The BC Lions host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Friday night at BC Place in the regular-season finale. BC is 10-7 and has already secured second-best in the West along with a home playoff game in the West Semi-Final. Winnipeg is 8-9 and is in a must-win scenario in order to surpass Calgary in the standings to take the final playoff position. BC is resting quarterback Nathan Rourke. Kaidon Salter will start.
Game Details:
Date/Location: Friday, October 23, 2026 / BC Place, Vancouver, BC Kickoff Time: 10:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM PT Channel: TSN (Canada), CFL+ (USA/Global) Radio: 730 CKNW/Lions Audio Network/Sher-E- Punjab Radio AM 600 Odds (If you place bets, please do so responsibly in moderation):Spread: BC +7.5 (-114), Winnipeg -7.5 (-106)
Moneyline: BC +285, Winnipeg -365
Over/Under: 54.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
B.C. Lions: The Lions are coming off a 13-32 loss to Calgary, which saw Nathan Rourke complete 8 of 11 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown before being rested. Kaidon Salter completed 6 of 14 passes for 113 yards with 1 interception. Zander Horvath rushed 5 times for 14 yards. Jermaine Jackson had 5 catches for 71 yards, with Jevon Cottoy adding 3 catches for 94 yards. Christophe Beaulieu and Jackson Findlay each had 9 tackles.
Calgary Stampeders: The Blue Bombers are coming off a 27-35 loss to Edmonton in which Zach Collaros completed 28 of 33 passes for 331 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Brady Oliveira rushed 9 times for 37 yards. Ontaria Wilson caught all 11 of his targets for 120 yards and a touchdown; Dorian Singer added 5 catches for 85 yards, and Tim White had 3 catches for 61 yards. Deatrick Nichols led the defence with 5 tackles.
Lions' Keys to the Game
Avoid Injuries
Rourke, Butler, McInnis, and several defensive backs are out or limited. With this game having no impact on the playoff pathway, BC not sustaining injuries is arguably the most important outcome, although this remains an important tune-up game to enter the playoffs playing football the right way.
Feed Horvath early
BC needs to establish the run and provide Salter with run support in what is his 2nd career CFL start.
Play clean with Salter
Salter was 6 of 14 with an interception in relief last week. BC needs to avoid negative plays and turnovers that give Winnipeg short fields.
Stop the Run Early
Winnipeg is a team that has had a lot of success on the back of their run game. However, Winnipeg at times can go away from the run game prematurely if there are a couple early stops if they find themselves trailing.
5 Lions to Watch
19 QB Kaidon Salter
Salter completed 6 of 14 passes for 113 yards and an interception in relief last week. In his previous start, he completed 7 of his 15 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown against Winnipeg with 10 rushes for 160 yards.
25 Emani Bailey
Bailey is listed as the starting running back in this contest. He has rushed just 6 times this season amounting for 26 yards and gets a valuable chance for increased playing time.
89 Michael Fitzgerald II
Fitzgerald is a 6’6 wide receiver making his CFL debut out of Wyoming.
84 WR Jermaine Jackson
Jackson had 5 catches for 71 yards last week. He has 57 catches for 949 yards and 4 touchdowns on the season.
53 LB Darnell Sankey
Sankey had 4 tackles against Calgary and currently leads the league in tackles at 106.
5 Blue Bombers to Watch
8 QB Zach Collaros
Collaros was 28 of 33 for 331 yards and 2 touchdowns against Edmonton. He has completed 72.1% of his passes for 2,884 yards and 15 touchdowns with 9 interceptions over 11 games this season.
20 RB Brady Oliveira
Oliveira is poised to once again finish the season as the CFL’s rushing leader. He has rushed 222 times for 1,344 yards (6.1 average) and 5 touchdowns this season.
80 WR Ontaria Wilson
Wilson caught all 11 targets for 120 yards and a touchdown last week. He has 75 catches for 991 yards and 8 touchdowns on the season.
12 WR Tim White
White leads the team in receiving with 81 catches for 1,042 yards and 6 touchdowns.
94 DT Jake Ceresna
Ceresna has 23 tackles for the season and a team-leading 7 sacks. He can line up on the edge and the interior.
Injury Report:
Depth Charts:
Score Prediction:
I am predicting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to lose a close one on the road, 24-17. BC has been the best run-stopping team this season, allowing only 66.1 rushing yards per game and a 4.1 rushing average. If Winnipeg cannot get the run game going, I don’t think they will win, which would be an absolute disaster for Winnipeg to lose a must-win game to a team resting starters and starting a quarterback who is still a question mark on what he can do with his arm talent at the pro level.