In a home Grey Cup year, the B.C. Lions needed a playoff ace up their sleeve to salvage their reputation. Instead, they played the same hand against the Saskatchewan Roughriders that they’d been dealt all season, getting exposed in a 28-19 West Semi-Final loss far less close than the box score would suggest.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Beneath the dripping machine
There is a certain form of torture, invented by an Italian and popularized by Harry Houdini but inexplicably named after the Chinese, that subjects the restrained captive to a singular repetitive drop of water on the forehead. While benign in isolation, the certainty of the irregularly timed drips is enough to drive a man insane.
There could be no more fitting metaphor for the B.C. Lions’ defence this season. On the surface, their performance has been entirely acceptable, barely trailing some of the best units in the CFL statistically. They were fourth in points allowed, third in net yards given up, and second in sacks. On Saturday in Regina, they surrendered 28 points and 370 yards against — all acceptable numbers that you can win with.
The problem is that the Lions were never able to turn off the faucet. No playoff team generated fewer takeaways this year or allowed opponents to convert a higher percentage of their second downs and finish a higher percentage of their drives with touchdowns. They allowed the highest passer rating and completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks in the league, resulting in a last-place finish in terms of time of possession.
That was hard to ignore in the West Semi-Final, as Trevor Harris completed 78.8 percent of his passes, converted two-thirds of his second down chances, and held onto the football for nine minutes more than the visitors. It wasn’t that the Lions were poorly positioned or mistake-prone — they surrendered just one pass of over 30 yards and a single run of over 20. They were just soft.
B.C. forced four meaningful two-and-outs, including their lone turnover on downs courtesy of a great short-yardage surge from Christian Covington. However, it seemed like chance after chance to force the Riders off the field came up just short. Receivers were wide open when Harris needed them and the first tackler often missed — or in some cases, was carried — by just enough to allow a first down. Despite a couple of flashes from Mathieu Betts, there wasn’t much pressure on Saskatchewan’s veteran pivot either, even after left tackle Trevor Reid went down.
The Lions vowed all week to punch everything, including water bottles, out of their opponent’s hands. They talked about forcing turnovers and generating big plays themselves. In the end, it was the same old story. This system hasn’t changed from what it was a few years ago but the personnel has. They just didn’t execute well enough this year.
When the chips are down…
Anyone who was hoping for a repeat performance from Vernon Adams Jr. in his second game back as the starter — or even a fourth straight 450-yard outing against the Riders’ defence — was sadly disappointed. Much like the defence, VA and his offensive teammates were just fine in this game, but they failed to deliver when it mattered.
In what might be his final game as a Lion, Adams was 20-of-33 for 317 yards and two touchdowns. There was general competence and the usual flashes of brilliance, notably a nifty escape to deliver a touchdown to Justin McInnis and a nice shot to Ayden Eberhardt on his last throw with the wind. However, he missed badly on several occasions when his feet were unsettled by a collapsing pocket and committed three interceptions.
The last of those can be generally excused given the circumstances — down two scores with under a minute to go — but the other two were all on him. Nobody but Marcus Sayles was ever going to catch his ill-advised pass on the run in the second quarter and his deep lob towards Hatcher at the goal line in the fourth was a bad read, underthrown against the wind, and unnecessary on first down. With that said, the more impactful mistakes came on second downs and in the red zone when a play was needed to keep hope alive.
Going a dismal eight-of-18 on second down was a team effort, combining errant throws, suspect protection, a lack of fight for the ball on occasion, and some serious mental errors. The offence put up solid numbers, actually out-gaining the Riders on a per-play basis, but it didn’t result in enough touchdowns when they were in position, just too many field goal attempts.
Even when the team was at their hottest early in the season, that was an issue. The team finished the year with as many field goals made from inside of 40 as they had successful point-afters. That is something that offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic is going to have to address schematically if he remains with the Lions next year.
The winds of winter
There will be a lot of speculation about whether the wicked windy conditions in Regina played a role in Adams’ giveaways. They certainly influenced game strategy as far as when the deep shots were dialled up and probably contributed slightly to the underthrows in the fourth, though neither team seemed to have much difficulty passing in either direction.
