The B.C. Lions defeated the Alouettes 21-20 with a walk-off field goal on Saturday in Montreal, stealing an improbable victory on a night where they could have dominated but probably deserved to lose. Still, an ugly post-game altercation will ensure a bitter taste remains regardless of the scoreboard.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
All hail the sacrificial lamb
It took just six plays and 28 seconds for the Lions to snatch back the victory they had willingly dangled over the Alouettes’ hungry maw for the previous 59:32 of gameplay.
Some might choose to frame it as a gutsy comeback or a galvanizing moment. From my vantage point, it looked like bad habits being rewarded against an opponent playing with a dominant hand tied behind their back. And ironically, it was kick-started by the very thing that should have cost B.C. the game: a dumb penalty.
When Pier-Olivier Lestage was called for objectionable conduct on Montreal’s go-ahead field goal with less than half a minute on the clock, it provided a glimmer of hope to a team that didn’t deserve it. It meant that even a middling 18-yard kickoff return from Jermaine Jackson was enough to set up Nathan Rourke with the field position needed for a game-winning drive. Two strikes to Keon Hatcher later, and the Lions were knocking on the edge of field goal range.
A batted ball at the line of scrimmage by Tyrice Beverette on the next play could have closed that door. With Rourke needing to get the ball out of his hand that quickly, it is curious to me that the left side of the offensive line didn’t jump set and get the defender’s arms down. It didn’t prove costly, however, as Jevon Cottoy caught a 13-yard pass on third-and-three with three seconds left and immediately surrendered himself to preserve a fraction of a second on the game clock.
The urgency and timing of that single play were as impressive as anything that B.C. did all night, and Cottoy’s keen awareness to lunge toward the defenders to ensure contact when he went down deserves additional praise. In some ways, it felt like vindication for the Lions’ overtime loss to Winnipeg back in October 2023, when Dominique Rhymes’ failure to grasp a similar situation cost the team a shot at the winning field goal.
Cottoy witnessed that mistake and did exactly what he had to here. Sean Whyte did the rest, nailing a 44-yard field goal that should have ended the festivities on a high note. Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come.
Get out the chequebook
Instead of Sean Whyte hoisted aloft in victory, the indelible image of this game will be players clambering over signage to join a full team brawl behind the Alouettes’ bench. Punches were thrown, players were wrestled to the ground, and staffers and team equipment were trampled in the melee. It cast a dark shadow over everything that preceded it.
Both sides offer differing accounts, but regardless of who you believe, there is no excuse for that kind of behaviour at the professional level. The Alouettes claim that Lions’ defensive end Kemoko Turay attempted to enter their locker room while screaming profanities, causing Montreal’s Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund to rush to the defence of their sacred space. Turay’s story places him in the area for a friendly chat with offensive lineman Jamar McGloster when he was aggressively harassed and put on the receiving end of an opening blow from IAB.
The video evidence shows that Turay clearly wasn’t where he was supposed to be, and neither man behaved with the decorum expected from a couple 29-year-old role models. Frankly, I don’t think an adequate message can be sent with fines here. If I were CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston, I’d suspend Turay for at least a game. I’d give out equal punishments to Adeyemi-Berglund and the unidentified practice roster player who rushed in afterwards unless there is compelling evidence proving they were actually acting in self-defence.
From a B.C. perspective, the most disturbing aspect of this might be that it is part of a trend. On top of their regular discipline issues — which will be discussed later — this marks the third time in as many weeks that a Lions player has been dinged for fighting. Against Winnipeg, it was Kory Woodruff being ejected for nearly knocking out a referee while going after Willie Jefferson. In Saskatchewan, it was Chris Schleuger and Anu Una getting fined for a meaningless late-game shoving match with the Riders’ d-line.
Head coach Buck Pierce needs to put his foot down hard before bone-headed brawling becomes this team’s identity.
Return of the King
Nathan Rourke’s return after two weeks with an oblique injury somehow managed to get bumped down to third in the post-game thoughts pecking order, but it’s hard to imagine the Lions winning this contest with anyone else at the helm.
At the same time, it was pretty clear that what took to the field at Percival Molson Stadium wasn’t the best or healthiest version of the Canadian phenom. For a rotational thrower like Rourke, there might be no more disruptive injury than the one he suffered, and it was clear that his scope wasn’t quite calibrated. Balls that he has the capacity to place perfectly were consistently flying high or behind his target, none more noticeably than an opening drive end zone interception to the inside shoulder of Keon Hatcher, where Kabion Ento had the best shot at it.
Those problems continued throughout the night and killed a few opportunities. Stanley Berryhill III had a step on one corner route, only for Rourke to fail to lead him. Even late in the fourth quarter, another throw behind Hatcher caused a potentially costly two-and-out. Still, Rourke kept pushing and, to his credit, Pierce called plays that allowed him to get comfortable.
