On Saturday night at BC Place, the BC Lions took on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, looking to stay ahead of the Calgary Stampeders for second place. This was the second meeting of the season between these two teams.
They met back in week five when Winnipeg dominated for a 43-22 win. The Lions didn’t have to face Zach Collaros this time, as Winnipeg rested some of the starters. Instead, they faced Dru Brown, who was making his first career start.
In the first quarter, Lions’ running back James Butler muscled his way into the endzone for a nine-yard touchdown, putting BC up 7-0 with 12:26 left. On Winnipeg’s first possession, quarterback Dru Brown led the offense down to BC’s 31-yard line before kicker Marc Liegghio made a 38-yard field goal, cutting the Lions’ lead to 7-3 with 6:37 left.
Late in the first quarter, BC quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a ten-yard pass to Dominique Rhymes. BC made it to Winnipeg’s 34-yard line as time expired for the first quarter.
In the second quarter, BC kicker Sean Whyte made a 41-yard field goal for a 10-3 lead with 15 minutes left. However, Winnipeg tied the game 10-10 thanks to their special teams when Janarion Grant returned a 94-yard punt for a touchdown with 11:47 left.
BC would get the lead back thanks to their defense when Marcus Sayles picked off Winnipeg quarterback Dru Brown for a 45-yard pick-six touchdown. The score was 17-10 Lions with 7:05 left.
Later in the game, BC kicker Sean Whyte made a 16-yard field goal for a 20-10 lead with 1:41 left. After Winnipeg went two-and-out, BC had one more opportunity to get more points before halftime. BC quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. dropped back from the pocket and threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Rhymes. Rhymes had a Winnipeg defender on him and made a jumping catch, making it 27-10 Lions at halftime.
BC quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was 8/14 for 82 yards and one touchdown as part of BC’s 176 yards on offense, while Winnipeg quarterback Dru Brown was 7/11 for 58 yards and one interception as part of Winnipeg’s 104 yards on offense.
Winnipeg got back into the game in the third quarter when quarterback Dru Brown threw a 22-yard touchdown to Dalton Schoen, cutting BC’s lead 27-17 with 7:52 left. However, BC quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 27-yard pass to Jovon Cottoy. Three plays later, BC kicker Sean Whyte made a 26-yard field goal for a 30-17 lead with 5:35 left.
Late in the third quarter, Winnipeg tried to get those three points back, but kicker Marc Liegghio missed a 45-yard field goal. The Lions went two-and-out and faced third down to begin the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Dru Brown threw three passes for 56 yards. Then, Brown scrambled out of the pocket and found an all-alone Rasheed Bailey for a 15-yard touchdown, cutting BC’s lead to 30-24 with 10:56 left.
Not long after Winnipeg’s touchdown, BC kicker Sean Whyte made a 25-yard field goal for a 33-24 lead with 4:49 left. However, the Lions would put the game away with 2:05 left when T.J. Lee picked off Dru Brown’s pass and took it for a 102-yard touchdown for a 40-24 lead.
Late in the game, Winnipeg quarterback Dru Brown threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Rasheed Bailey. Then, Winnipeg went for a two-point conversion and got it, trailing the Lions 40-32. Next, they tried an onside kick, but the ball went out of bounds, and BC took over. Winnipeg had one more chance to tie the game but ran out of time as the BC Lions defeated the Blue Bombers 40-32. The Lions improved to 11-5, while Winnipeg dropped to 14-3.
BC quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. went 13/22 for 138 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 18 yards. Running back James Butler had 14 carries for 104 yards and one touchdown, while wide receiver Dominique Rhymes had three catches for 43 yards and one touchdown.
BC’s defense allowed 399 yards, with 55 tackles, three sacks, three pass breakups, two interceptions, and one touchdown. The Lions visit the Edmonton Elks next Friday at 9:30 pm on ESPN+.
Meanwhile, Winnipeg quarterback Dru Brown did not have a bad game, going 28/39 for 325 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, two carries for 14 yards, and one touchdown. With his performance, teams may focus on acquiring him this offseason to be a starting quarterback. A team like Edmonton, Toronto, or Montreal would be a good fit for Brown.
Winnipeg running back Greg McCrae had three carries for 21 yards, while wide receiver Rasheed Bailey had 11 catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Winnipeg’s defense allowed 266 yards, with 42 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble, and six pass breakups. Winnipeg is on a bye next week.
