Yet another loss in West officially eliminates Lions
The trouble for the B.C. Lions hasn't been figuring out How The West Was Won. It's figuring out how to win in the West.
In their last two years, they're just 1-18 against divisional foes, while going 8-5 against East Division teams. Their recent run of futility continued Friday at B.C. Place with a 33-23 loss to the Calgary Stampeders (7-6), a seventh straight defeat that officially eliminated the Lions from the playoffs for the second straight season.
The last time the Lions (4-9) had missed the postseason back to back was in 1989 and 1990. You have to go all the way back to 1976 to find the last time before that.
Since the start of the 2019 season to now, B.C. has gone 9-23, their lowest two-year total since 1968-69. Their last winning season was way back in 2016.
There was no lack of effort or fight, as has been the case in several of their losses in their late-season swoon, but Calgary — a team that has only lost twice in 19 games coming off a bye week since 2008 — made the plays when they needed to. Calgary clinches a playoff berth with the win, while the Lions will play Edmonton in their final game next week with nothing on the line.
Here's what we learned …
LIFE OF REILLY
Seeing the beating he took this season, including a couple hits Friday, one has to wonder how many more games Michael Reilly has in him.
On one third-quarter series, he was sacked by Shawn Lemon, then taken down hard and fumbled when he scrambled out of the collapsing pocket on the next play. He held his left shoulder heading to the sidelines, but came out for the next series.
There is no questioning his toughness or competitive spirit, but Reilly turns 37 in January, and has spoken at times of some of the milestone moments he's missed in his daughters' lives as a professional athlete. He's also been training to be a firefighter in his post-playing career.
On Friday, he was 30-of-37 for 340 yards and a touchdown., and didn't throw an interception — something he'd done in four straight games (five picks total).
His first touchdown pass in two games came midway through the fourth quarter, when he checked down to Jevon Cottoy and absorbed a late hit from behind on the play. It pulled the Lions to within 26-23.
In his last five games, Reilly had three TDS against the Argonauts two weeks ago, but hadn't thrown a touchdown pass in the other four.
AIR ATTACK
Dominque Rhymes, who came to B.C. this season looking as if he'd be the 1A to Bryan Burnham's No. 1 status, had his first and only 100-yard game for B.C. He made six catches for 111 yards.
Cottoy nearly bettered his Week 4 personal best of 93 yards on Friday, making six catches for 70 yards and a 16-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
Lucky Whitehead had seven catches for 57 yards.
There was an uncharacteristic lack of the deep ball from the Lions on Friday, with Reilly only making two 25-yard-plus throws. Dominique Rhymes had a 27-yard grab in the third quarter, and Reilly just missed Whitehead on a 40-yard bomb with 2:44 left in the game.
The next play, Reilly was stripsacked as he hung in the pocket waiting for play to develop downfield, putting the game out of reach.
THE BUTLER DID IT
James Butler's high-water mark this season was a 69-yard effort against the Argos two weeks ago. The B.C. Lions running back had 35 at the half on Friday, and was a big factor in their first two scoring drives. He showed both patience and decisiveness when hitting the holes, with some strong running.
He had a season-high 89 yards on 11 carries, and seven catches for 36 yards receiving as a relief valve for Reilly in the passing game. The Lions have the lowest average in both yardage and attempts in the CFL, and Butler made the most of his limited reps against the Stampeders.
He also took over kickoff return duties, adding 92 yards on five returns.
SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS
With 35 seconds left in the first half, the Lions had forced a Calgary punt, but were called for too many men on the field. It allowed the Stamps to put an extra three points on the board.
In the fourth, Whitehead busted an 86-yard yard punt return for the go-ahead points with eight minutes remaining, but had his second return score of the year wiped off the board by two penalties. Instead of leading, the Lions started their drive on their own seven-yard line and went two-and-out.
The Stamps then marched 50 yards on four plays, capped off with a nine-yard Malik Henry touchdown to put Calgary up 3323 with four minutes left.
At the final whistle, B.C. had 10 penalties for 57 yards.