5 Things To Know | Western Final | BC @ EDM
The BC Lions invade Edmonton for Saturday's Western Final. Photo: Dustin Bowidge, BC Lions.
The BC Lions are once again on the doorstep of a Grey Cup appearance. For the fourth time in five seasons, they've earned the right to suit up in the West Division Final. Standing in their way this time around: the upstart Edmonton Elks, who pretty much led the West wire to wire in the regular season.
After coming painfully close to getting over the hump in Saskatchewan last November, the Lions feel a sense of urgency. A handful of veterans who have felt that pain since 2022, starting with back-to-back losses in Winnipeg, know these opportunities won't come automatically every year. From top to bottom, they understand the task.
This particular matchup has no shortage of intriguing storylines. With more, we present our 5 Things To Know Grey Cup preview.
Western Final: BC Lions at Edmonton Elks Saturday, November 7. Kickoff: 4:30 pm PDT. TV: TSN, RDS. Stream: CFL+ (U.S. & International). Radio: 730 CKNW, Lions Audio Network, Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600. SiriusXM Canada Talks 167.
Big Play Offence Gets A Big Test
It took a couple of home run shots to turn the tide in last week's win over the Roughriders. Whether it was 69- and 70-yard touchdown bombs to Stanley Berryhill and Jevon Cottoy or a 40-yard rumble by Zander Horvath, they managed to flip momentum at key moments. In order to move on, Nathan Rourke and company will have to be more consistent from the get-go. They now face the CFL's number one defensive unit, as the Elks allowed a league-low 24.3 points per game and forced a league-best 53 turnovers. This is going to be a big battle, particularly up front. Malik Carney led the CFL with four forced fumbles, while his 11 sacks were one shy of the league lead. The onus will be on Rourke to evade the pressure and get the ball out quickly. As TSN's Davis Sanchez talks about below in our 1st and Now podcast, the Edmonton secondary can also cause fits.
Pounding The Rock
With the inevitable "dome team going outside in the elements" storyline surfacing this week- even though the forecast calls for a high of nine degrees Celsius and a low of minus one on game night- it serves as a reminder of how beneficial it will be to use the power run game. Horvath only managed eight more yards outside of his big one mentioned above, while the Lions finished with 94 total yards on the ground, averaging a very solid 7.2 per carry. Time of possession is a big area to watch this Saturday. Look for them to establish a ground game early and make second down more manageable, opening up the playbook for Rourke and Buck Pierce to cook up their plan.
Frustrating Fajardo
Plenty will be made about the Elks' ability to run the ball with Justin Rankin and ShunDerrick Powell. Austin Mack is always a game-breaker at receiver. But from a Lions perspective, it puts more emphasis on the importance of making veteran quarterback Cody Fajardo uncomfortable in the pocket. If you look back at the last matchup between these teams in early July, Mathieu Betts was a force all night, constantly putting pressure on the Elks' signal caller. Big-time players will make their presence felt in games like this. Speaking of which.....
The Lions' defence will be looking to make a statement in Saturday's Western Final. Photo: Dustin Bowidge, BC Lions.
Who Will Set The Tone?
It doesn't take a PHD to suggest these resilient Lions can't afford to once again fall behind by 14 early, this time against a well-rested opponent feeding off their home crowd. Someone in Pacific Frost colours is going to have to make a statement right away. Whether it comes in another bomb to Cottoy, a big hit by Darnell Sankey or a statement on special teams remains to be seen. But the Lions need to remind those watching that they are the experienced dogs here. That's the beauty of do-or-die football. These big plays get remembered.
What They're Saying
"We've been through it all this year; starting off 0-3, going to 1-5, finishing 10-8. Had a little bit of a run there in the middle. I feel like we've been through everything you could possibly go through in a season. Yeah man, we're just ready to go out there and play ball."- Keon Hatcher Sr. on being back in this game after a roller coaster year.
"I think every game is its own entity, right? We learned lessons in this last one and now some guys with some playoff experience are going into their second one. It gets more physical as it goes and the stakes get higher and higher. We just tend to focus on ourselves. We're excited to go out there and play."- Buck Pierce on the one week at a time mindset.
The Lions also met with the media in Edmonton on Friday afternoon. Watch on our YouTube channel.
Extra Points
These two rivals have met in the Western Final only five times: three years in a row from 1986-88 in Edmonton and in 2005 and 2011 at BC Place. The Lions were victorious in '88 and '11, with the most recent matchup leading to a Grey Cup championship. It's also the most recent playoff meeting with the Green and Gold. BC also won Western Semi-Finals in Edmonton in 1994 and 2000.
The Lions make two roster changes for Saturday: Stantley Thomas-Oliver returns to field corner in place of Garry Peters, who appeared to aggravate his knee injury in practice this week. 2026 first-round pick Nate Demontagnac (hamstring) is unable to suit up. His spot will be taken by veteran Hergy Mayala.
Notable roster news for Edmonton: linebacker Nick Anderson starts in the middle. He missed both matchups in the regular season due to injury.
Pierce has made history, becoming the first BC Lions head coach to lead the club to four playoff games in his first two seasons. As per club historian Steve Daniel, several others have had three in their first two years, including Dave Ritchie, Dave Skrien and Larry Donovan.
Daniel also pointed out that Rourke's 366-yard passing performance in the Western Semi-Final was the fourth-highest by a Lion quarterback in playoff history. He completed at least one pass to seven different receivers in the process. Rourke's seven career playoff passing TDs tie him for second on the franchise list with Joe Kapp and Roy Dewalt. Damon Allen stands alone with 14 in his Lions career.
Should the Lions get over the hump and advance to the Grey Cup, they will have to reverse a recent trend. Home teams have won 10 of the past 11 Western Finals, with the most recent road victory coming in 2019 when Winnipeg won at Saskatchewan.