The B.C. Lions will try to end a four-game losing streak when they visit the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday afternoon.
The Lions (4-6) are coming off a 45-0 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Saturday, the first time they have been shut out since Oct. 25, 1970.
The Lions have been outscored 114-19 in their past three games.
“I’ve been a part of some not very good football teams and this is not one of those teams,” Lions coach Rick Campbell said. “There are too many good people and talent, but we’re obviously playing like a bad football team right now. We’ve got time, but it’s running short, so we’ve got to find a way to fix this.”
“The way you come through it is pulling together and working hard and looking at yourself in the mirror,” Lions quarterback Michael Reilly said. “Upping your own game, and everybody doing that together is how it happens.”
Reilly was 15-of-31 passing for 131 yards with one interception against Winnipeg.
The Argonauts (6-4) fell to second in the East Division after their 37-16 away loss to the first-place Montreal Alouettes last Friday.
Argonauts quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson had 291 passing yards and four interceptions. Backup quarterback Antonio Pipkin scored two rushing touchdowns.
“I think everybody is pretty darn disappointed,” Argonauts coach Ryan Dinwiddie said. “And given what was at stake and (we) didn’t have (a good) type of performance, especially on offense, so that’s unfortunate.
“It’s not going to define our season. We have four more games. We have to find a way to get the ship going in the right direction.”
Toronto traded quarterback Nick Arbuckle to the Edmonton Elks for a draft pick and the rights to free-agent quarterback Chad Kelly on Tuesday, confirming Bethel-Thompson as the starter.
Arbuckle (2-2) was supposed to be the starter, but he was hampered by hamstring injuries. Bethel-Thompson (4-2) started Toronto’s first two regular-season games and the past four.
“It’s never easy to make these decisions,” Dinwiddie said. “I have a great relationship with Nick, I appreciate him as a man. McLeod just took the next step; we felt he was the starter.”
–Field Level Media