When he found his rhythm with quick reads, rollouts, and RPOs, that’s when the magic happened. Rourke continued to show dynamic playmaking ability with his feet and created one of the best off-schedule plays of the year with a first-quarter shovel pass to Justin McInnis that made something out of nothing. He was fearless in the face of pressure and demonstrated some beautiful pocket manipulation, plus a pump fake so violent it sent the camera crew panning to the end zone. And when a deep shot finally opened up thanks to a curious one-on-one with safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy on the outside, he hung in to deliver the timely touchdown strike to Berryhill.
Rourke finished the game 22-of-36 passing for 352 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while rushing eight times for 43 yards and another major. The fact that is closer to his floor than his ceiling is why the Lions can never be counted out, despite their myriad other flaws.
Scoring own goals
If the Lions had succumbed to Montreal in this game, the autopsy would have determined that the cause of death was self-inflicted. That’s the only explanation for a game in which you out-gain an opponent by 118 net yards but never look remotely in control.
The reason for that was penalties, which offered the Alouettes all of the free yardage that they lost out on by having McLeod Bethel-Thompson at quarterback instead of Davis Alexander. In total, the Lions were flagged 11 times for 146 yards. 108 of those yards were accrued by halftime, when MBT had only thrown for 117 yards himself.
One of those penalties directly took points off the board, as a second Nathan Rourke touchdown run was called back when Jarrell Broxton was caught holding on the scramble. Given how difficult a position that places an offensive lineman in, nobody should lose any sleep over that one. What should cause alarm is the needless flags in the defensive secondary.
Garry Peters kicked things off when he was flagged for pass interference on a deep throw to Charleston Rambo in the second quarter, a mostly forgivable foul given how badly thrown the ball was. Jalon Edwards-Cooper had no such excuse when he was called for illegal contact later in that frame, erasing an interception from Deontai Williams — albeit one he immediately fumbled away. Mercifully, the ensuing field goal attempt doinked off the right upright.
Edwards-Cooper wasn’t so lucky when he gave the Alouettes new life at the end of the quarter, banging into Tyler Snead on a double move. Robert Carter Jr. moved Montreal into the red zone later that same drive with an illegal contact penalty on Tyson Philpot, resulting in a Sean Thomas-Erlington touchdown catch on a clear secondary miscommunication.
Edwards-Cooper was again called for pass interference after a challenge by Jason Maas late in the third quarter, a critical moment on an 87-yard field goal drive that began on the Montreal two-yard line. That made it five flags by defensive backs, three of which were committed by the same person. The calls were almost all obvious and avoidable.
It wasn’t these exact types of flags that hurt the Lions last week in Saskatchewan, but undisciplined errors are now becoming a harmful trend that is infecting all units. B.C. isn’t good enough to win games consistently while giving away unearned yardage, so this has to be addressed.
Who wants to be a millionaire?
One B.C. man got to live out a dream on Friday night, while the majority of football fans on the West Coast continued to endure a creeping nightmare on Saturday.
Roy Lyster of New Westminster was the lucky winner of a million dollars — pending all confirmations and paperwork — through Save-on-Foods’ Touchdown to Win contest after two kickoffs were returned for touchdowns in the Hamilton Tiger-Cats victory over the Toronto Argonauts. The clinching major was scored by Ticats’ returner Isaiah Wooden, who, as regular readers of this column will know, was under contract with the Lions last year before being released in favour of Terry Williams.
Wooden now leads the CFL with two return touchdowns this year, while B.C. has cycled through four different returners to sit seventh in kickoff return average and dead last in punt return average. This week, it was Jermaine Jackson back in the saddle after a brief stint as a starting receiver and he did absolutely nothing special, averaging 9.7 yards on punts and 21 yards on kickoffs.
Not all of this falls on the shoulders of the returners. B.C.’s special teams have been among the worst in the league by virtually every non-kicking metric so far this season, including getting flagged for 10 penalties — with two more unnecessary roughness calls coming against Montreal. That has erased some promising moments and might be part of the reason why 2024 second-round pick Ezechiel Tieide, who was called for holding twice last week, was released before this game.
Whether through personnel changes at the top or adjustments by coordinator Cory McDiarmid, these are issues that need to be fixed if the Lions want to reclaim contender status.
Opposite directions
The busts haven’t been as overt as his struggles against Winnipeg in Week 2, but I’m growing increasingly concerned about the reliability of veteran cornerback Garry Peters. The 33-year-old lost his status as the CFL’s premier coverage player last year and now seems increasingly unfit for his lockdown label, giving up one or two big gains per game.
In Montreal, he would have been the victim of a touchdown pass on a skinny post from Charleston Rambo if the receiver hadn’t dropped the ball of his own volition. In the second half, he was the one who got caught stumbling on a comeback from Cole Spieker, which let the Alouettes off the hook after a perfect punt from Carl Meyer pinned them at their own two. Even when it comes to run defence and tackling underneath, his presence has been less noticeable than ever.
