Let the wait commence: Calgary Stampeders need help after beating B.C. (& five other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Kevin Udahl/CFL.ca

It is a rare moment in sports when a team faces potentially franchise-altering consequences in a game, while their opponent has nothing to play for.

Such was the case for the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday night at McMahon Stadium, where the B.C. Lions had already locked in their playoff fate and knew they couldn’t finish anywhere but second place in the West Division.

On the flip side, the Stampeders had to have this win in order to at least delay some potentially difficult conversations in the coming weeks.

Beating B.C. 32-13 in front of a crowd of just under 22,000 improved the Stampeders’ record to 9-9 on the season, putting them temporarily ahead of the Bombers in the standings. Winnipeg has one game left in their regular season, something Calgary will be keeping a close eye on as they sit through their final bye week.

For now, the Stampeders still have a slim hope of making the playoffs, but will be counting on these same Lions to help them by beating the Bombers next week.

Given the Lions had nothing to play for, I’ll skip the five plays of consequence this week and boil it down to one.

Hey look! A rabbit, and now another one! — 12:55 left in Q4

Football fandom can be built in the formative moments of a young fan’s life.

What I remember from the first game I ever went to was a friend mentioning I should keep an eye on Allen Pitts.

Pitts had what I later learned was a typically dominant night, but because of that, I found myself following along for the rest of that 1990 season. I am still following it to this day.

I feel like there were kids in attendance last night that will be telling the story of two rabbits on the field at school next week, and will chase that communal feeling in future opportunities.

The first rabbit made its way the length of the field, eventually crossing the goal line to incredible cheers after picking up a few first downs along the way.

Typically, when that happens, the terrified animal takes off in an effort to escape the stadium.

Instead, it sat there as a second rabbit made the trip, scoring his own touchdown on a single run, and having a bit of a standoff with the first rabbit.

Eventually they were shooed off the field by officials and play resumed, but the cheers and celebration in the moment may have matched the one in Ottawa the night before.

It was a palpable sense of relief and laughter that has been in short supply this season with the playoffs approaching.

Vernon caps it off

Should the Stampeders make the playoffs, Vernon Adams Jr. deserves some attention as the West nominee for Most Outstanding Player. He should regardless, but won’t if his team doesn’t make the dance.

With career highs in average passing yards per game and touchdowns, combined with a career low in interception percentage as a starter, Adams had the best quarterback efficiency rating of his career.

He also fell just 13 yards shy of a career-high in rushing yards with 381, but got the yards on 36 fewer attempts as he isn’t utilized in the short-yardage game here.

When asked if he thought this was his best season as a starter, Adams took a full beat before assessing his own work.

“Yes,” he said with some shock in his voice when told of his totals. “I’m still learning, and still growing, and I’m just blessed.”

Potential history-tying season

The Stampeders can join a rare group of teams if fate decides to keep them from the playoffs in the 2026 season.

Only once before in the crossover era has a team missed the playoffs with a 9-9 record. That was the 2018 Edmonton team, which lost out on a tiebreaker to the Lions.

Since adopting an 18-game schedule in 1986, it has happened three times, with two American teams reaching that mark and missing out: the 1994 Sacramento Gold Miners and the 1995 Memphis Mad Dogs.

Those teams could be thought of as the forerunners of the current crossover system, as both teams missed the playoffs with better records than many teams across the border. Sacramento missed out in a year when 4-14 Ottawa qualified in the East Division, and Memphis watched the 7-11 Bombers play instead of them in 1995. In 1996, the U.S. teams ceased to be, and the crossover was born.

If the Bombers beat B.C., the Stamps will join the very small club of winning teams that have missed the playoffs.

From foes to fans

Another awkward quirk of this season stems from the fact that the Stampeders’ fate in the last two weeks of the season is entirely B.C. related.

They needed to beat the Lions, and did, which was made easier by the Lions resting many of their starters in the second half.

On the flip side, they now need that same Lions team to play their best and beat the visiting Bombers next week in order to get into the playoffs, which could see them potentially play against B.C. if Saskatchewan loses in Week 21.

When asked if he’d be reaching out to former teammates in Lotusland to motivate them, Vernon Adams did admit he’d already spoken to some of them post-game.

“I said a little something out there to them (after the game ended), but whatever happens, happens. We can’t control it, so we will see.”

Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson also suggested a message for his counterpart, Lions head coach Buck Pierce.

“You don’t want to go into the playoffs on a two-game losing streak; I don’t, and now if we do get in, we won’t be,” Dickenson said after the win, admitting all eyes will be on the game next week.

Next up

An awkward wait.

The Stampeders enter their final bye week of the season in total limbo, able to finish in any of the three remaining spots in the West.

If the Bombers lose and the Riders win, the Stamps will finish in fourth and crossover to Toronto.

If the Bombers lose and the Riders lose, the Stamps will finish in third by virtue of their season-series tiebreaking win over the Riders a few weeks ago.

If the Bombers win, the Stamps are eliminated regardless of the Saskatchewan result because they would have the lowest winning percentage among the tied clubs, having lost two games to the Bombers earlier in the year.

As the current CFL rules are written, the three-way tie settles the tiebreak for all involved teams rather than promoting one and reverting to the top of the tiebreak rules, which would put Calgary ahead of Saskatchewan if the Riders were to lose next week.