so some time away and a few fresh bodies could do wonders for the whole team.
The Lions (5-2) will return to action on Thursday, August 1 when they visit the struggling Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-4).