The member of the secondary who has been consistently noticeable is Robert Carter Jr., the team’s early front-runner for Most Outstanding Rookie. Despite a couple of penalties in this game, he flashed with dynamic pass breakups and great tackles. He looks like one hell of a find by the Lions’ scouting staff.
High-quality lumber
American linebacker Josh Woods made his return to the field in Montreal after suffering a torn ACL almost a year ago exactly. Though he was listed as a backup, the UCLA product played a significant number of snaps in place of both Ben Hladik and Micah Awe.
After some dominant performances in the 2023 playoffs, Woods was my pick to be the league’s breakout player last season. That never manifested because of the injury and he wasn’t overly noticeable in his return either, with his most memorable moment coming on a missed tackle of Travis Theis that resulted in a first down. That isn’t any cause for concern, players often take a minute to find their footing after major rehab, but the Lions do have a lot riding on him finding his form.
While this was a slightly better defensive performance than the one that preceded it, Sean Thomas-Erlington still averaged 6.9 yards per carry against B.C. Defending the run isn’t getting any easier with an increasingly banged-up defensive line, and the team has long had serious concerns about whether Hladik is physical enough between the tackles, long wanting to reduce his playtime. Awe is plenty physical when he wants to be, but I have my own reservations about whether his CFL lead in defensive tackles is actually quality or just quantity.
If he plays at that 2023 peak, Woods is the player who can bridge the gap between the two flawed starters and solidify a weakened front seven.
Changing of the guard
While the returns of Rourke and Woods took the spotlight, Saturday marked a debut just as important as either of those roster changes.
With Tyler Packer out with a head injury, 2024 first-round pick Anu Una made his first career start at right guard — the job that was supposed to be his before a sprained ankle suffered on the first drive of the preseason. On his shoulders rested the hopes of a franchise that, for all their success in other areas, has struggled to acquire and develop top-tier Canadian offensive linemen through the draft.
It’s impossible to truly assess Una’s performance without the benefit of the coaches’ film, but I felt it was a mixed bag. He was called for one hold but did an admirable job in pass protection against an elite defensive front, contributing to what might have been the best game from B.C.’s offensive line in that regard this season. Still, I thought he got jammed up and out-physicalled on a couple of running plays, though his fluidity as a blocker in space still looks second to none.
Let’s make the expectations clear: I don’t think fans should be counting on Una to establish himself as an elite guard by season’s end. Young offensive linemen struggle more than rookies at any other position besides quarterback and some of the best don’t peak until they turn 30. But by allowing an elite prospect the opportunity to play through his development, the Lions are putting the University of Windsor product in the best position possible to become the player they hoped for in a year or two.
Red card
As they are liable to do, the Lions gave up a costly return late, as James Letcher Jr. ran 29 yards to help set up the go-ahead field goal. Limiting the damage was long snapper Kyle Nelson, who played the savvy veteran with a slide tackle that would have drawn a red card in CONCACAF play.
Tripping is a penalty in our brand of football but it’s tough to call, and Nelson got away with one because he was engaged with a blocker. Selling the fact that you just got pancaked in order to hide your cheeky leg sweep isn’t hard when you are a 38-year-old specialist with all the benefit of the doubt.
Nelson had to make a play for his teammates because he very nearly cost them the game. Montreal was only able to jump in front because he low-balled a snap on an early point-after try, allowing Shawn Oakman enough time to block it. With that point, B.C. wouldn’t have had to go for an unsuccessful two after their next touchdown and would have been up a field goal late, instead of just leading by one.
Stuck in the chute
How’s this for a wild stat: of the 104 points that the Lions have scored through five games, just three have come in the first quarter.
There are a variety of factors contributing to these slow starts but the team needs to come out of the gate with more fire. With Rourke under centre, they are designed to play from the front and use an explosive offence as the best possible defence. That can’t happen if you are chasing early.
Better late than never
As a major critic of the Lions’ quarterback development strategy, I was thrilled to see the team bring back Syracuse product Garrett Shrader on the practice roster this week.
The 24-year-old was originally released after getting injured in rookie camp. While I understand that the plan was always to bring him back, I don’t think that should have prevented B.C. from exploring other options in the short term, particularly given the lack of trust they demonstrated in Chase Brice.
The Lions have been disturbingly content to sit on their laurels at this position dating back to 2022, in part because they had a young franchise pivot in Rourke at their disposal. However, situations change rapidly in pro football and not even the biggest talents can be taken for granted — especially when you are offering them up as a tribute on short yardage several times per game.
B.C. does have a whopping 13 quarterbacks on their negotiation list, which officially became public this week, but 11 of those are still in college and only Ben DiNucci is currently a free agent. I don’t expect anything dramatic to change on the depth chart this year, but the team should make revamping their insurance behind Rourke a priority in 2026.
Up next
Whether they deserve it or not, the Lions (2-3) have placed themselves right back in the thick of the West Division and will have a chance to make up more ground next week against an Edmonton Elks team that has been their plaything in recent years. Kickoff is slated for 4:00 p.m. PDT on Sunday, July 13 at Commonwealth Stadium.
