The once-mighty B.C. Lions weren’t just declawed in their Week 9 matchup with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers — they had all their teeth pulled and their tail cropped too.
Morbid fascination was the only compelling reason for watching all 60 minutes, as the Leos gummed their way to a pitiful 25-0 loss on the road — the first time the team has been shut out since October 2021.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Not NSYNC
I hope McLeod Bethel-Thompson was watching on Thursday night because it flew in the face of everything we assume about rest in the CFL.
The Lions were supposed to be refreshed and recharged coming off a bye last week, a situation in which they’ve gone 5-1 dating back to 2022. CFL teams as a whole are 6-1 this year coming off of that added rest and common sense suggested that disparity should have been even worse against a Winnipeg team playing on just four days rest.
Instead, the team that should have been singing “bye, bye, bye” looked anything but in sync, opening the game with five straight two-and-outs. All of those unsuccessful drives began at the B.C. 37-yard line or beyond, including one at mid-field and another in plus territory — excellent field position that should have been rewarded with points. Every opportunity was squandered away.
Even when the team secured its first first-down on a nice intermediate shot from Vernon Adams Jr. to Keon Hatcher, it was immediately followed by a near sack and a short completion that forced another punt. There was no improvement, no glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. The Lions produced a scintillating four first-downs compared to the Bombers’ 22 and failed to convert on 10 different series. They never mustered a single point, never entered the red zone, and produced just 102 yards of net offence.
This may not go down as the worst loss in franchise history but compared to expectations, it might just be the most embarrassing. This was supposed to be a blood bath for the visitors with the Bombers weak, tired, and struggling. Now it will serve as a cold shower for their Grey Cup hopes.
Adding injury to insult
Bad losses can be overcome in the course of a championship season but quarterback injuries are typically fatal. That’s why the exit of Vernon Adams Jr. early in the fourth quarter will completely overshadow the deluge of misery that was his team’s performance.
Adams had escaped the pocket when defensive end TyJuan Garbutt wrapped him up high for Winnipeg’s fourth sack of the game, dragging the veteran down awkwardly. As the rookie attempted to make his opponent involuntarily touch his toes, VA’s right knee appeared to hyper-extend badly, leaving him in a heap on the turf. Though the quarterback did walk off with assistance, he exited the medical tent with an ice pack taped to the injured joint and a pronounced limp. He did not return and a fan video later showed him being carted off the sideline post-game.
Vernon Adams needed to be carted off post game. Doesn’t look good. pic.twitter.com/MrYEeOTyWY
— Travis Hrubeniuk, PhD (@thrubeniuk) August 2, 2024
There is no need to beat around the bush: Adams was atrocious in this football game. He performed as poorly as I’ve ever seen him play, completing just eight-of-17 passes (47.1 percent) for 74 yards and an interception. The defence appeared to be a mystery to him and he threw nothing but off-target passes to blanketed receivers all night, with several more throws deserving of turnovers.
That doesn’t change the fact that the 31-year-old has been the best player in the CFL through the first eight weeks of the season by virtually every metric — statistically, by the eye test, and according to the analytics. He is the frontrunner for Most Outstanding Player for a reason and he covers up for the flaws in the Lions protection in a way nobody else can. With all due respect to Jake Dolegala — and he’s not due much at this stage of his career — B.C. is toast without VA for any length of time.
Head coach Rick Campbell told the media post-game that he did not believe that the injury was season-ending. Though further evaluation will take place in Vancouver, he set the timetable for return at weeks, not months. Depending on the official diagnosis, it still could be worth kicking the tires on an affordable vet like Jeremiah Masoli to help improve the team’s odds.
We’ve seen the Lions adapt and overcome quarterback injuries in each of the last two seasons, but they are weaker this year on several fronts. It was exceptional play at the most important position that was elevating them up to this point and the prospect of life without VA — even for the short term — should terrify everyone.
