BC Lions can finally end CFL-worst drought this weekend
It’s been 14 long years for the BC Lions.
That was the last time the Lions played in the Grey Cup, back when Travis Lulay led B.C. to a 34-23 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at BC Place in 2011.
Since then, every single team in the CFL has made it to the Grey Cup at least once, except for the Lions.
On Saturday, the Lions have a chance to change that when they battle the Saskatchewan Roughriders on the road at 4 p.m. PST.
B.C. has lost in the Western Final four times since 2011. They lost to the Calgary Stampeders there twice, in 2012 and 2015. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers also bested BC twice in the West Final back in 2022 and 2023.
Nathan Rourke was the quarterback for the Lions during their defeat against Winnipeg in 2022, before he took a stab at becoming an NFL quarterback.
“I think you take those types of things as good learning opportunities,” Rourke told the media this week when asked about his Western Final appearance in 2022.
“The environments are very similar. You look at those situations and you try to learn from them the best you can; try to figure out where you went wrong and how you can be better.”
Rourke was in the midst of a stellar first season as a starting CFL QB back in 2022, and he believes he’s better prepared to propel his team to the Grey Cup in 2025.
“I got the first one out of the way, and I’m a lot healthier now than I was then. So that’s certainly a good thing.”
Back in 2022, Rourke missed two months with a Lisfranc sprain in his right foot. He returned for the regular season finale and the postseason, even though he wasn’t 100 per cent.
Now he’s healthy, and he’s playing at an MVP level.
He’s one of the candidates to win the Most Outstanding Player award, alongside Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell. If he wins, Rourke would be the first Canadian to do so in a long, long time.
However, the task at hand for Rourke would be to lead his team to the Grey Cup.
The Lions need to be better than they were against Calgary last weekend if they want to beat Saskatchewan, the best team in the CFL regular season. BC was outgained thoroughly against Calgary in the West Semi-Final, but heroics from Rourke and kicker Sean Whyte in the dying seconds led them to victory.
The end of the Western Semi-Final? Thatās what you call ABSOLUTE CINEMA! š„#GCPlayoffs @siriusxmcanada pic.twitter.com/m1asPmpM9J
— CFL (@CFL) November 2, 2025
The Roughriders had the best defence in the CFL this season, leading them to a 12-6 record. They whooped BC 37-18 during their only game at Mosaic Stadium earlier this season. However, the Lions did win at home against them, evening the season series at 1-1.
Last season, Saskatchewan ended BC’s season by beating them in the Western Semi-Final.
The Lions aren’t the only team looking to snap a Grey Cup appearance drought. The second-longest drought in the league belongs to the Roughriders, who haven’t made it to the Grey Cup since 2013.