BC @ Ottawa preview
TD Place Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 13, 2019 ) Ottawa 5, BC 29
The BC Lions look to knock off the Ottawa Redblacks for the second time in eight days when they visit the nation's capital Saturday. The Lions kept quarterback Mike Reilly upright for the first time this season after allowing a league-high 45 sacks in the previous 11 games en route to a 29-5 win, which ended a seven-game skid and hope to ride the momentum to back-to-back victories for the first time since Oct. 2018.
"It felt really good to finally get a win at home and a convincing one at that," Reilly told reporters. "We'll take it one game at a time but it's a win and two for the season." Ottawa is left to pick up the pieces following their fifth consecutive defeat. The Redblacks were held without an offensive touchdown while being limited to 279 net yards in the disappointing loss to the Lions and look to keep their fading playoff hopes alive by kick starting a moribund offence that has averaged 11.8 points during their losing streak. "I'm not disappointed in the players but I'm just disappointed that we're not showing any progress as a team," Ottawa head coach Rick Campbell told reporters. "No magic person is coming in to save the day so we're what we've got."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS2
ABOUT THE LIONS (2-10): Reilly completed 20-of-29 passes for 286 yards and a pair of touchdowns while rushing for another two in the win against Ottawa to move past Sam Etcheverry (30,381) for 15th place on the CFL's all-time passing yards list. Bryan Burnham hauled in nine passes for 95 yards against the Redblacks to move within 57 of reaching 1,000 receiving yards for the fourth consecutive season while Duron Carter caught his first touchdown pass in his 12th game since coming to Vancouver as a prized free-agent signing. "It felt good to finally get one and break the ice," Carter told reporters. "Hopefully there's more of those to come as well as wins."
ABOUT THE REDBLACKS (3-9): Jonathon Jennings struggled in his return to Vancouver where he spent the previous four years as he went 19-of-31 for 239 yards and a pair of interceptions in the loss to BC. Linebacker Avery Williams, who has made 69 tackles in 11 games this season, and wide receiver Brad Sinopoli, both practiced on Tuesday and are expected to suit up after coming off the one-game injured list. Ottawa released offensive lineman Daniel Omara Tuesday while dropping wide receiver Jerminic Smith, linebacker De'Andre Montgomery and slotback Wesley Lewis from the active roster to the practice squad.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Lions DE Shawn Lemon has five sacks in his last four games.
2. Ottawa has dropped nine of its last 10 games after a 2-0 start.
3. Jennings has thrown six interceptions in his six appearances in 2019.
PREDICTION: Lions 28, Redblacks 23