The stakes are high for both teams on Saturday night as the Calgary Stampeders host the West Division rival BC Lions.
The Lions (10-6), winners of four straight, clinched a playoff spot with last weekend’s 41-20 home victory against Ottawa. They can lock up a home playoff game with a win at Calgary.
This is the regular-season finale for the Stampeders (8-9), who had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 33-28 setback at Winnipeg last weekend.
With that loss, Calgary no longer controls its playoff fate. If the Stampeders win and Saskatchewan loses to Montreal on Saturday, they’re in. If they lose, they could still get in if Saskatchewan loses its last two games. In the event of a three-way tie at 9-9 between Calgary, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg, the Stamps would finish last in the head-to-head tiebreaker and miss the playoffs.
This is the rubber match in the season series. The Stampeders beat the Lions 41-33 on June 27 behind three touchdown passes by Vernon Adams Jr., while BC won the rematch in Calgary 30-26 on Aug. 13 on Nathan Rourke’s late touchdown pass to Keon Hatcher.
“It’s one of those things where we may not be able to control everything we have to control, but what we can control is our effort and how we execute out there on Saturday against BC,” Stampeders wide receiver Jalen Philpot told CTV News.
“They’re a great team, and they’re coming in hot, but just how we like it. We know the playoffs are going to be a challenge if we can get in, so why not start early?”
The Stampeders have the CFL’s No. 2 scoring offense with 35.3 points per game. They are led by Adams (4,209 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and five interceptions) and Philpot (86 catches for 1,181 yards and eight TDs).
Led by their defense, the Lions are 9-1 since their 1-5 start. BC has allowed the fewest yards (342.7 per game) and the second-fewest points (26.1 per game) in the league this season.
“Sometimes good things take time to kind of develop,” BC defensive lineman Casey Sayles said. “But we knew the team that we were and that we have. And it’s been great to have the journey.”
–Field Level Media
