As Week 18 unfolds in the CFL, the matchup between the Calgary Stampeders and the BC Lions promises to be pivotal for the West Division standings. The game is set for Saturday night at Save-on-Foods Field in Vancouver. Both teams have significant stakes, with the Stampeders entering with a record of 8-6 following last week\u2019s 38-20 defeat to Montreal. Meanwhile, the Lions improved to 8-7 with a Week 17 victory over Toronto.\n<\/p>\n
Calgary Stampeders\u2019 Strategies for Victory<\/p>\n
Impact of Lorenzo Mauldin IV: The Stampeders acquired defensive lineman Lorenzo Mauldin IV from the Ottawa REDBLACKS. He has recorded 26 defensive tackles and two sacks this season. Calgary\u2019s rush defense has struggled, allowing an average of 112.6 yards per game. They will face CFL\u2019s leading rusher, James Butler.
\nPerformance from Vernon Adams Jr.: Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. needs to elevate his game. Over the past three matches, he has averaged 197.3 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. In their last encounter, he managed only 125 yards.
\nFocus on Keon Hatcher Sr.: Containing receiver Keon Hatcher Sr. is vital. In their previous meeting, Hatcher caught eight passes for 147 yards. The secondary, including Jaydon Grant, Adrian Greene, and Damon Webb, must prevent a repeat of this performance.<\/p>\n
BC Lions\u2019 Keys to Success<\/p>\n
Challenge for Dedrick Mills: The Lions must limit Dedrick Mills, who rushed for a combined 142 yards in their earlier matchup. Linebackers Micah Awe, Ben Hladik, and Josh Woods are essential in stopping Mills.
\nUtilizing James Butler: With Butler boasting 1,061 rushing yards, the Lions can rely on him to counter Calgary\u2019s rushing attacks. The Stampeders will have less preparation time since Butler missed their last meeting due to injury.
\nAvoiding Turnovers: Quarterback Nathan Rourke has had a standout season but threw three interceptions last week. He needs to be cautious, especially against Greene, who leads Calgary with four interceptions.<\/p>\n
Match Implications<\/p>\n
This game is crucial, as the winner will gain sole possession of second place in the West Division while Winnipeg sits out this week. The Stampeders have a strong 6-2 record against divisional rivals this season, compared to the Lions\u2019 3-4 mark.\n<\/p>\n
Fans can catch the game live on TSN in Canada and on CFL+ for U.S. and international viewers. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Week 18 unfolds in the CFL, the matchup between the Calgary Stampeders and the BC Lions promises…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":190308,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[1203,95105,49,2798,48,521,522,520,92180,693,82,95106,18565,2813],"class_list":["post-190307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-and","tag-bcs","tag-ca","tag-calgary","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-essential","tag-for","tag-sports","tag-strategies","tag-victory","tag-week"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190307\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}