B.C. Lions look to stall Saskatchewan Roughriders' playoff chase in crucial clash

BC Lions' Zander Horvath (34) scores a touchdown as Saskatchewan Roughriders' Aubrey Miller Jr. (47) and Antoine Brooks Jr. (5) defend during the second half of a CFL football game in Vancouver on Sunday, August 23, 2026. (Ethan Cairns / The Canadian Press)

VANCOUVER — Mathieu Betts knows exactly what will be on the line when his B.C. Lions line up against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday.

If everything goes Saskatchewan’s way, the Riders could punch their playoff ticket this week — and the Lions are looking to stop that from happening.

“It feels like the most important game of the year, and I’m pretty sure it’s not the last time I would tell you that this year,” Betts said.

“At the end of the day, to get where we want to go, we need to play good football. So no matter what’s at stake, we need to play good football.”

The Lions (7-6) come in with wins in six of their last seven contests, including a 48-29 victory over the Montreal Alouettes on Sept. 12 before the team headed into a bye week.

The Roughriders (8-5), meanwhile, sit second in the West Division and are coming off a 19-6 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sept. 12.

Saskatchewan could clinch a post-season berth this week, but will need help on the out-of-town scoreboard. The Riders need the Toronto Argonauts to beat the Bombers and the winless Ottawa Redblacks to upset the Calgary Stampeders.

Most importantly, the Riders need a victory over the Lions.

A Lions win would give B.C. a tiebreaker between the two sides in an ultracompetitive West Division where the second- and fifth-place teams are currently separated by just four points.

“We all understand where the standings are right now,” said Lions head coach Buck Pierce. ”And both teams have put themselves in position to have everything they want in front of them, right? So, two competitive teams that are playing good football … getting healthy, hopefully at the right time. So it should be a good game.”

Friday will mark the final regular-season matchup between the two sides, and each team comes in with a win.

The Riders took first blood with a 31-27 home victory on June 13 before the Lions earned a 30-16 decision in Vancouver on Aug 23.

B.C.’s defence has grown stronger over the course of the season, said Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace.

“I think just having a little bit more understanding of what they want to accomplish,” he said. ”I think they play very well to the pieces that they have. They do a really good job, they can get after the passer, they do a bunch of stuff on the back end that makes it tough on quarterbacks, their linebackers run and hit.

“They’ve been doing a really good job making it tough on offences across the league.”

The Riders have been stingy all year, giving up a league-low 340 points.

Getting the right combination of players on defence has been an evolution, Mace said.

“We’re doing a good job,” he said. ”We’ve just got to continue pushing the envelope and creating some turnovers. We’ve been a little bit more consistent with that. And giving ourselves an opportunity to, obviously, not only stay in the game but take it over.”

The Lions will see changes to their secondary this week after defensive backs Josh Hagerty and Ronald Kent Jr. were each suspended for following a melee in B.C.’s win over Montreal. Hagerty received a two-game ban while Kent was suspended one game. Alouettes defensive back Don Callis was also banned for one game and three other Alouettes players received fines.

Video of the dust up shows Hagerty punching Montreal running back Liam Talbot in the groin.

Asked whether there was an extra focus on discipline in practice this week, Betts noted that discipline is how football games are won and lost.

“When we talk about discipline, it’s in your assignment,” he said. ”Also, taking penalties, you don’t want to give away free yards … If we want to go where we want to go at the end of the year, that’s something that’s going to be really, really important on all matters, in all phases for sure.”

The Lions signed American defensive backs Jordan Oladokun and Thomas Graham to the practice roster on Monday, then re-signed Robert Carter Jr. on Tuesday.

The American defensive back returns to B.C. after attending NFL training camp with the Indianapolis Colts.

Having new bodies in the lineup doesn’t change how the defence prepares or plays, said Betts, a veteran defensive lineman.

“To us, it’s whoever’s asked to be playing different roles, we have to take it,” he said. “So for us, it’s just everybody knows their assignment, know what’s going on defence, and to be ready when your name is called. But for us to be playing good football, it’s all about assignment, detail, communication, and playing with high energy.”

This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2026.