The red-hot BC Lions now take their show back on the road, with a two-game Eastern swing beginning on Sunday night in the nation’s capital. As the squad looks to win a fifth straight contest and move above .500 for the first time in 2026, this Week 13 matchup has no shortage of storylines. Facing the winless Ottawa REDBLACKS, Nathan Rourke and company will need to focus only on what they need to execute to keep stringing wins together. And despite a four-game winning streak, they still admit there is plenty of room for improvement. With more, we present our 5 Things To Know Game Preview.
Game 11: BC Lions (5-5) at Ottawa REDBLACKS (0-10).
Sunday, August 30.
4:00 pm PT, TD Place.
TV: Canada: TSN/RDS2.
U.S.: CBS Sports Network.
Stream: CFL+ (International).
Radio: 730 CKNW, Lions Audio Network and Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600.
Throw The Record Out The Window
Buck Pierce has made the message clear to his players throughout the week of preparation: every opposing team is made up of professionals who get paid to do a job. That being said, don’t think for one second any of the Lions will expect the 0-10 REDBLACKS to roll over. The Lions, as we all know, aren’t too far removed from being 1-5 and in the West Division basement. Moral of the story: things can change in pro football very quickly. Given how Rourke was critical of his own play in last week’s big win over Saskatchewan, they should have all the motivation they need to keep their foot on the gas pedal.
Rourke’s Quest For A Higher Ceiling
He has eclipsed 300 passing yards in six of his eight starts and is fresh off earning a CFL Player of the Week honour. Despite all of that, the 2025 Most Outstanding Player and Canadian isn’t satisfied. And for that, you have to admire him. Always his own biggest critic, Rourke has endured his early-season shoulder injury and the poor start not many were anticipating. As the September stretch drive fast approaches, now would be the best time for him and the offence to strive for that long-awaited consistency, week in and week out. A fast start to deflate the desperate REDBLACKS would certainly be a good time to start, especially with the same starting lineup expected for a third straight week.
Back To The Ground?
After winning last week despite only 57 combined rushing yards from Zander Horvath and James Butler, the resurgent offence proved it can be multi-dimensional. It will be interesting this week to see how much they try to set a tone with the ground game. Should they be able to play from in front, pounding that rock becomes more of an asset. It will also be worth tracking the elements: Sunday calls for a 60 per cent chance of rain at TD Place, making ball security another big piece to the puzzle.
Takeaway Time
As the defence continued to improve over the course of this winning streak, we were constantly reminded it would be even better once the takeaways started to pile up. The Lions had two interceptions and a forced fumble against the Riders, snuffing out any momentum Trevor Harris and company had accumulated in their comeback attempt. Facing a REDBLACKS squad that is dead last in turnover ratio at a staggering minus-22, Mike Benevides’ unit should approach this one like sharks lurking around with blood in the water. Ottawa is also at the bottom of the CFL in scoring, averaging 22.3 points per contest. Veteran quarterback Jake Maier gets the call this week, despite being pulled in favour of McLeod Bethel-Thompson in Montreal.
What They’re Saying
“It’s definitely coming. But it was good to go through those things early. We got some young guys some reps, you know what I mean? Hopefully, things don’t go wrong later on in the season. But those young guys got some reps and if they need to be called on, they’ll be ready. We’re gaining traction, but we’re not where we want to be yet. We’ve got a lot of room for improvement.”- Keon Hatcher on the receivers being healthy after some early-season adversity.
“Focus on us. It’s pro football. You’ve got to play your best and you have to bring your best. We have to expect their best. That hasn’t changed, no matter who we play.”- Buck Pierce on facing a winless Ottawa team.
The BC Lions’ depth chart for tomorrow’s game 🏈 pic.twitter.com/2JP2AvOSRm
— BC LIONS (@BCLions) August 29, 2026
Extra Points
There is only one roster change for the Lions on Sunday. Garry Peters makes his season debut at cornerback after dealing with his knee ailment throughout this season. His insertion sees C.J. Coldon slide over to halfback. Ronald Kent Jr. (hip) heads to the reserve roster. The depth chart can be seen above.
Former Lion defensive end Sione Teuhema faces his former team for the first time. Teuhema registered three defensive tackles in his first Ottawa appearance last week.
Sunday marks the 81st all-time meeting between the Lions and Ottawa, with BC holding the edge at 53-25-2. The CFL includes the REDBLACKS’ franchise history with that of the Rough Riders (1876-1996) and Renegades (2002-05).
The Lions are in search of their first win in Ottawa since June 30, 2022. Making only his fifth CFL start that night, Rourke got the scoring started with a 50-yard touchdown run on a third- down gamble, as they improved to 3-0 to start the season. After not making a trip to Ottawa in 2023, the Leos dropped a 2024 decision in Rourke’s second game back from the NFL and then let a late lead slip in 2025, in their last defeat before a six-game win streak to close the regular season.
Overall, three of the last five meetings between these two clubs have been decided in the game’s final three minutes.
An interesting Rourke nugget from Lions historian and CFL head statistician Steve Daniel: overall, Rourke ranks seventh in the CFL with 2,429 passing yards. However, if you remove his start against Edmonton when he went down on the second play from scrimmage, he would be number one with 347.0 passing yards per game. Davis Alexander would be next at 340.0.