BC Lions season ends with heartbreaking playoff loss to Winnipeg

The BC Lions’ best season in years came to an abrupt end on Sunday afternoon.

On a cold Winnipeg day, the Lions fell 28-20 to the host Blue Bombers in the West Division Final, ending their chances of winning their first Grey Cup since 2011.

The Lions had the ball on the final possession of the game, but were unable to drive down the field and score in an attempt to tie the game.

BC had star quarterback Nathan Rourke in the game for the third straight week after missing eight games with a foot injury.

Rourke finished with a stat-line of 289 yards, one touchdown, and a pair of interceptions, but he was beat by Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros, who put up 178 yards and a touchdown, though he did pick up an interception as well before exiting the game late in the fourth quarter with an injury. Collaros’ status is currently unknown for next week.

Winnipeg’s Brady Oliveira led all rushers on the day with 130 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, the Lions totalled just 28 rushing yards as a team.

BC briefly held a 7-6 lead, but once the Bombers went in front again they did not relinquish their advantage.

In the second quarter, Winnipeg’s Janarion Grant returned a punt 92 yards to give the hosts a 15-7 lead.

JANARION GRANT PUNT RETURN TOUCHDOWN! 🤩🤩🤩#CFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/tohWHEBh2F

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 13, 2022

The Bombers, who finished the regular season with a CFL-best 15-3 regular season record, held a 2-1 advantage over the BC Lions in three games played this season to date.

BC’s highlight of the day might’ve actually been a 126-yard return on a missed extra point convert by Terry Williams, though the play only counted for two points by way of coming during a conversion.

Incredible effort from Terry Williams… for two points! 😅 #CFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Tde6b7QXnX

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 13, 2022

The Bombers will take on the Toronto Argonauts in next week’s Grey Cup, as the Argos picked up a victory over the Montreal Alouettes earlier in the day. Winnipeg has won the last two Grey Cups in 2019 and 2021 (the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), while the Argos last won in 2017.

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