REGINA — After a terrible start to the season, the BC Lions enter the CFL playoffs on a six-game winning streak after a 27-21 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday.
With the win, the Lions moved into second place in the West Division and had a home playoff game. The win improved BC to 11-7 and the Lions will now face the third-place Calgary Stampeders, who also finished with an 11-7 record, in the West semi-finals on Nov. 1 in Vancouver.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, ranked fourth in the West with a 10-8 record, will cross the border and travel to Montreal to play the 10-8 Alouettes in the East Division semi-finals on Nov. 1.
The Lions limped out of the starting gate with a 1-3 record and were 3-5 to start the season. They turned their fortunes around in the second half of the schedule, going 8-2 and gaining momentum as the playoffs approached.
Quarterback Nathan Rourke believes the Lions were their worst enemy at the start of the season.
“I think those games that we lost, we felt like we were shooting ourselves in the foot. When we got out of our way and started making a few more plays, good things happened for us,” said Rourke, who completed 23 of 28 passes for 366 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
“We've believed in ourselves since training camp. We believe in this team and we believe in each other, and we just need to go out and show results.”
Although the Lions overcame an 18–10 deficit to win the game, a controversial play five minutes into the third quarter had a major impact on the final result.
On second-and-10 from the Saskatchewan 12-yard line, Rourke hit Keon Hatcher in the flat. As Hatcher approached the goal line, he was hit by Riders cornerback DeMarcus Fields and became tangled. Saskatchewan defensive end Tevon Campbell scooped up the ball and took it 107 yards to the end zone for a touchdown that would have extended the Riders' lead to 25-13.
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However, after the CFL command center reviewed the scoring play, it was determined that the official had whistled the play on the fumble, negating the touchdown. Although the Riders regained possession, the momentum shifted when the Lions forced a punt, which led to a Rourke pass on their next possession, giving the Lions a 19-18 lead.
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Campbell was adamant that he did not hear a whistle during the play.
“Never. No. I feel like in the play, if I heard the whistle, there would be a moment of indecision, like, “Oh, should I run?” But it was just a clear recovery, grab it, scoop it, run to the end zone.
“I didn't hear the whistle. I don't think anyone else heard the whistle because people were still following me. I don't have anything else to say about it. It was just crazy,” Campbell said.
Although there were still 20 minutes left in the game, Campbell believes the decision had a big impact on the final result.
“It had a huge impact. I think it changed (the momentum) because we got the ball back instead of going back on the field as a defense, scoring those seven points. But I think it changed the trajectory of the game, just taking those points away and you see what we were down, six points. So yeah, it definitely changed the outcome,” Campbell said.
Lions cornerback Mathieu Betts had no intention of apologizing for causing his team to take a break in the game.
“I'll be honest, it's a big deal. My understanding is that they gave the signal. I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but it sure would have been bad for us. We got a little lucky, but yeah, it's good for us,” Betts said.
“They kicked the ball deep and we were able to stop them and get good field position for our offense and that’s when we scored the second touchdown.”
The Lions trailed 21-19 in the fourth quarter when quarterback Rourke led a six-play, 73-yard scoring drive that culminated with a seven-yard pass to Hatcher. The two-point conversion was successful as Rourke and Hatcher connected again to give the Lions a 27-21 lead with four minutes remaining.
Rourke entered the game with a chance to become the first Canadian quarterback to lead the league in passing yards since Russ Jackson of the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1969. Rourke trailed Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell for 374 yards entering the game. Rourke's 366 yards on Saturday kept him from surpassing Mitchell's total by nine yards.
Rourke finished the season 352 of 500 passes for 5,290 yards, 31 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. When asked if those numbers were worthy of the league's Most Outstanding Player award, Rourke declined to weigh in on the discussion.
“That's not for me to decide. I'm more concerned about being a Gray Cup champion and that starts with beating Calgary next week,” Rourke said.
The Riders, who finished first in the West two weeks ago, now have a week off before hosting the West final on Nov. 8.
Kian Schaffer-Baker, who had six catches for 69 yards, insisted the Riders need to stay the course heading into the postseason despite losing their final two regular-season games.
“I think you don't change anything. You just attack every single day, the same way you've been doing this whole time,” Shaffer-Baker said.
Saskatchewan starting guard Trevor Harris played three runs before leaving midway through the second quarter. The Riders scored on all three goals, getting two rushing touchdowns from backup quarterback Jack Coan and a 28-yard field goal from kicker Michael Hughes, who was making his CFL debut.
Aiden Eberhardt had two touchdowns for the Lions. Kicker Shaun White made two field goals and punter Carl Meyer had a 73-yard solo score.
Coan scored two rushing touchdowns for the Riders, while Hughes kicked two field goals and one on a 90-yard run.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