Hanging on for dear life
Before you go to bed tonight, spare a thought for the poor souls on the Lions’ defence. They put up a valiant fight in the hostile confines of Princess Auto Stadium, allowing just a single touchdown all night, but suffered more at the hands of offensive ineptitude than even the poor sods watching this game.
Because Adams and company couldn’t perform the basic task of converting a first down for most of the evening, B.C. controlled the ball for just 18:08. That afforded Winnipeg’s offence a full 41:52 worth of possession — one of the most lopsided statistics I’ve ever seen in that all-important category. It was no surprise that the Leos’ defenders spent most of the second half with their tongues hanging out, praying to whatever deity they worship and half a dozen false idols that some breath would be restored to their lungs.
It wasn’t a perfect performance for Ryan Phillips’ D by any stretch of the imagination, as Zach Collaros was allowed to dink and dunk his way down the field largely unabated. I would have liked the team to play a little more aggressively at times and their tackling underneath left something to be desired, but they made the plays when it mattered. Sergio Castillo was forced to hit six field goals, including a 60-yarder, and Adrian Greene wrapped up Chris Streveler short of the sticks for one turnover on downs that should have been a turning point.
Under normal circumstances, this was a gutsy defensive outing that should have secured a victory. On Thursday, it was like watching 12 guys get waterboarded to protect state secrets while their colleagues gave up the launch codes in exchange for a lollipop.
Three’s a crowd.
The Lions have been blessed with two receivers on pace for all-time great seasons, as Canadian Justin McInnis remained on track for over 2,000 yards through seven games and American Alexander Hollins wasn’t far behind. Given the dominance of both players, it’s easy to forget that neither was the top target in the B.C. offence last year. That was Keon Hatcher, who finished second in the CFL with 1,226 receiving yards a season ago but suited up for the first time in 2024 on Thursday night.
Much like veteran DB T.J. Lee in Week 7, the all-star pass catcher was returning from a torn Achilles suffered in the West Final — a game that was also played against the Bombers in Winnipeg. He also welcomed a son earlier this week, proudly sporting “Sr.” on the back of his jersey for the first time. The narrative was set for a storybook return and an explosive offensive showing, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Hatcher finished the game with three catches for 28 yards, never finding his rhythm. Hollins led the team with three catches for 43 yards but was essentially invisible until the game was already decided. McInnis didn’t catch a single ball. It was as if the most talented receiving corps in the league didn’t even bother to show up.
Plenty of credit should go to the Winnipeg secondary for an outstanding evening, as they left little space for B.C.’s pass catchers to operate and broke hard on underneath routes for several impressive pass breakups. The receiving corps also wasn’t being placed in the best position to succeed by their quarterback, who was late, off-target, and made a few bad reads. Still, the expectation should be more energy and better route-running from this unit, which looked resigned to their fate for three quarters.
There was some speculation on the broadcast that the offensive chemistry was thrown off by the insertion of Hatcher, which forced B.C.’s other two studs to play from different alignments. That shouldn’t affect veteran teammates to this degree, though I will concede that an offence can be a delicate ecosystem. With time, I have no doubts that the return of Hatcher will help make the Lions lethal again.
That’s why I hang my hat in B.C.
Pro football breakups can be brutal and emotional, but the CFL is a small-town league where nobody can avoid their exes for long. That proved true once again in Winnipeg, as the Bombers inserted receiver Lucky Whitehead into their lineup for the first time this season just as his former team was coming to visit.
It’s not an overstatement to say that Whitehead developed into the Lions’ most popular and marketable player over his three seasons in Vancouver. Fans adored his big-play ability and even bigger personality, while a thousand-yard campaign in 2022 proved he could be one of the league’s most dangerous weapons. But even as his memorable entrances continued to provide a can’t-miss moment every gameday, it was clear last season that the two sides needed to part ways.
