VANCOUVER — A spot in the Western Final is up for grabs when the Calgary Stampeders visit the BC Lions on Saturday at Save-on-Foods Field at BC Place.
BC and Calgary finished with identical 11-7 records, but the Lions secured home field thanks to taking the season series 2-0.
The two teams met in the Western Semi-Final back in 2023, a game BC won 41-30.
Here’s three keys to victory for both teams ahead of Saturday’s 5:30 p.m. ET kickoff, which can be watched on TSN, TSN2 and RDS in Canada, and on CFL+ in the U.S. and internationally.
2025 GREY CUP PLAYOFFS
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CALGARY STAMPEDERS
1. DEDRICK MILLS DELIVERING
The Grey Cup Playoffs are a time for stars to shine, and running back Dedrick Mills needs to if Calgary wants to come away with a win. Mills led all running backs with 1,409 rushing yards during the regular season, 157 of which came against BC, and he’ll see a familiar defensive front that’s allowing 105.3 yards on the ground per game.
2. SECONDARY SHOWDOWN
The Lions are going to attack through the air, and Dave Dickenson’s defence needs to be ready. It’s a unit that’s shown an ability to tighten coverage, but finished the year seventh overall, surrendering 5,099 passing yards. Dickenson will ask defensive backs Adrian Greene and Jaydon Grant to make plays downfield.
3. VERNON ADAM JR.
It’s difficult to win if the starting quarterback doesn’t play well. For Stamps’ pivot Vernon Adams Jr., that means taking care of the ball. In his two starts against the Lions this year, he threw five interceptions. BC’s offence is simply too good to give away extra chances.
BC LIONS
1. PASS GAME
The offensive recipe for success for the Lions begins with the arm of quarterback Nathan Rourke. Over his two games against Calgary, he’s totalled 745 yards and six passing touchdowns to two interceptions. Top receivers Keon Hatcher Sr. and Justin McInnis should be seeing plenty of action.
2. JAMES BUTLER’S AVAILABILITY
An important storyline to follow is running back James Butler being listed as a game-time decision. The Stamps were able to hold Butler to 2.8 yards per carry in a Week 18 loss, but were burned for 97 in the air. Butler, who has 1,213 rushing and 439 receiving yards this season, can be a thorn in the side of the defence all game. But if he’s not ready to go, the rushing duties will fall on Zander Horvath, who ran for 152 yards and a touchdown in Week 16 against Calgary.
3. THE DEFENCE
The Lions’ defence will look to keep Mills from being the game-changer he’s capable of. Defensive linemen Levi Bell, Mathieu Betts and DeWayne Hendrix have to finish tackles and keep their production to a minimum early.
NEED TO KNOW:
- This is the third time in the last four seasons that BC and Calgary meet in the Western Semi-Final, with the Lions winning in 2022 and 2023.
- BC’s 559 points were a league high.
- Calgary’s 416 points allowed were the second fewest.
- Kickoff from Save-on-Foods Field at BC Place is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET, and can be watched on TSN, TSN2 and RDS in Canada, and on CFL+ in the U.S. and internationally.
