B.C. Lions bask in defensive redemption, exact sweet revenge on Saskatchewan (& 10 other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Steven Chang/B.C. Lions

The B.C. Lions were looking to re-establish themselves as legitimate Grey Cup contenders on Sunday night in Vancouver, with a chance at redemption against the defending champions. They did so with relative ease, dismantling the Saskatchewan Roughriders 30-16 to secure their fourth straight victory and move into third in the West Division.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

Taking back what was lost

Transport yourself back in time to June 13. The B.C. Lions, imbued by many with Grey Cup expectations, arrived in Regina for their season-opener. The utter defensive evisceration that ensued would set the narrative around the franchise for the weeks and months that followed.

When you lose your dignity so publicly, it is almost impossible to restore it. Even as the Lions have found their footing and transformed into one of the best defensive units in the league, the negative comments and responses to these weekly articles have continued to fixate overwhelmingly on defensive coordinator Mike Benevides and his players.

That should end now. Whatever was lost in the shadow of that Grey Cup banner raising at Mosaic Stadium has been officially restored. Dreams slain as the Lions exited the starting gates have been avenged and replaced with new hope. And yet again, it was the defence that deserved the greatest credit for the victory.

It’s not as if Saskatchewan didn’t manage to move the ball at times. Trevor Harris threw for 356 yards, only 61 yards less than his Week 2 masterclass, but nothing came easy for the future Hall of Famer this time around. B.C.’s league-leading run defence forced the Riders to be one-dimensional, and when their prowess against the pass was threatened, they came up with timely sacks and turnovers.

T.J. Lee was the first to take the ball away, intercepting a badly underthrown shot at the end zone in the second quarter. The assist went to outstanding rookie linebacker Parker McKenna, who caused Harris to short-arm the throw as he came in on the blitz.

Minutes later, the Riders had another chance to score before the half as Johnny Johnson III came open for a huge 36-yard gain in the dying seconds. Deontai Williams, known as a purveyor of big hits, legal or otherwise, opted to go for the ball and not the body. His perfect pick-pocket technique erased all potential momentum.

When Saskatchewan showed promise on a drive in the third quarter, it was Stantley Thomas-Oliver who drove on a poor route from Dylan Djete to pick off Harris in the red zone. The Riders got into that area of the field twice on Saturday, but failed to find the end zone on either occasion.

The only time that it appeared as if the Lions’ defence might finally break was early in the fourth quarter. Buoyed by a pick on the other end, Harris rapidly led his team down the field and found Dhel Duncan-Busby wide open for a 32-yard major. It was an outright coverage bust, as Thomas-Oliver drove into the flat to take care of KeeSean Johnson, even though McKenna was already there. Lee tried to close the gap, but couldn’t.

That’s a story I’ve written before in the Benevides era: passive defensive play-calling and mental mistakes late in games costing the team a victory. Clearly, he isn’t a fan of Hollywood sequels, as that would not be the case this time. The Lions got more aggressive in their approach, and the pass rush continually badgered Harris down the stretch. The last of four turnovers came with Saskatchewan once again in the red zone and needing two scores, as Darnell Sankey obliterated Samuel Emilus for the turnover on downs.

If you aren’t getting the message yet, let me be more explicit. Of the three phases on this football team, the defence is playing the best right now, and it isn’t particularly close. They are no longer a liability, but rather a strength, and the dramatic improvement in their second outing against the Riders should definitively prove that.

Can’t contain Cottoy

When you have to publicly express your opinion as much as I do in this job, you are going to say some profoundly stupid things. As a personal favour, I ask that you refrain from in-depth research into this point, but I assure you the freezing cold takes are out there.

Not the least egregious of these errors has been when I have, on occasion, questioned whether Jevon Cottoy is worth the hefty sum that the Lions have paid him over the years. It may be true that the ebbs and flows of his production have sometimes fallen out of sync with his salary, but contrite self-reflection reveals that to be utter stat-watching hogwash. He proved that yet again this week.

The former Langley Ram caught all six passes thrown his way for 110 yards and a touchdown, each reception feeling more impactful than the last. He broke tackles. He routed guys up. He plucked low-balls off the turf. He was basically an automatic chain mover, and did it all in front of his mother, who made the trip to watch him in Vancouver for the first time in his career.

In fairness, I have always understood that the big-bodied Canadian’s frame and physicality have made him an incomparable schematic asset, and his peaks have been as impressive as any ratio-breaker out there. Perhaps I should have been more consistently critical of past Lions play-callers for underutilizing him. The 29-year-old has never had a 100-yard receiving game before this season; he has now produced two in three games since returning from injury.

