About the only good news for the B.C. Lions these days is the fact they started 0-5 the last time they won the Grey Cup back in 2011.
Perhaps that bit of team history can give the Lions reason for optimism after a rough beginning to the 2026 CFL campaign.
A popular Grey Cup pick prior to the season, the Lions carry an 0-2 record into what has turned out to be a big early-season contest against the 0-2 Calgary Stampeders at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna, B.C. on Saturday.
“I think the concern is kind of just where we sit right now,” Lions head coach and offensive co-ordinator Buck Pierce told reporters this week. “Obviously, we thought we’d be a little bit further along. But listen, it is part of a process. Nobody’s happy with where we are right now. The matter of fact is we’ve got to get better. I
“It’s got to start during the week and it’s got to start in all phases. Until we do that, we’re going to continue to fight and claw. We believe in what we’re doing and we’ve got to continue to lean into the work throughout the week and make sure we’re doing it the right way.”
There are issues on both sides of the ball.
On offence, reigning CFL most outstanding player Nathan Rourke is missing most of his usual targets after the team has been hit ridiculously hard by injuries at receiver. The team lost four pass-catchers in its opener against Saskatchewan and then saw top Canadian Justin McInnis (ankle) and Kieran Poissant (hip) go down last week in Hamilton.
The running game hasn’t found much success, either, with James Butler being held to just 97 yards in two games after finishing third in the league in rushing yards last year.
“You hear it all the time, sometimes it’s coach-speak, but it’s next man up,” Pierce said. “It’s been next man up early for us. It’s going to pay dividends in the end. I think it’s allowed other guys to help lead and step up in some roles.”
One of those is fifth-round pick Nick Cenacle. The Montreal native, who played NCAA football at Hawaii, had nine catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns in his CFL debut last week.
Defence was the primary area of concern for the Lions entering the season, and the team has done nothing to ease worries.
The Lions are last by a wide margin in opponent passing efficiency and have allowed 72 points in two games, a worse average than everyone but Ottawa.
The poor start has put the heat on Lions defensive co-ordinator Mike Benevides.
“I think it’s hard for a fan to take into account how big of an impact he makes on us and what he does for us,” Lions defensive back Jackson Findlay told reporters. “He’s a great defensive co-ordinator, I trust what he does, and he trusts in our abilities.”
It’s up to the Lions to put a better product on the field before the hole gets too deep.
After opening with two road losses, they play their next two games in Kelowna while the World Cup takes over BC Place.
The Lions and Stamps finished second and third, respectively, in the West last year. The loser this week will find itself in the basement in a year where the Edmonton Elks, the division’s worst or second-worst team the past seven seasons, appear to be much better.
The Elks are in Kelowna, just over four hours northeast of Vancouver, to meet the Lions next week. Fresh off hosting the Memorial Cup, Kelowna has shown great enthusiasm for the CFL’s visit, with close to 20,000 fans expected for both games at an expanded Apple Bowl.
“We’re excited to go play in front of our fans at an amazing venue,” Pierce said. “It’s going to be great for our team, it’s going to be great for the province of British Columbia. … We’re ready to go out there and compete.”
Intriguing quarterback swap
The quarterback shuffle this week in Ottawa and Winnipeg really comes down to familiarity.
New Redblacks general manager and coach Ryan Dinwiddie shipped backup Dru Brown and a second-round pick in the 2027 draft to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for a first-round pick in 2027 and a conditional second-round pick in 2028. The Redblacks then signed veteran quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who won a Grey Cup with Dinwiddie as the starter for Toronto in 2022 before going 6-15 as a starter the last two years with Edmonton and Montreal.
Brown, the starter in Ottawa the past two years after a three-year run behind Zach Collaros in Winnipeg, lost his job with the Redblacks to free-agent signing Jake Maier under Dinwiddie. He asked for a move after that decision.
Dinwiddie pointed to arm strength and the ability to eat up big chunks of yards as important traits for his system.
“There’s a Lot of evaluation that comes in practice,” Dinwiddie told reporters Wednesday. “We want to be able to push the ball down the field, and that’s one of the things that I think Jake gives that opportunity, obviously, I think McLeod does as well.
“The marriage (with Brown) didn’t work. We tried to make it work. (Brown) wasn’t happy with the (backup job). We tried to make it work and we got a good offer and we felt it was best for both parties.”
Dinwiddie was asked if the quarterbacking situation was a distraction.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say a big distraction, I could say it probably was a little distraction just how (Brown) went about it,” he said. “I thought he did his best to support Jake and he wanted to go some place else. So we gave him the opportunity to do that”.
Brown, meanwhile, goes back to his original CFL home as a veteran presence behind Collaros. Strong-armed Canadian rookie Taylor Elgersma becomes No. 3.
Brown also reunites with former Ottawa offensive co-ordinator Tommy Condell.
“We made our team better,” Blue Bombers coach Mike O’Shea said. “We added a young football junkie who loves the game. He’s been in this building before, so we know him very well. He’s in Tommy’s system before, so he knows him very well. You add that kind of experience, it’s positive.”
Edmonton Elks (2-0) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-1), Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT
The Blue Bombers have won eight in a row at home against the Elks. But Winnipeg has the league’s worst rush defence so far and is facing CFL leading rusher Justin Rankin, who is averaging a whopping 9.1 yards per carry.
Toronto Argonauts (1-1) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-0), Friday, 9 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CST
This is the first of three Argos home games being played in the road venue while the World Cup takes over their home stadium. Argos QB Chad Kelly is looking to become the fourth quarterback in league history to throw for 400-plus yards in three consecutive games.
Calgary Stampeders (0-2) at B.C. Lions (0-2), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT (at Kelowna, B.C.)
The Stampeders haven’t started 0-3 since 2002. Stamps QB Vernon Adams Jr. was traded to Calgary after the 2023 season, with the Lions deciding to make Rourke their clear-cut No. 1.
Ottawa Redblacks (0-2) at Montreal Alouettes (2-1), Sunday, 7 p.m. ET
The Alouettes have won 11 in a row against Ottawa. Als QB Davis Alexander is coming off his first career regular-season loss, dropping his record to 13-1.