Photo courtesy: Paul Yates/B.C. Lions

The B.C. Lions accomplished everything they set out to do this week except for a victory, succumbing to a fourth-quarter comeback in an entertaining 37-33 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

Unforgivable sin

The Lions have played several games this season where the final score flattered them, and, on at least one occasion, stole a victory they deserved to lose. Sunday night was the flipside of that equation: a game in which one side of the ball played well enough to win, but the other squandered it late.

B.C. led 33-23 at the three-minute warning and had largely accomplished what they needed to. Nathan Rourke and James Butler moved the ball effectively all night, and the defence was winning the turnover battle. Then, on the first play after the clock rules changed, Brendan O’Leary-Orange beat Deontai Williams cleanly on the deep post, and Ronald Kent Jr. was caught too low to help, resulting in a 44-yard touchdown. It was not the worst of what was to come.

“We’re not good enough. That wasn’t good enough. We’re up by 10 with three minutes to go; can’t let that happen,” Micah Awe told me in the locker room. “We have JB over there running his heart out. You’ve got the offence doing what they need to do. In that situation of football, you can’t give up a touchdown.”

I’ll disagree with Awe on that point to an extent. You can give up a touchdown in that scenario — and even surrender the lead — but only if you do it quickly. Unfortunately, after Bo Levi Mitchell got the ball back with 2:07 remaining, the defence committed the unforgivable sin of allowing them to milk the clock while also surrendering the deciding score.

The Ticats managed 14 plays over the next minute and 51 seconds, effortlessly moving 96 yards to paydirt. Mike Benevides’ defence, which had already allowed a ton of yardage underneath to that point for reasons we’ll explore more in a moment, was even more passive than usual, and Hamilton’s receivers were largely uncontested. Everyone in the building knew the win was bleeding away a drip at a time, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.

I’m sure that many fans are understandably angry about the questionable incidental pass interference call against Ben Hladik, which moved the Ticats to the goal line. It was a bad call, but by the time the opponent had marched to the two-yard line, this game was already a fait accompli. The fact that Kiondre Smith was entirely uncovered on the ensuing touchdown pass only rubbed salt in the wound.

If there is any credit to be given to B.C. here, it is that, to a man, they remained united in their refusal to disclose who was responsible for that fatal mental error.

“I wouldn’t put the blame on just one person,” Robert Carter Jr. said. “I’ll definitely say it goes for all of us, whether it’s getting the call in, whether it’s getting the play, or just everybody doing their one alignment or assignment.”

Calling a defence in an end-of-game scenario is a monumental challenge, especially against an offence so potent and a quarterback who’s seen it all. If the Lions had allowed an explosive play for a touchdown and lost, I’m sure the baying hounds would have been at Benevides’ door just as quickly, and I believe he deserves some grace for that. But at least in that scenario, B.C.’s own star QB would have had a fighting chance to respond.

Sitting back on your heels requires a level of perfection that the Lions lack the personnel to deliver on, and mistakes from your opponents that the Ticats had no interest in making. In other words, you can’t win by not losing — somebody had to put something on the line to make a play.

Jump scare

Far more so than the phantom call on Hladik, the flag that killed the Lions in this game was one that was never thrown.

On the drive following the Ticats’ first fourth-quarter touchdown, Nathan Rourke threw an incompletion to James Butler in the flat on second-and-eight, forcing a punt and setting Hamilton up for their game-winning drive. At first glance, it looked like a simple errant pass, but it was only thrown because three defensive linemen had jumped on the previous hard count, and the QB felt he had a free play.

“I did (see them jump) and I just tried to get a quick outflank to JB. It sucks, because Justin (McInnis) was wide open,” Rourke said. “I thought I got them, and was just trying to get the ball out of my hands.”

The trio of pass rushers didn’t encroach by much, but I have a hard time believing that at least one of them didn’t meet the criteria for offside. The result was a wasted play, which proved critical in the loss.

The most disappointing aspect was that the ill-timed two-and-out undercut what was an otherwise strong bounceback performance from Rourke. Hamilton defended the RPO game extremely well and got some pressure on him, but the Canadian QB still went 20-of-27 passing for 289 yards and added another 34 on the ground. He was on-target and seeing the field clearly once again, notably delivering strikes up the seam to Keon Hatcher and Ayden Eberhardt on a pair of scoring drives.

Rourke led one last-minute scoring drive to end the first half, and if that flag had been thrown — or the Lions had gotten the ball back with more than nine seconds — I believe he would have had another. We’ll never know if I’m right.

Mission accomplished? 

The talk leading into Sunday’s game was largely focused on how the Lions would handle the CFL’s hottest player, Ticats’ receiver Kenny Lawler. With eight touchdowns and 644 yards through the first six games, the CFL’s highest-paid receiver had beaten several teams almost single-handedly, and B.C. was determined not to be next.

On that singular point, they succeeded in a way few have been able to, holding Lawler to just two catches for 29 yards. But, at the risk of getting political, the end result felt a little bit like a former U.S. president’s now-infamous aircraft carrier photo-op.

