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<\/p>\nVANCOUVER- It was the type of gritty effort that is sometimes required for a team with playoff and championship aspirations. Any way you slice it, the 8-7 BC Lions have their first three-game win streak of the season after grinding out a 27-22 victory over the 5-10 Toronto Argonauts in front of 21,205 fans at Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place.<\/p>\n
The result creates a bigger logjam in the middle of this West Division, as the Calgary Stampeders fell to 8-6 with a loss in Montreal earlier on Friday, setting up a massive showdown with the Leos next week. The 7-7 Winnipeg Blue Bombers play host to Hamilton on Saturday. Now for some Game Takes.<\/p>\n
Bend, Don\u2019t Break<\/p>\n
The improved defensive effort was a far cry from the one that had allowed 52 points to be scored against them by the same Argonauts squad four weeks prior. Perhaps still feeling the effects of a calf injury suffered earlier this month, Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle couldn\u2019t get into a rhythm for much of the night.<\/p>\n
The Lion defence held them to five field goals until a touchdown strike to Makai Polk pulled them to within five with 5:50 to play. That\u2019s as close as the visitors would come. The final dagger was a sack and forced fumble by Mathieu Betts that was scooped up by Josh Woods.<\/p>\n
Nathan Rourke executed a huge quarterback sneak on 3rd down to lower the curtains. Not an oil painting, but a win nonetheless. Rourke finished 16\/24 for 284 yards, two touchdown runs and a first-half touchdown strike to Justin McInnis and overcame three interceptions in the opening 30 minutes. He also reached two more key milestones in this win; details can be seen later on in the Key Numbers section.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot pretty, but sometimes good teams find a way. We\u2019re showing right now that we\u2019re playing good football as a team,\u201d said the winning quarterback.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re struggling in one area, other parts can pick you up. Our defence did that tonight. Hats off to them, especially against a team that a couple of weeks ago put 50 on them; that\u2019s a great response. A heck of a response.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was none other than rookie safety Jackson Findlay, making his first career start in place of the injured Cristophe Beaulieu, who set the tone with an early interception when the Argos were driving. It was the type of play that served as a reminder of why Lions brass was thrilled with the chance to move up and draft the Western product in round two in May.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI\u2019ve had a few of those in my career, but when that ball\u2019s coming in slow motion, I probably could have stayed on my feet when I caught it, but it was a pretty cool moment. I went down with it, and my teammates surrounded me,\u201d said Findlay on his big play.<\/p>\n
The stadium went kind of quiet for a second and I thought maybe something had happened, but no. A pretty cool moment for sure. My family was here watching and I had some friends here watching as well. Cool moment for all of them. It was just one of those games where something happened on offence and we were able to rebound on defence. That was one of those moments. One of many moments where we were able to do that as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The play came as no surprise to any of those teammates.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was awesome. He\u2019s been a little pest for me at practice, \u201cadded Rourke.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe picked me off one too many times. So, he\u2019s doing a really good job and he\u2019s learning a lot. You can tell, like the way that he\u2019s picking things up is good. I mean, it\u2019s a big loss. When CriBo goes down, you never like to see that. It\u2019s always good when someone else can step up for you and make some plays like he did. That\u2019s a big one; we\u2019ll be needing some plays from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
And they will rely on each phase picking each other up from here on in. The three-game streak comes at an opportune time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like that. We\u2019re just going to get back to work. That\u2019s what I like,\u201d said Buck Pierce.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talk about it every week, how do you win this next game, this next week? And really just dive into the work that\u2019s ahead of us and enjoy the process of being together and putting a game plan together and trying to go out there next week. I think that\u2019s really what we\u2019re looking at. You can\u2019t look too far ahead, and we\u2019re definitely not looking too far behind. We\u2019re just trying to stay where we are and focus on things we have to get better at and understand where we have to get to. And that\u2019s the exciting part.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Key Numbers<\/p>\n
4- sacks by the Lions defence, three alone from Mathieu Betts, increasing his league-leading total to 13.<\/p>\n
28\u2013 Toronto manages just 28 yards on the ground. The Lion defensive front is vastly improved with Betts\u2019 re-established dominance and the additions of Bradlee Anae and Levi Bell.<\/p>\n
27:58\u2013 The Lions didn\u2019t control time of possession, yet still came out on top. A sign of a defence that was able to close it out.<\/p>\n
10,054- Passing yards on the season for Rourke. He moved ahead of Gerry Dattilio for the second-highest career total by a Canadian. Dattilio\u2019s total was 9,952. Hall of Famer Russ Jackson stands at the top with 24,593<\/p>\n
Next Up<\/p>\n
The Calgary Stampeders come to town for our third annual Gravy Bowl, which comes with huge implications in the West Division. The Lions can move ahead of Calgary in the standings, potentially an opportunity for second place, depending on how the Bombers fare in the next couple of weeks.<\/p>\n