The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and BC Lions will look to gain the upper hand in their quest for the top seed in the West Division when they clash on Friday in Vancouver.
The Blue Bombers and Lions sport identical 11-4 overall records on the season and have split their two previous contests in Winnipeg. BC posted a 30-6 win on June 22 and dropped a 50-14 decision on Aug. 3, although the latter game was contested without its star quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. due to a knee injury.
Adams leads the CFL in passing yards (4,005). Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros, however, has tossed a league-best 30 touchdown passes.
“Every week is a must-win. That’s how we go about it. You don’t go in to lose, you go in to win,” Collaros said of Friday’s clash, per the Winnipeg Free Press. “Obviously, the goal is to have a great regular season and win the West. That’s the goal, so it’s a must-win.”
Collaros threw for 258 yards and a touchdown to lift Winnipeg to a 31-21 victory over the Toronto Argonauts last Friday.
Adams completed 27 of 36 passes for a season-high 458 yards and three touchdowns last Friday as BC extended its winning streak to four games with a 33-26 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Keon Hatcher had 10 catches for 172 yards and a touchdown, while Alexander Hollins reeled in two scoring strikes for the Lions.
“Being the best is in my mind,” Lions defensive back T.J. Lee said, per the Vancouver Sun. “I don’t really care about the antics and the politics and how everything lines up, win, lose. All I care about is winning.
“When it comes to however the playoffs match up and rankings shape up, we’ve still got to line it up and prove ourselves. That’s how I try to simplify it to the guys. Doesn’t matter, all the standings and all that stuff. It’s about winning in the tail end of the season.”
The Lions will close out their season with a road game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Oct. 13) and a home clash versus the Calgary Stampeders (Oct. 20).
The Blue Bombers will have a bye next week before finishing up against the visiting Edmonton Elks (Oct. 21) and host Stampeders (Oct. 27).
–Field Level Media