BC @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 31, 2016 ) BC Lions 16, Toronto 13

The Toronto Argonauts look to build on their impressive season-opening victory when they host the BC Lions on Friday. The new-look Argonauts thumped the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 32-15 in the Battle of Ontario to send a message to the rest of the East Division that they are legitimate contenders after finishing 5-13 in 2016, and hope to take another step forward by beating the Lions at home for the first time in nearly four years.

"It feels good to get off to a start like this," Toronto quarterback Ricky Ray told reporters. "It gives us confidence moving forward." The Lions opened the season with a heartbreaking 30-27 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos at BC Place. BC mounted a spirited comeback to erase a 10-point deficit late in the fourth quarter, but lost on a last-second field goal, and hope to bounce back by beating the Argonauts in Toronto for the fourth straight time. "It will be a great challenge as Ricky Ray, Marc Trestman and Jim Popp are all great football minds," BC linebacker Solomon Elimimian told reporters. "The biggest thing for us is to play our game which is fast and physical football."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN, ESPN2

ABOUT THE LIONS (0-1): Elimimian made five tackles against the Eskimos to set a franchise record with 610 combined tackles while Nick Moore caught five passes for 98 yards in his first game since undergoing knee surgery last July. Ty Long missed a field goal and two extra points, including a convert with less than 60 seconds remaining, filling in for an injured Swayze Waters, who is expected to play Friday after suffering a thigh injury in training camp. Jeremiah Johnson, who rushed for 809 yards in 11 games last season, gained 92 yards on 14 carries to go along with a touchdown against Edmonton.

ABOUT THE ARGONAUTS (1-0): Ray completed 32-of-41 passes for a career-high 506 yards, which was 18 yards shy of the single-game franchise record set by Tobin Rote in 1960. DeVier Posey seems poised for a breakout year after catching seven passes for 147 yards and a touchdown while high-profile free-agent signing S.J. Green caught seven passes for 124 yards in his first game since tearing his ACL with the Montreal Alouettes on June 30, 2016. Starting defensive back Josh Mitchell was forced to leave the game with a knee injury in the third quarter and is likely to miss Friday's clash.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Three of the last four meetings have been decided by three or fewer points.

2. Ray needs three touchdown passes to become the sixth player in CFL history to reach 300.

3. The Lions went 7-1 against East Division opponents in 2016.

PREDICTION: Argonauts 33, Lions 26