The morning air is getting pleasantly crisp and the leaves continue to fall. Those are the sure signs that the real season is almost here. The 9-7 BC Lions look to move one step closer to starting their playoff indoors, free and clear of the autumn air, when they duke it out with the 7-9 Edmonton Elks this Friday night in downtown Vancouver.
A fifth straight win for the surging Lions also delivers a final knockout punch to the Elks’ own playoff aspirations. We present 5 Things To Know about this week’s battle.
Week 20: Friday, October 17: BC Lions vs. Edmonton Elks.
Kickoff: 7:30 pm PT, Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place.
TV: TSN.
Stream: CFL+ (U.S. and International).
Radio: 730 CKNW/Sher-E Punjab Radio Am 600/Sirius XM Canada Talks 167.
1. The Chase For 2nd Place
While they officially nailed down their spot in the Grey Cup playoffs before last week’s bye with a second win over the Stampeders, there remains a big dangling carrot for these resurgent Lions. With wins over Edmonton this week and at Saskatchewan next Saturday, they would lock up second in the West and homefield advantage for the November 1 Division Semi-Final.
There is also a small path to clinching second this week. The Lions would do that with a win and losses by Winnipeg and Calgary. The Bombers host Saskatchewan earlier on Friday and the Stampeders welcome Toronto on Saturday. Thankfully, they are in a position not to have to scoreboard watch. Buck Pierce is no doubt preaching the old “one game at a time” mantra. Winning this week also guarantees the Lions will secure a top-three position in the West and not crossover to the Eastern Division.
2. The Closer Could Loom Large
Perhaps Major League Baseball’s postseason should be in full swing. That’s because the Lions have had a solid option of sorts in their’ bullpen’. Running back Zander Horvath has been utilized well in a backup role to James Butler. Consider their latest victory when the former Los Angeles Charger rumbled for a 33-yard score to deliver a final nail in Calgary’s coffin. One week earlier, he helped salt away a win over Toronto with 32 yards on five touches on the final series before Nathan Rourke kneeled it down as the final seconds ticked away.
As the offence aims to provide more and more balance each week, Butler and Horvath, when used effectively, can cause fits for any opposing defence. Count on another late call to the bullpen if this one is close.
3. A Boost For The Trenches
Both the running and passing game get a nice shot in the arm with the return of right tackle Dejon Allen and his bookend sidekick Jarell Broxton. Allen, the 2023 Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman and the club’s prized offseason pickup from Toronto, has recovered from a tricep injury suffered way back in week three. Broxton has missed two of the last three games due to various ailments and used the bye week effectively to recover.
It sounds cliché, but given the time of year and the Western path to the Grey Cup eventually winding up outdoors, having all hands on deck in the trenches will be huge. The test ahead of them is containing the Edmonton pass rush and giving Nathan Rourke more time to operate. Chris Schleuger and Brandon Yates come off the roster to make room. It should be noted that, despite all the injuries and various lineup combinations, this offensive line has performed well up to standard. Schleuger stepping in at right tackle has been a big part of that.
4. Facing Fajardo
The Elks made the quarterback switch to Cody Fajardo one week after the last meeting with BC, a stifling 31-14 win for the Lions at Commonwealth Stadium in week six on July 13. Since taking over for Tre Ford, Fajardo has led Edmonton to a 6-5 record and is a huge reason they remain in a fight for a playoff spot with two games to play.
The Lions defence will want to incorporate much of the same recipe that has led to their recent turnaround: by bringing pressure and forcing the veteran to scramble in the pocket. Fajardo has been effective at spreading it around with Kaion Julien-Grant, Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Justin Rankin and Steven Dunbar Jr. all eclipsing 500 receiving yards this season. The chess match in the secondary will also be a fun game to monitor. Running back Justin Rankin is closing in on 1,000 yards and brings another element to their offence. The Lions held Rankin in check in their last meeting, limiting the speedy back to just four yards on three carries.
5. What They’re Saying
“Tough, physical, playing with a lot of confidence and they’re playing as a team. They’re playing three-phase football. You look at their game the other night, takeaways on defence, a touchdown on special teams, very physical at the line of scrimmage, offensively, they’re not turning the ball over. (Justin) Rankin is extremely explosive. They’re putting everything together that you want teams to be. We’re definitely going to get their best.”- Buck Pierce on the improved Elks team.
“Yeah, the fans know what it is. It’s that October, November football that everybody’s been priming for. We want to put our best effort out on the field and have the fans there to support us.”- T.J. Lee III on the stakes this Friday and race for a home Western Semi-Final.
The MOJ | Keys To Beating A Resurgent Elks Squad
Extra Points
Nathan 5K watch: Rourke enters this game needing 416 yards to hit 5,000 for the first time in his young career. The last Lion pivot to throw for over 5,000 in a season was Jonathan Jennings, back in 2016.
Rourke also enters this one with a lifetime record of 5-0 against the Elks. In those wins, he has amassed a brilliant 14:3 touchdown to interception ratio, 81.9% completion percentage and, oh yeah, a rather solid passer efficiency rating of 135.8.
The legend of Mathieu Betts continues: the edge rusher needs four more sacks over two games to tie his own single-season Canadian record of 18, set in the 2023 season. Betts has recorded ten of his 14 sacks in the last four games alone.
Finishing drives: the Lions enter this week with a CFL-best 66.7 per cent success rate in the red zone: 40 touchdowns on 67 trips.
The Lions have won four straight games at home, with their last defeat coming in late July against the Hamilton-Tiger Cats. Another victory gives them a final regular-season record of 6-3 at Save-On-Foods Field.