BC @ Saskatchewan preview
Mosaic Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 27, 2018 ) BC 16, Saskatchewan 35
The BC Lions look to bounce back from another double-digit loss when they visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday. The Lions suffered their third defeat by 10 or more points after they were thrashed 33-6 by the Edmonton Eskimos in Week 5, and hope to save a season that is spinning out of their reach by knocking off the Roughriders in Regina for the first time since Oct. 29, 2016.
"It's not a talent issue it's about how we're coming out to play," BC quarterback Mike Reilly told reporters. "I believe in the guys in this room and I believe they'll respond in the proper way, but the proof will be in the pudding." Saskatchewan has had an extra week to stew on its humbling 37-10 home loss to the Calgary Stampeders. The Roughriders, who had cruised past the Toronto Argonauts 32-7 in Week 3, fell to their first home loss since Sept. 15, 2018 and hope to win a crucial home-and-home set against the Lions - with the loser facing an uphill climb in the race for a playoff spot in the West Division. "It hurts to lose going into a bye … and I realize that game is on me and I have to play better," Saskatchewan quarterback Cody Fajardo told reporters. "BC is going to try to emulate the same exact thing that Calgary did just because the way we played.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN
ABOUT THE LIONS (1-4): Reilly was limited to 157 yards on 17-of-26 passing and was sacked five times in the loss to Edmonton as he finished without a touchdown pass for the first time since Oct. 8, 2018. BC added kick returner/wide receiver Ryan Lankford, who appeared in three games with the Ottawa Redblacks this season, before he was released following a costly special teams gaffe in the Week 4 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Defensive end Matt Boesen was added to the six-game injured list with a knee problem while offensive linemen Joel Figueroa (ankle) and Sukh Chungh (arm), who both left the game early against the Eskimos, are expected to play on Saturday.
ABOUT THE ROUGHRIDERS (1-3): Fajardo was held to 89 yards passing with two interceptions in the loss to Calgary after throwing for 790 yards and four touchdowns in his previous two outings. Saskatchewan made some moves to bolster its defence as it added defensive lineman Earl Okine, who most recently played for the Orlando franchise of the Alliance of American football league, and defensive back Jacob Dearborn to the practice squad. Veteran wide receiver Manny Arceneaux, who spent the previous eight years in Vancouver, looks set to make his highly anticipated debut for the Roughriders after taking first-team reps in Tuesday's practice.
EXTRA POINTS
1. BC is 0-4 against West Division rivals in 2019.
2. Saskatchewan DE Charleston Hughes has five sacks in his last three games.
3. The Lions have given up a league-high 17 sacks.
PREDICTION: Roughriders 28, Lions 24