The 32-year-old was eager to exact his revenge for being scorned on Thursday and he did to a satisfying extent, catching six passes for 56 yards and the game’s only touchdown. However, those short crossers and schemed open routes underneath should do nothing to make fans yearn for the good old days.
Whitehead is no longer the deep threat that he was being paid to be in B.C., either due to age or nagging injuries, and the Lions have younger players who are benefitting from filling his spot. Bad body language as his target share diminished and cryptic tweets made this relationship toxic. Both sides are better off for the mutual uncoupling.
Not-so-secret formula
The Bombers’ defensive game plan on Thursday night was brilliant, but it wasn’t much different than the one Calgary deployed to great effect two weeks ago. In fact, it has basically been the same formula that teams have used to defeat B.C. dating back three years: rush three, spy the mobile quarterback, and drop everyone else into coverage while the QB cooks himself.
It’s stunning that teams still try to send pressure against the Lions instead of using this strategy, but it is even more baffling that offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic hasn’t found a more effective way to counter it. He’s the brightest offensive mind in Canada but gets too set in his ways against these types of looks, leading to a few fruitless outings per year.
The Lions desperately needed to establish the run early on with William Stanback as soon as their passing game started to struggle, but I don’t think the team had back-to-back carries until the fourth quarter. This was a lopsided game but it was never an outright blowout. Maksymic wasted a chance to reestablish control of the tempo and clock by refusing to turn to his backfield in a desperate moment.
New age Canadians
It wasn’t that long ago that CFL pundits were blaming a lack of scoring on teams loading up their defences with American talent. At the time, several teams only utilized one ratio spot on defence and mandating a minimum of three Canadians on each side of the ball became a popular rule change proposal.
The idea of forcing franchises to employ National defenders now seems wholly unnecessary. Several of the league’s top teams employ more than three homegrown starters regularly of their own volition — including the Lions, who set a new benchmark with five on Thursday.
It wasn’t just B.C.’s volume of Canadians that was notable, but where they were placed as well. The Leos’ entire linebacking corps had maple leaves stamped on their passports, plus two more in the secondary. That would have seemed like utter lunacy even five years ago but Winnipeg wasn’t much more traditional with their ratio, giving Nationals the nod at strong-side linebacker and cornerback.
B.C. has rolled with four Canadians on defence all season, with linebackers Bo Lokombo and Ben Hladik playing side-by-side since the loss of Josh Woods and Patrice Rene becoming an unexpected surprise at SAM. The difference this week was that Adrian Greene kicked over to field-side halfback in place of American Ronald Kent Jr., who was demoted to the practice roster so that third-round pick Cristophe Beaulieu could get his first career start at safety.
The Lions have used a different secondary combination in virtually every game this year and I’m not certain this one will stick either, as Beaulieu performed admirably but had a couple of predictable rookie mistakes. That makes it no less impressive that fielding five Canucks in the back eight was even a viable option for this team. It is a testament to the growth of Canadian talent that we’ve come so far. Kudos to the Lions’ staff for being bold enough to push these boundaries.
Willie gets free
The Lions shuffled their struggling offensive line this week, returning Michael Couture to centre and bumping youngster Tyler Packer to left guard in place of Chris Schleuger, who was placed on the six-game injured list late in the week. Andrew Peirson and George Una both came off the roster as well and were replaced by David Knevel, who was mercifully not asked to start.
All the moving pieces did nothing for the unit’s efficiency, as Adams was sacked four times and frequently faced pressure from a three-man front on his limited dropbacks. Though the production was spread around, Willie Jefferson was a one-man wrecking crew for the Bombers’ defence, abusing tackles Kent Perkins and Jarell Broxton on multiple occasions. He registered just one sack himself and a single tackle, but got his hands on two passes and deserved assists on sacks by Devin Adams, Adam Bighill, and TyJuan Garbutt.