The ballooning receiver market across the CFL, particularly amongst Canadian playmakers, has actually dropped Cottoy’s current deal out of the upper echelon of earners at the position. B.C. general manager Ryan Rigmaiden has placed a premium on acquiring young homegrown prospects like Nate Demontagnac and Nick Cenacle specifically because he knows that he may not be able to afford to keep up with rising costs when Cottoy and Justin McInnis next hit the market. Controversially, if it came down to a choice between those two players, I’d now lean toward the versatile bruiser instead of the former CFL receiving yardage leader — I don’t know how you replace someone that unique.

Hit me anytime

It’s not very often that you are grateful to get punched in the mouth, but Levi Bell was probably thanking his lucky stars that he was seeing stars late in the second quarter.

The second-year defensive end was the fortunate recipient of a double uppercut from Saskatchewan right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick, which resulted in an illegal hands-to-the-face penalty. It couldn’t have possibly come at a better moment for the Lions, as Quali Conley had swung out of the backfield on the opposite side of the formation and nobody picked him up in coverage. The rookie running back turned upfield for an untouched 49-yard touchdown that would have flipped the game on its head. Instead, it was erased by an infraction that, while clear and obvious, didn’t have any meaningful effect on the result of the play.

It wouldn’t be the last time that the Riders kindly covered the Lions’ exposed buttocks by way of a bad penalty. Early in the third quarter, Stanley Berryhill muffed a punt deep in B.C. territory and failed to corral the loose ball. Nick Wiebe scooped it up for what could have been another momentum-switching major, entirely self-inflicted by the home team. Yet, that touchdown was also erased due to a no-yards call against Melique Straker. Despite falling over backwards, he was clearly within the halo, as was Jaxon Ford.

Saskatchewan also had a Jonathan Edouard interception erased by penalty, but it was clear that Rourke only took the shot downfield because he saw Caleb Sanders jump offside. No harm, yes foul.

Given that the Lions only won by 14 points, having two surrendered touchdowns voided was fairly significant and adds an almost uncanny valley element to the victory. There are a couple of ways to view that dynamic, neither of which involves a scathing indictment of CFL officiating or a vast league-led conspiracy — sorry, Rider fans. The simplest lens is that sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. The more nuanced view is that when you play clean football overall, you can overcome rare mistakes and more bounces will go your way. That was the case with B.C., who made few other errors and committed just two penalties themselves.

Pity the perfectionist

Spanking Saskatchewan is always an accomplishment worth celebrating if you wear black and orange, but Nathan Rourke wasn’t exactly euphoric after his performance on Sunday. In fact, he was downright sombre, expressing profound disappointment in his personal level of play.

You can anticipate a full article on Rourke’s comments tomorrow, but suffice it to say they were surprisingly self-deprecating for a player who had just completed 22-of-28 passes for 355 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Obviously, box scores can obfuscate the truth, and the reigning Most Outstanding Player is a consummate perfectionist, but his assessment felt a little harsh.

That’s not to say that Rourke didn’t make mistakes. He probably should have been picked off by former teammate Josh Woods early in the game, and nearly gave the ball away to James Vaughters in the third quarter as well. His lone interception was certainly underthrown with Jermaine Jackson behind the defence.

Maybe I’m in the minority, but I actually like the decision to take a shot at that moment. Yes, the Lions were up three scores already and didn’t need to take risks, but Jaxon Ford had been a liability for the Riders throughout the game, and another touchdown would have crushed their windpipe. Just a little more juice on the ball, and that play gets talked about as the silencer.

Notably, any perception that Rourke was intentionally more conservative after the interception, particularly when it came to eating sacks, was pooh-poohed by the QB, who wasn’t happy about those outcomes either.

Focusing on those errors, however, ignores some of the incredible plays he did make throughout the night. Juking Jameer Thurman out of his jockstrap on a 19-yard run — brilliant. Looking Ford off to spring Cottoy for an open touchdown — textbook. Breaking contain to find Horvath downfield for 34 yards — sensational. A scrambling sidearm release to Keon Hatcher in the end zone while rolling to his weak side — incredible.

To his credit, Rourke remains grounded in every sense of the word. He never gets too high on his own supply of success, nor does he allow mistakes to snowball. Those are admirable qualities, and he is correct that the offence is leaving lots of meat on the bone. However, I worry that in the urgency to turn this season around, the 28-year-old has lost sight of one element that made his 2025 season so special: the emphasis on fun.

Rourke intentionally tried to unburden himself of expectations, enjoy the game, and not take himself so seriously last year. This year, I’ve seen more weight return to his shoulders, at least at the podium. Here’s hoping he can regain that carefree twinkle once the Lions are above .500.

