The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have opened as heavy underdogs against the B.C. Lions despite being one of the CFL’s hottest teams.
The Tabbies have won three straight games, including two victories over their archrival Toronto Argonauts. Now 5-9, the team is four points out of a playoff spot in the East Division with four games remaining, giving them a legitimate opportunity to make the postseason following a miserable 2-9 start.
Bo Levi Mitchell has shone since his brief benching last month and recently became the league’s first quarterback to reach 4,000 passing yards this season. He also leads the league in completions (322), pass attempts (473), passing touchdowns (24), and completions of 30-plus yards (19).
This line might be high due in part to the most recent meetings between these two teams, which was a bloodbath. B.C. won 44-28 in Steeltown back in Week 5 as Vernon Adams Jr. threw four touchdown passes in the first half, building a 34-11 lead by halftime.
Much has changed since then, however, as Chris Jones is now the defensive coordinator in Hamilton and Nathan Rourke has returned from the NFL for B.C.
The Lions recently recorded double-digit wins over the Ottawa Redblacks and Montreal Alouettes, snapping a five-game losing streak to make it appear as though they’d turned the corner. Instead, the club fell flat at home to the Argonauts before their recent bye, suffering a 33-17 upset loss.
Nathan Rourke will reportedly remain the team’s starter this week despite being pulled at halftime of B.C.’s loss last week. The 26-year-old native of Victoria, B.C. has been inconsistent since rejoining the team, throwing for 1,099 yards, four touchdowns, and seven interceptions over five starts, posting a 2-3 record. He has also ran the ball 14 times for 155 yards and three touchdowns.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5-9) will visit the B.C. Lions (7-7) on Friday, Sept. 27 with kickoff slated for 10:30 p.m. EDT.
