VANCOUVER – Toronto makes the long trip west to face the BC Lions on Saturday night.
When they arrive, the Argonauts will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Lions have just one win on the season and will be without starting quarterback Nathan Rourke this weekend.
Here are three keys to victory for each team heading into Saturday’s 7:00 pm ET kickoff, which can be watched on TSN/RDS in Canada, CBSSN in the US and CFL+ worldwide.
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TORONTO ARGONAUTS
1. CONTACT JAMES BUTLER
The Lions will be without quarterback Nathan Rourke, who is out with a shoulder injury, so the Argos front should focus on shutting down running back James Butler. As a group, they limited opposing rushers to 85.7 yards per game and got plenty of production from linebackers Isaac Darcangelo and Adarius Pickett in the middle of the field.
2. LIMIT INTERCEPTIONS
Quarterback Chad Kelly has nine interceptions this season and has at least one in five of six games. Some of that comes with the territory given his ability as a passer, but he doesn’t want to hand over a Lions team that wants to exploit any mistakes.
3. TRANSFORMATION WHEN CHALLENGED
The Argos left points on the field against Hamilton last week, so the focus heading into Saturday’s game was on special teams. Kicker Lirim Khairullahu will not play this week for non-injury reasons, according to the team’s injury report. Canadian Brady Lidster will take over kicking duties instead. Lidster signed for Argos last week on July 15th.
BC LIONS
1. CHASE BRYCE
No, Rourke is not ideal for the Lions. Now it’s up to quarterback Chase Brice to take over under center and find a way to help his team move down the field. If he’s going to do that, he’ll have to take better care of the football after throwing four interceptions against Edmonton last week.
2. BUCK PIERCE
Head coaches always have an impact on the game, but this week there may be no one more important than the Lions’ Buck Pierce. Without Rourke, he’ll have to push all the right offensive buttons to help his team succeed. That means putting together a game plan that works for Bryce and getting Butler involved early.
3. DEFENSIVE Cohesion
BC’s defense must be in sync with Kelly and the Argos’ offense. It starts with Mathieu Betts and the defensive line generating pressure up front, while the secondary challenge will be limiting Toronto’s talented receiving corps.
NEED TO KNOW:
- The Lions and Argos wrap up their two-game season in Week 18 in Toronto.
- Chad Kelly has thrown for more than 300 yards in five of the Argos’ six games this season.
- BC allows a CFL-low 53.2 yards per game. Toronto concedes the second minimum – 85.7 per game.
- Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET and will be available to watch on TSN/RDS in Canada, CBSSN in the US and CFL+ internationally.