Pass rushing with a pension

To be entirely honest, I was a little confused when the Lions signed Lorenzo Mauldin IV last month. Sure, there were some injuries up front that created an opening, but the 33-year-old was literally retired and looked past his best-before date in 2025.

Nothing from Mauldin’s first couple of appearances with B.C. convinced me any differently, but the former Most Outstanding Defensive Player turned back the clock this week with two impactful sacks in the fourth quarter. The first, which forced a chip-shot field goal, could mostly be attributed to coverage, as Harris was forced to hang onto the ball for an uncharacteristically long time, which led to Jermarcus Hardrick losing steam. The second was full value, however, as the veteran defensive end physically manhandled left tackle Payton Collins before tossing him aside like a dirty T-shirt that failed the sniff test.

While Casey Sayles was the only other player to record a sack, I thought the defensive line as a whole delivered on the difficult task of pressuring Harris. If Mauldin continues to be a legitimate contributor, this rotation looks even more scary than it already was.

Comfortable in the headlights

Regular readers of this column will remember that Stanley Berryhill played a portion of last season with severe road rash after he was struck by a car while riding his scooter. He was nearly the victim of another vehicular collision on Sunday night — no need to run the license plate; it was definitely a Ford that buzzed by.

The hard-hitting Canadian safety was regularly victimized by B.C., and Rourke looked to do so again with a honey-hole shot in the third quarter. The ball came out slightly late, and Ford was quicker to react than expected, which put Berryhill directly in the crosshairs of a massive collision. Instead, Ford tried to go for the ball, which resulted in substantial glancing contact rather than a seismic blow. Remarkably, the receiver hung on and kept his feet, continuing on for a 58-yard gain on what is arguably the play of the week.

I asked Berryhill post-game if Rourke owed him a steak for making that catch, but he felt like he should be the one buying dinner after his QB gave him a shot at redemption following his fumbled punt earlier. The 28-year-old also noted that the play gave him flashbacks to an incompletion last year where he was accused of short-arming it with contact incoming, and he wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.

Mid-sized sedan

Zander Horvath had a quiet night for the first time since his breakout, though he still contributed 76 yards from scrimmage, a touchdown, and a stunning hurdle. The big Mack truck wasn’t fed enough touches for my liking, particularly given how long the Lions held the lead. 11 isn’t enough.

Some of that was due to the continued presence of James Butler, who posted three carries for 14 yards and caught three passes for 23 yards. I’ve expressed my reservations about this tandem setup ad nauseum, and those concerns haven’t dissipated, but that doesn’t mean I’m anti-Butler. In fact, I’m generally a fan of his style of play, and his 13-yard run in the second quarter was a perfect example of why. He refused to go down easy and absolutely bulldozed Jaxon Ford (who may win a prize for being the most frequently mentioned opponent in the history of these recaps).

When you get run over, it really doesn’t matter if it was by a pickup or a mid-sized sedan; it is going to leave a mark.

Box office bounceback

The Lions experienced a massive rebound at the gate this week, as official attendance was reported at 30,083. Some have suggested that seemed high, but it’s worth noting that the upper bowl was opened without the lower bowl selling out, which spread the crowd thinner than typical with that number.

No segment on the attendance boost would be fair or accurate without mentioning the robust number of green jerseys in the crowd for this Watermelon Smash game. It is no secret that the Riders are the league’s top draw, and the fan diaspora once again delivered accordingly. I guess that’s what happens when people want to live anywhere except your city!

Don’t worry, Reginans, I’m only joking from my unaffordable Vancouver glass house. I even like Regina-style pizza — unlike the majority of the Lions, it would appear.

Mid-season delight

If four straight victories aren’t enough for you, Lions fans will receive a special treat on Monday. For the first time ever, the team is releasing a regular-season version of their popular behind-the-scenes documentary, Arrow Up.

I do not exaggerate when I say this is must-watch content for anyone who follows this team or the CFL in general. I was provided an advanced copy, and Nik Kowalski and his team have once again raised the bar for internal video production. The story of this year will be released in several parts, and you won’t want to miss a single moment.

Breaking the surface

With this win, the Lions have officially returned to .500 and recaptured a playoff spot. They are nipping at Saskatchewan’s heels in the standings, and may just be Edmonton’s greatest threat in the West Division. They’ve returned to prominence despite not yet playing up to their true potential.

The perfect opportunity to change that comes next week, when they’ll visit the winless Ottawa Redblacks. You can’t take any victory for granted in this league, so B.C. can’t afford to get caught napping, but this should be a moment to flex and build confidence before the stretch run. That’s particularly important given that a back-to-back against the league-leading Montreal Alouettes awaits on the other side.

Work out the kinks now, because there is no room for further mistakes in a West Division this tight.