BC Lions Game Day: It’s Life or Death Time for Slippery Leos

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Calgary Stampeders (6-6) at BC Lions (4-8)

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Friday; 7:30 pm Pacific Time. TV: TSN. Radio: AM730.

Line: Calgary -2. Climate: 8 C, roof closed.

FIVE THINGS TO SEE

WHAT DOES THIS GAME MEAN?

For BC, it is everything. For Calgary, it is an opportunity to get a KO on an opponent.

The Lions (4-8) must win their last two games, starting Friday against Calgary (6-6) and next week against Edmonton (2-9), then hope Winnipeg (11-1) can lower the Stamps by its regular -end of season.

“It hasn’t gone the way we wanted to lately, and we have a chance to win the tiebreaker against these guys and have it come down to the last week of the season,” Lions coach Rick Campbell said.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR?

Leos linebacker Jordan Williams has 81 defensive tackles this season, a new record for Canadian rookies set by current Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Michael O’Shea. Furthermore, Williams’ 6.75 tackles per game is the most by a rookie of all time, ranking ahead of Toronto’s Calvin Tiggle (18 games, 121 tackles, 6.72 tackles per game) and BC’s Barrin Simpson (18 / 115 / 6.39)

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BO LEVI VS. THE SECONDARY

Two weeks ago, Bo Levi Mitchell surpassed the 30,000-yard mark, becoming the eighteenth player to do so. He did it in 106 games, tying for fourth fastest of all time alongside… Michael Reilly. Mitchell was eliminated four times in the teams’ first meeting, a 15-9 loss, but he was solid, if unspectacular, in a 39-10 win at the Dome. He had 270 yards on 22 of 32 passes and a 16-yard touchdown, one of just 15 majors in 36 red-zone attempts by Lions opponents this year (41.7 percent). That’s first in the league.

WHO IS HOT, WHO IS NOT

In its last five games, BC is 0-5 and Calgary 4-1; Toronto is the only team to have won such a matchup in the past five seasons. The Argos started the 2019 season 0-6, but beat the Blue Bombers 5-1 28-27 for their first win. Then-Argos running back Chris Rainey had 229 yards back in the game.

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KICK THEM WHEN THEY’RE DOWN

Calgary’s Rene Parades leads the CFL in shots taken (40), attempts (44) and accuracy (90 percent). He has been perfect from under 40 yards (23/23) and in conversions (19/19). Meanwhile, the Lions have had three kickers, with Nick Vogel his current No. 1. He was 2/2 in the last game but missed two conversions.

KEY MATCH

The Lions have improved their pass protection from the lousy 2019 season, ranking fifth overall in sacks. But Reilly is still being planted on the grass or harassed by teams with strong defensive fronts. Mike Rose and Shawn Lemon lead Calgary with seven sacks apiece (the team’s 28 total is fourth overall) and the likely point of attack will be center Peter Godber, whom Lemon knows well from his two seasons in BC.

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NOTES: Only once since 1990 have the BC Lions missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons, with a 20-year streak in the postseason from 1997 to 2016. The last time before 1990, you must go back to 1976 for the last time. has happened … A loss on Friday would put the Seals below .500, something that hasn’t happened since 2007, when they lost five of six to end the year … The last two seasons, BC has only nine wins, its lowest level in two years total since 1968-69. While they are 8-5 against teams from the East, they are only 1-16 against divisional foes… Stamps are coming off a break and are 17-2 since 2008 in their first game back from a break. .

OUR TAKE: The Stamps feel good, having won four of their last five games and with strong control in third place in the West, and last in the playoffs. But Lions have something they don’t have: despair. And they’ve only lost seven times in a row three times since 1992. They have to win sometime, right?

STATISTICS PACKAGE:

BC Calgary

20.5 (seventh) points to 22.4 (fifth)

25.7 (7th) Points Allowed 19 (3rd)

278.2 (2nd) Passing yards (280.6)

64.3 (9th) Running yards 81.5 (8th)

323.8 (7th) Net Yard Attack 350.5 (3rd)

372.2 (8th) Net yards allowed 330.9 (6th)