It did influence the kicking game dramatically, however, as Sean Whyte sent his first point-after and a later 38-yard field goal attempt doinking off the right upright. That’s uncharacteristic for the West Division nominee for Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, who batted .943 this year. You could see what he was dealing with when a successful 17-yard chip shot hooked dramatically after passing through the posts. Swirling winds inside Mosaic Stadium had the flags blowing in opposite directions at each end of the field.
Any of those four points would have been critical in this game, as the Lions trailed by just that margin entering the fourth quarter. They also dramatically changed the strategy late, as Saskatchewan was able to make it a two-score game with a successful two-point attempt on their last touchdown. That caused VA to press and put the ball in harm’s way.
Before you write a sternly worded email to Mother Nature, it’s worth pointing out that B.C. benefitted from the wind as much as they were hurt by it. A pair of extremely short punts by Adam Korsak against the breeze put the team in position to score 10 points. Who knows if they would have even been competitive in this game without them?
A year too early
Legendary Lions’ head coach and general manager Wally Buono used to live by the motto that it was better to cut a player a year too early than release him a year too late. Over time, that methodology will always be successful in pro football but that doesn’t make the inevitable miscalculations sting any less.
Case in point: former Lions’ defensive back Marcus Sayles. Cap considerations were the largest factor in the team’s decision to release him after training camp but there was also a belief that the 30-year-old was past his prime and could be sufficiently replaced by cheaper alternatives. That has been proven to be false, as Sayles has established himself as an All-CFL cornerback since signing with the Riders.
Watching Sayles record four tackles, including at least one of the hellacious variety, and an interception was hard enough for Lions fans, but it was made worse by watching his replacements get abused. Rookie halfback Ronald Kent Jr. got side-stepped and carried by opposing receivers as he struggled to make tackles before eventually getting posterized by A.J. Ouellette with a nasty stiff arm. Cornerback Jalon Edwards-Cooper, who was pencilled into Sayles’ spot with Saskatchewan before being cut with injury and returning to B.C., was only slightly better and whiffed on Jerreth Sterns on the deciding touchdown.
Only time will tell if Sayles can sustain his renewed success but right now it’s a sore spot for B.C. Typically quiet in the media ever since the infamous Winnipeg ice cream incident from a few years ago, he spoke openly about wanting to beat his former team ahead of this game and hopes to pop champagne in BC Place before the year is over.
Watermelon cacophony
Playing on the road in the prairies continues to be an obstacle the Lions can’t overcome in November and the disadvantage they faced was on full display Saturday. A rowdy Mosaic Stadium killed two of the team’s drives, as Adams struggled to communicate with his teammates.
The first came late in the opening quarter, as the quarterback animatedly tried to change the play at the line. He got the snap off in time but didn’t get the protection set, immediately getting swarmed for a sack. The confusion repeated itself in the third quarter, as receiver Stanley Berryhill couldn’t get the play from VA quickly enough and forced the team into a time count violation at the Saskatchewan 23-yard line. Adams was again sacked on the next play and Whyte was forced to hit a 36-yard field goal.
Obviously, this is the reason teams fight so hard for home field in the playoffs, something B.C. squandered weeks ago. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the 2022 West Final when Nathan Rourke was flummoxed late by a loud Winnipeg crowd. Two years later, this team is still making the same mistakes and falling short of the same hurdles — albeit a week earlier and a province over.
Failing Philosophy 101 — again
The Lions talked all offseason about developing a stronger run game for playoff situations. They acquired William Stanback and made establishing him a point of emphasis, resulting in the 30-year-old finishing second in CFL rushing. And yet, the team’s most consistent player was given just seven carries for 27 yards in the exact scenario he was brought in to dominate.
There is nuance to reneging on the philosophy change, as the Riders have an elite run defence, the Lions were trailing slightly, and the passing offence was mostly working. Stanback also caught five checkdowns for 53 yards, which are like extended run plays. However, if you are going to pay for the sword, you better die by it.
Take out his 30-yard touchdown run and A.J. Ouellette was averaging fewer yards per carry than the Lions’ back, but Saskatchewan kept with him until he popped off. Even when playing from behind, there is no reason that Stanback’s last carry should have been on the first play of the fourth quarter. For all the armchair OCs out there, it was just too much deja vu.
Big Boot VA
The Lions’ best play of the game came from Vernon Adams Jr. — just not in his capacity as quarterback.
