STREAMING CFL PPV: BC Lions @ Edmonton Elks, Oct. 22, 03:45 CET (3:45 am, 9:45 pm ET, Oct. 21)
EDMONTON — The BC Lions will travel to the Commonwealth Stadium hoping to provide some clarity to the playoff picture in the West Division.
With a win over the Edmonton Elks in their Week 20 contest, the Lions would clinch the second place spot in the division and ensure they host the Western Semi-Final on November 6 from BC Place.
The major news in Edmonton this week was the report of a spleen injury suffered by quarterback Taylor Cornelius that will force him to miss the team’s final game of the regular season. According to the Elks depth chart, Canadian rookie Tre Ford has been listed as the starting quarterback and will be making his first start for the Green and Gold since Week 5.
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In Vancouver, Lions fans will have to remain patient for the return of star quarterback Nathan Rourke, while he practiced for a second consecutive week, he will not suit up against the Elks. The team will once again be led by Vernon Adams Jr. who will look to improve to 4-2 as the Lions starter.
In his five games since taking over as the team’s No.1 quarterback, Adams has completed 67 per cent of his passes for 1,146 yards and has thrown five touchdowns over his last three games. Adams has completed 88 consecutive passes without an interception, helping to further illustrate the consistent pace at which he’s been playing.
Watch the game live here PPV. BC Lions @ Edmonton Elks, Oct. 22, 03:45 CET (3:45 am, 9:45 pm ET, Oct. 21)
The Lions average nearly 310 yards through the air per game thanks to the likes of receivers Dominique Rhymes and Keon Hatcher who are both rank among the league’s top 10 in receiving yards.
Rhymes has 1,284 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, while Hatcher has accumulated 935 yards and four majors. With a strong performance against the Elks, Hatcher has an opportunity to become the seventh receiver to reach 1,000 yards this season.
BC running back James Butler has also been helping to fuel the Lions playoff push with his play as of late. Butler has rushed for at least 80 yards in his last three consecutive starts, and rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown in his team’s 40-32 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 19.
The Elks will also need to be aware of an impactful special teams’ unit from the Orange and Black, returner Terry Williams had a jaw dropping performance a week ago as he amassed 341 yards of total offence on kickoff, punt and missed field goal returns.
In a team media session this week, head coach Rick Campbell told BCLions.com that the big-plays from Williams were key factors in providing a spark for the team, but made sure to give credit to the protection as well.
“I’m glad he got some breakout ones and we’ve been blocking better for him,” Campbell told BCLions.com. “There’s a strange thing that happens on the return team. When they believe something big can happen every time, they really put in that great effort of blocking. I sure like the other things he does too. The returns are important, but the decision making and the ability to track down balls makes a big difference.”
The Lions also demonstrated their ability to generate points defensively in their win over the Bombers, BC forced two interceptions in the game, both one of which were returned for touchdowns by T.J. Lee and Marcus Sayles, helping push the Lions season-long interception total to 17.
In additional to their ability to generate turnovers, BC boasts an equally impressive pass-rush. Linebacker Bo Lokombo, and defensive linemen David Menard and Sione Teuhema all had a sack in Week 19 and will have an opportunity to find the backfield against Edmonton. In their Week 9 matchup with the Elks they managed five sacks with two of them coming from Teuhema.
The aforementioned Ford will be making his first start for the Elks since Week 5 of the regular season. In nine games played, the former University of Waterloo Warrior has completed 18 of his 33 passes for 219 yards and has carried the ball 11 times for 77 yards on the year.
Ford will be tasked with attempting to help the Elks earn their first win of the 2022 regular season and snap a home losing-streak that extended to 16 games with their loss to Toronto in Week 19.
Head coach Chris Jones displayed confidence in his quarterback, telling team media the goal is for his team to end the season on a positive note.
“He’s got a little more zip on the ball,” Jones told GoElks.com. “This is a great opportunity for him to play at your home stadium under the lights with the chance to do something special and go into the offseason on a positive. We need to come out and play, be loose and win the game.”
Emmanuel Arceneaux will play his second straight game since returning from injury and should provide a steadying veteran presence. The Elks playmaker has now passed Tony Gabriel and ranks 24th all-time with 615 career receptions and needs just 100 yards on Saturday to push him to 9,000 career receiving yards. Arceneaux also holds an active reception streak of 124 consecutive games.
Running back Kevin Brown will be attempting to close out what has been a strong finish to his rookie campaign. Brown has carried the ball 67 times for 466 yards in six games, and rushed for a season-high 125 yards and his first career touchdown in Week 19.
Like the passing game, it won’t be easy for Brown to find success against an aggressive Lions defensive front that has held opposing teams to just 88.1 rushing yards per game. Additionally, the BC front-seven have held teams to under 80 yards on the ground in their last three consecutive games.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Elks have held opponents to the third fewest pass yards per game and have forced 64 two-and-outs this season, but will need to remain stout in limiting red zone scoring opportunities. The Elks have defended their goal line 53 times this season and have given up 36 red zone touchdowns.
While the Lions are looking to earn the right to host the division semi-final, the Elks are hoping to snap a historic losing streak in their final game of the regular season.
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Watch the game live here PPV. BC Lions @ Edmonton Elks, Oct. 22, 03:45 CET (3:45 am, 9:45 pm ET, Oct. 21)