“We still lost the game at the end of the day, so shutting him out did what for us?” Carter Jr. asked rhetorically at the podium.

The Lions did a good job of being physical and disrupting Lawler’s timing when matched up one-on-one, but they almost always doubled him in some form or fashion. At times, it felt like the entire defence had their eyes on number 89, with little regard for what was happening elsewhere on the field.

With the remaining bodies needing to cover more space, the Lions tried to keep everything in front of them with soft zones. Kiondre Smith racked up 14 catches for 138 yards, and Tim White added six for 86 while eating up chunks underneath. Almost all were easy catches, and Bo Levi Mitchell was undisturbed because B.C. rarely blitzed for fear of letting Lawler beat them solo.

“We did a good job on Kenny, but they did a good job on being a team and beating us,” Awe acknowledged.

The defence had some bright moments, producing three turnovers. Robert Carter Jr. and Ronald Kent Jr. both had tremendous forced fumbles that flipped the game in B.C.’s favour, but the secondary otherwise got picked apart for the second time in as many games. Mitchell completed 82.9 percent of his passes, and Hamilton amassed 486 yards of net offence.

The dilemma of stopping Lawler versus containing the rest of the team isn’t going away. B.C. has a rematch with Hamilton in two weeks, and they might well see them in the playoffs as well, given the current crossover situation. Finding a solution could not be more vital.

“It’s a coaching battle,” Awe admitted. “We stopped this guy this week, do we give up a little and stop 85, who caught all these underneath routes. What do you do? They’re playing with house money right now.”

Stealing the belt

Among his many accolades and accomplishments, Kenny Lawler entered this game holding the title belt for Play of the Year, courtesy of an unbelievable touchdown grab made with an Ottawa defender draped all over him in Week 6. He left with the win but otherwise empty-handed, thanks to a physics-defying act of robbery by Robert Carter Jr.

Bo Levi Mitchell appeared to have Brendan O’Leary-Orange with a step on the defender in the end zone late in the first half, when the rookie cornerback closed the gap with a single superhuman bound. While airborne, he extended with his left hand and stabbed the football with more security and cleanliness than most of us can muster with a dinner fork. The result was perhaps the single greatest interception I have seen in my time watching the CFL.

This type of spectacular play is nothing new for Carter. He made a name for himself at Robert Morris University thanks to a similar one-handed grab in the end zone, finishing that one with a 360-degree spin. I would’ve argued this was a better play simply because he wasn’t flat-footed and waiting for it when the ball was thrown, but Carter disagreed.

“I would definitely say the Robert Morris one is still a lot better, specifically because I had a broken hand at that time,” he laughed.

Carter has been an excellent find by the Lions’ scouting staff and is the runaway favourite to be the team’s nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie. He had something of an off-week against Saskatchewan, getting beaten twice on double moves for big gains. Nobody will remember that when the season is over, but this play will live on highlight reels for years to come.

An ode to Mary Roberts Rinehart

It didn’t take long to assess just how much Lions’ running back James Butler wanted to stick it to a Hamilton team that jerked him around in 2024 before unceremoniously casting him out.

The veteran ball carrier was running with a fire in his belly, finishing with 16 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns. The offensive line had another excellent outing paving the way for him, but Butler displayed exceptional vision and made himself very difficult to take down no matter what the blocking looked like. It felt like Week 6 all over again.

However, the murderous butler never gets away cleanly in a detective story, and neither did this one. After producing his best run of the night with a brilliant cutback in the second quarter, Butler caught a dump-off on the next play and was stripped by rookie Canadian linebacker Devin Veresuk. It looked like he got hung up a hair too long while chipping Reggie Stubblefield, which appeared to throw off the whole play.

B.C. held Hamilton to a field goal despite the gifted field position, and Butler remained effective all night, but it felt like he lost some of the pep in his step after that mistake.

Shopping at Claire’s

If pressure makes diamonds, then Bo Levi Mitchell must feel like whatever jewellery preteen girls buy at the mall with their allowance. That is to say, his 389-yard outing came without much discomfort at all.

With the Lions electing not to blitz much in order to focus their attention on his top receiver, Mitchell was able to sit in the pocket and scan the field for ages. Even with the return of DeWayne Hendrix, B.C.’s front four got almost no heat on him. He was in his glory, able to step up in the pocket and make plays, as he did on a sneaky shovel-pass touchdown to Smith in the second quarter.

Most infuriating was the fact that when the Lions did get pressure, they failed to finish. The famously immobile Mitchell ran for 23 yards, several of them impactful. On one occasion, Mathieu Betts ran right by him in the red zone after treating Quinton Barrow like a turnstile. Mitchell was stopped short of the goal line, but it set up a Jake Dolegala touchdown plunge.

Those sorts of mistakes have defined Betts this season, as he still has just three sacks despite leading the league in pressures entering the week. His teammates aren’t rallying to the QB either, and this season is starting to feel a lot like last year, when the Lions never got home with four. That is a major concern.