On third-and-three from the Saskatchewan 50-yard line with two minutes remaining in the first half, Rick Campbell appeared to keep the offence on the field for an ill-advised gamble. Instead, Adams acted like a rugby scrum half and box-kicked the ball 44 yards in the hopes that one of two onside receivers could race onto it. He sent it just slightly too far and instead pinned the Riders at their own six.
Admittedly, I’m not sure whether this beautifully designed play fell under the jurisdiction of Maksymic or special teams coordinator Mike Benevides, but pulling it out was a brilliant coaching decision from Campbell. With nobody back to return, only good things could happen so long as Adams got the ball off his foot. They probably would have preferred a classic CFL onside punt touchdown, but the field position advantage still led to a Saskatchewan two-and-out and McInnis’ major a minute later. You could argue it was the team’s best punt all year.
Wealth redistribution
The Lions didn’t get their money’s worth out of two top receivers in this game, as both Keon Hatcher and Alexander Hollins struggled to make an impact.
Hatcher caught two passes for 47 yards but most of that came on one 35-yard bomb on the last fruitless drive. He was targeted a team-high eight times, including one drop on a low ball from VA while wide open in the flats on a critical second down. He deflected a high pass in traffic up for a near interception early in the game, failed to haul in another jump ball, and generally seemed defeated by any type of contact from a Rider defender. Adams didn’t make it easy on him, but he needed to make some of those plays.
Hatcher hasn’t been at his best since rushing back from his torn Achilles but I trust he’ll return to form next year. The same cannot be said for Hollins, who continued his utter invisibility with two catches for 16 yards. After inexplicably fading out of relevance since Week 5, the Lions’ season ended fittingly with an interception thrown in the direction of the former all-star. Given who else they’ll need to pay, you have to wonder if the team wants to be tied to his $230,000 contract for next year.
Perhaps a few more of his targets could head in the direction of Jevon Cottoy, who proved in his return from injury that he’s among the league’s most under-utilized players. After getting the fewest touches since his rookie year in 2024, the six-foot-five, 230-pounder snagged three passes for a team-high 82 yards and showed great awareness to settle in space on his long touchdown to open the game.
Wrap it up
This game featured two vicious headshots coming across the middle, as rookie linebacker Ace Eley nearly decapitated Kian Schaffer-Baker and DeMarcus Fields tried to take Keon Hatcher’s helmet off. While Fields’ delivery was slightly less egregious than Eley’s in my opinion, both were correctly assessed 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalties for hitting a defenceless player.
There will be fans on both sides who don’t like those calls, complaining about a game gone soft and pining for the physicality of old. To those people, I kindly request that you hop into your DeLorean and return to the 1980s. We know the long-term consequences that these plays have now and anything to make the game safer for the brain is a good thing.
It continues to baffle me that football has yet to implement a mandatory attempt to wrap on all tackles, like what is done in rugby. It wouldn’t stop players from delivering big hits or dislodging the football, but it would instantly improve the safety of techniques used and eliminate the flying shoulder checks that so often land outside the strike zone. For all the talk about tweaking kickoffs for safety, this would go a lot farther for the body parts that matter and send a clear message to kids at all levels about how to play the game.
Famous last words
The B.C. Lions’ dreams of home Grey Cup glory are now over and they head into the offseason with far more significant questions than most other CFL franchises.
Despite his struggles since returning, Nathan Rourke is all but assured to be the leader of the team next season. That means that Vernon Adams Jr. will have to be traded, likely to a division rival, a move that is certain to provide fodder for debate for years to come. Then there are 33 pending free agents to negotiate with and questions to be answered about whether an organization can remain competitive while paying the exorbitant sum that Rourke is owed.
However, the first matter of business is determining who will be making those decisions. After arguably the most disappointing result in the history of the organization, somebody will have to be held accountable for squandering Amar Doman’s hefty investment — which will likely include salary cap fines — and toying with locker room chemistry. There is a real possibility that head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell will not survive the coming week.
I think that would be an overreaction given Campbell’s past success, but I’m also not entirely convinced he still has the confidence of his charges. This was a season that ended far sooner than anyone wanted and yet somehow still felt inhumanely long for a team that was emotionally bled dry.
They now have eight months to receive a transfusion, unless Doman and team president Duane Vienneau decide to crack out the defibrillator first.