Since jumping onto the Lions’ beat in 2019, I’ve spent far too much print moaning about the inadequacies of B.C.’s protection with far too few changes to speak of. For the life of me, I still can’t understand how Sukh Chungh remains untouchable despite consistently grading out as a below-average guard. Unfortunately, with Jake Dolegala likely to start next week, the franchise is going to get a rude awakening in how much Adams has covered for his blockers over the past two years. It could get ugly in Edmonton.
You didn’t see nothing
The Bombers weren’t exactly tearing things up offensively early in this game either, but momentum seemed to swing when Zach Collaros stood in against a free blitz from Patrice Rene deep in his own end and found Ontaria Wilson for a diving 35-yard grab. It was a highlight reel play, except it shouldn’t have counted — replay clearly showed the ball bobble and hit the ground before control was established.
Wilson tried to get the offence to hurry up and hide his mistake, but he was foiled by the quarter break. Still, Rick Campbell kept the challenge flag in his pocket and inexplicable allowed the play to stand.
It ultimately wouldn’t cost the team points as the defence forced a turnover on downs, but the game seemed to turn on that play. B.C.’s head coach should have stopped it.
You can’t trick the master
The Lions had a chance to put points on the board with a field goal in the third quarter after a horrific punt from Jamieson Sheahan put them in prime field position, but Campbell asked special teams coordinator Mike Benevides to open up his bag of tricks instead.
Sean Whyte lined up for the rare onside field goal attempt with big Justin McInnis behind him but the Mike O’Shea-coached team across from them was predictably prepared. Two players flexed out to match B.C.’s recovery team and Tanner Cadwallader out-muscled Moose for the jump ball.
It’s hard to pull the wool over the eyes of one of the best to ever handle special teams, a statement that is true of both O’Shea and his rookie coordinator Mike Miller. The Lions should have taken the points.
Put this in your pipe dream and smoke it
CFL fans got teased this week when Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke was released by the New York Giants, sparking rampant speculation about his potential return to Canada. That was, of course, completely unfounded as Rourke signed with the Atlanta Falcons early on Thursday, but it’s hard to ignore the reality that the 26-year-old appears closer to the end of his NFL foray than the beginning.
There is virtually no scenario that would see B.C.’s favourite son entertain three-down opportunities before the end of the 2024 season but 2025 feels like a real possibility at this point. If that were to happen, you can bet that all nine teams would at least kick the tires on bringing him in. It would take a record-setting contract and maybe even the right coaching change to make it happen for most franchises, but Rourke has made clear in recent comments that the Lions — whom he considers “family” — have a huge leg up on any potential sweepstakes.
It’s hard to imagine that Amar Doman would let Canada’s golden boy go anywhere else but bringing in Rourke would have major ramifications. For one, it would mean the end of Vernon Adams Jr.’s tenure with the team — a move that would be essentially unprecedented if he recovers well enough to make good on his early season numbers and win Most Outstanding Player.
It may not be as simple as people think to move on from him either, as VA’s three-year extension before this year ensured half of his 2026 salary is guaranteed. Logic dictates that a pivot of Adams’ calibre would have plenty of trade suitors but with most teams already in solid positions at QB, how many would be willing to play chicken in order to force the Lions to release him and absorb $250,000 in dead cap on top of whatever Rourke commands?
No matter the result, it would make for the most intriguing offseason in recent memory. Still, it could be nothing more than fantasy if Rourke can unseat Taylor Heinicke as Atlanta’s number three QB and get legitimate investment from the Falcons. While fans can critique the move for the lack of a clear route to the field, stability and trust will do just as much to extend his time south of the border.
Gut check
The Lions aren’t going anywhere as Grey Cup favourites quite yet but back-to-back losses to Calgary and Winnipeg have proven they are both flawed and fallible. There will be hard weeks to come without an elite quarterback to rely on and everyone in the organization needs to take a long look in the mirror before deciding what type of team they want to be.
That process will start on Sunday, August 11 when B.C. heads to Edmonton for a matchup with the woeful Elks.
