It’s officially crunch time for the BC Lions. With just one win in their first six games in a season that began with nearly unprecedented expectations, the squad embarks on a tough road battle at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to kick off week nine of the CFL campaign. With three of their next four games against Western Division rivals, the time is now to start turning the ship around. No easy task, but that’s what professional football is all about. With more on this Thursday Night Football battle, we present our 5 Things To Know preview.
Game 7: BC Lions (1-5) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-3).
Thursday, July 30.
5:30 pm PT, Princess Auto Stadium.
TV: Canada: TSN/RDS.
Stream: CFL+ (U.S. & International).
Radio: 730 CKNW/Lions Audio Network/Sher-E- Punjab Radio AM 600.
Salter Gets The Call
For the second time in as many weeks, it will be a quarterback making his first career start behind centre for a Lions team in desperate need of a victory. After relieving Chase Brice in the late stages of last week’s setback against the Argonauts, rookie Kaidon Salter will be at the controls of an offence that is ready to break out. After showing flashes of his arm strength and athleticism at training camp in Kamloops, Salter is ready to show out in game action. Many observers are keen to see him continue to establish a rapport with Justin McInnis for a full 60 minutes. He completed nine of 15 passes for 121 yards in just under seven minutes of action and ran for 12 yards on four carries. Salter’s college credentials include a senior year at Colorado, where he earned both National and Big 12 Quarterback of the Week after leading the Buffaloes to a big win over Iowa State.
Backfield & O-Line Shuffle
Injuries have also taken a toll in other key areas of the offence. Rookie Emani Bailey draws in as a backup running back to Zander Horvath. Bailey, who spent most of the 2024 season on the Kansas City Chiefs practice roster after starring at Texas Christian, has turned heads with his ability to run hard. He has been with the squad since day one of training camp in Kamloops. Should the Lions be able to play from in front, utilizing the ground game will be huge. James Butler (foot) was added to the 1-game injured lit.On the offensive line, the recently re-signed Tyran Walker-Hunt makes his first start at right tackle. 2024 first-round draft pick Anu Una moves up to right guard. Those moves come in place of Joshua Donovan (knee) and Brandon Yates (foot), respectively. It will be a nice little test against Willie Jefferson and company.
A Big Test For The Big Front Seven
It’s hard to find silver linings over the first six games. One you can point to is an improved defensive front that has kept them in the last two outings. After recording three sacks against Toronto, Mathieu Betts and company have the task of containing a Bombers offence that includes power back Brady Oliveira. It’s worth noting that Oliveira has only recorded one 100-yard rushing game in the last seven regular season meetings between these two squads. The importance of making the Winnipeg offence one-dimensional has no doubt been a talking point during this short week of practice and film studies. Betts recorded two of the sacks last week and is now up to five on the season, giving him a share of the CFL lead. The Lions also boast the CFL’s best run-defence. Newly-signed Lorenzo Mauldin IV makes the start at defensive end. The Bombers will be without former Lion Jarell Broxton (Knee). Micah Vanterpool fills in for him at right tackle.
Time To Make Hay Away From Home
There isn’t much else to be said. What separates the contenders from the pretenders is the ability to walk into any venue and come away with a win. The Lions have dropped their first three road contests of 2026. It’s time to turn around that trend and get the first victory in Pacific Frost colours. The last time the Lions dropped four straight away games in a season was the forgettable 5-13 campaign in 2019.
What They’re Saying
“He’s a guy that can create. He’s confident with his arm. He’s still learning, in terms of the game and where to keep your eyes and things like that. I think the biggest thing for young guys is to make sure you communicate well with others, continue to execute the things that you need to execute and do your best to stay within the frame of the offence. You look at Kaidon, I think he plays with some moxy, I think he plays with a little bit of confidence back there as well too and he allows his guys to go out there and play football.”- Buck Pierce on what his starter this week does well.
“It’s as important as every other game. The job is always to go 1-0. We can’t get back any other games we played; we can’t look at the game two weeks from now. We’ve just got to worry about this game and go 1-0.”- McInnis on the importance of getting the job done this week.
“My point of view is it’s always a scary situation when you’re going against a guy that you don’t have too much film on. How many times have you seen a starting quarterback go down and then the second-string comes in and he does well because you’re not ready or not prepared for him? Those guys in those situations can just go out and rip it. They’ve got nothing to lose, and it can get a little funny or a little scary knowing that somebody is coming out here to play that way.”- Bomber defensive back Dietrick Nichols, speaking with Ed Tait of bluebombers.com, about facing Salter.
Extra Points
More tidbits on Salter. His predecessor as quarterback at Colorado was none other than Shedeur Sanders. He previously played four seasons at Liberty, becoming the starter in a 2023 season where he led the Flames to a 13-0 record and an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl against Oregon. We chronicled his journey in our Arrow Up Training Camp Documentary.
Salter also capped off his first CFL camp by suiting up in Winnipeg in pre-season, completing 11 of 12 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. And of course, a few were surprised to hear his nugget above on a special relationship with a well-known former Lions quarterback.
Darnell Sankey continues to come as advertised, recording three pass knockdowns and four defensive tackles against Toronto.
Dru Brown gets a fourth straight start at quarterback for the Bombers. His best outing thus far was his first, a 339-yard performance in a win over Toronto in week six.