Scorned lover

Hamilton returner Isaiah Wooden made his return to B.C. on Sunday after he was allowed to walk last year — a travesty I have discussed far too much in this column. The reunion wasn’t as painful as it could have been, but it certainly wasn’t enjoyable.

The Ticats started three drives near midfield thanks to substantial kickoff returns from Wooden and Jonathan Moxey, one of which came on a nifty reverse. The speedster from Southern Utah nearly took one of his punt returns around the edge for a major gain, only to be tackled by the last man in punter Carl Meyer. If the South African wasn’t a converted rugby player, the result might have been far more devastating.

Seven McGee did have one 31-yard kickoff return that set B.C. up nicely, but was otherwise unremarkable. The return game continues to be one of this team’s biggest weaknesses.

Put out a BOLO

They say the first 48 hours after someone goes missing are the most critical for them to return alive. I fear we have long passed that threshold with Justin McInnis.

Last season’s breakout Canadian star had just two catches for 23 yards in this game after catching two passes combined in the last two games. I appreciate the Lions’ argument that opponents are trying to take him away, but that just can’t happen. You have to scheme him the ball somehow.

McInnis disappeared for a time last year as well, so hopefully he can find a way out of this slump. Consider me skeptical that he will ultimately prove worth the contract the Lions paid him this offseason.

Subtraction by addition

Both the Lions and the Ticats employed a lot of six-lineman sets in this game, but the visitors got a lot more out of their extra blocker than B.C. did.

I was a huge advocate for the Lions getting 2024 first-round pick Anu Una on the field for the experience, but I didn’t have an issue with his benching this week, given how poorly he played during his stint at right guard. Those issues translated to his reps as the tight end in this game, and it seemed like he was constantly on the back foot, trying to catch defenders instead of imposing his will.

B.C. still had some success when he was on the field because another defender was covered up, but he rarely did more than that and whiffed on a few blocks. Linemen take a while to develop properly, but I must admit I am concerned by how different Una looks right now compared to the prospect I fell in love with coming out of Windsor.

On the flipside, I thought Ilm Manning played very well in his first start, save for one second-down run play where he got knocked back by Casey Sayles. He’s earned the right to keep playing at right guard, while Una might be teetering dangerously close to being sat down.

Credit where credit is due

If there is one positive takeaway that can come from this game, it is that the Lions finally started fast. Going up 14-3 in the first quarter was huge, and it doubled their season total of touchdowns in the opening frame to this point.

Coming out of the gate firing and stopping Lawler were the two goals this week. It is rare in pro football to achieve exactly what you set out to and still lose.

Halfway there

A first CFL start is a milestone in anyone’s career, but it must have been especially sweet for Travian Blaylock. The rookie halfback only started two games during his entire college career at Wisconsin, in part because he missed the entire 2022 season with injury.

Among the handful of positive plays made by the secondary in this game was an early pass breakup by Blaylock, who came out of nowhere to knock the ball away from Jevoni Robinson on a checkdown and forced a field goal. Not bad for a guy who was initially cut in training camp.

Rise of the Decepticons

Stanley Berryhill III had a solid game in the receiving corps this week, finishing with four catches for 43 yards. That statline is much more impressive when you consider the fact that he was limited in practice after being run off the road by a car while on his scooter. He suffered road rash on his hands — an injury that looks even more gruesome in person than you are probably imagining.

“On a scale of one to 10, I’d say it’s around eight catching the ball. But once the game gets going, you kind of forget about it,” he told me of his pain level while struggling to take his equipment off without bending his hands.

“I’ll never ride a scooter again. I learned my lesson. I’ll be getting my car out here in like two weeks.”

This was a bizarre incident in its own right. It is even weirder considering he is the second CFL player to suffer a scooter-related injury in the past few weeks, with Toronto offensive lineman Ryan Hunter being struck by a car and placed on the six-game injured list. Saskatchewan offensive lineman Zack Fry was also hurt in a motor vehicle accident this week, though that was not scooter-related.

Somebody might want to give Optimus Prime a call, because something very strange is going on.

Good bye (and good luck)

Mercifully, the Lions head into their first bye this week. This team has underdelivered in a number of key areas and will need to do some serious soul-searching.

“We’ve just got to understand the reality of where we are and have the ability to look at yourselves and ask yourself, ‘What more can I do?’” head coach Buck Pierce said. “Because we’ve got to be able to finish football games. We’ve got to be able to get ourselves to a point where we’re more consistent and find a way to close games out.”

Changes need to be made, both schematically and in terms of personnel, but the vocal minority of fans that are already calling for heads to roll need to cool their jets. Frustration and even anger are merited after the past few games. I understand that this feels like last season done over, but a first-year bench boss needs time to craft his team. This was never going to be a one-year turnaround, and an uncomfortable amount of patience will probably be required.

Here’s hoping that B.C. can calm the critics with signs of positive growth when they visit Hamilton for the rematch on Thursday, August 7.