When the B.C. Lions and Calgary Stampeders step onto the field in the CFL's West semifinal, the matchup will carry more than the usual playoff stakes.
It's a duel that features everything you could ask for in a high-stakes game: a team trying to capitalize on momentum, both sides looking for redemption and one player looking to earn a measure of revenge.
It took some time for the Lions to find their form this season, but now they enter the playoffs on a six-game win streak, claiming second place in the division with an 11-7 record after Calgary owned the spot for most of the season.
Meanwhile, the Stampeders ended the regular season with three straight wins and had been looking to regain their earlier form. After back-to-back seasons with a losing record, Calgary returned to a playoff position with an identical 11-7 record but ended up in third because it didn't have the tiebreaker.
Here’s a capsule look at the West semifinal.
The schedule
Saturday, 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 a.m. PT, BC Place Stadium in Vancouver.
The line
The Lions were favoured by 5 points as of Thursday by BetMGM.
Weather
Won't be a factor with BC Place Stadium being a closed dome.
At stake
The winner heads to Saskatchewan to face the Roughriders (12-6) in the West final on Nov. 8.
The Lions and Stampeders will be looking to go on extended playoff runs as the West final goes through Saskatchewan for the first time since 2019.
Season series
B.C. won both games against Calgary during the regular season pretty handily.
The first matchup came in Week 16 as the Lions enjoyed a massive offensive performance from Nathan Rourke, who rushed for three touchdowns and threw for two in a decisive 52-23 win.
Then, in Week 18, the Lions had another convincing 38-24 win as Rourke threw for 414 yards and four touchdowns, while the Stampeders struggled to get much going offensively until the fourth quarter. Vernon Adams Jr. recorded 303 yards and two touchdowns but he threw three interceptions that proved too much for his team to overcome.
Playoff history
The Lions are in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, but have lost back-to-back appearances in the semifinal. The last time B.C. reached a Grey Cup was back in 2011.
Calgary's 18-year playoff streak ended last year when the Stampeders finished a league-worst 5-12-1. Before that, Calgary lost four straight appearances in the West semifinal and is looking to book its first Grey Cup berth since 2018.
Three key matchups
Nathan Rourke (B.C.) vs. Vernon Adams Jr. (Calgary)
On paper, you could not ask for a more enticing matchup between quarterbacks.
However, there's much more in this battle between Rourke and Adams Jr. than just the stat sheet, considering both were a part of the same locker room last season with the Lions.
It's safe to say that it won't be hard for Adams Jr. to find motivation for this game. Not only will he be going up against a former teammate, but it's also the player who took his job as the Lions' starting quarterback.
Now in Calgary, Adams Jr. has been one of the league’s steadiest veterans in 2025, throwing for 4,247 yards, 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while rushing for another 332 yards and two majors.
It was a respectable year for the 32-year-old, who was tasked with trying to revive a Calgary team that was in the basement of the league. He certainly did that as the Stampeders saw a six-win improvement with him at quarterback, and when he was dealing with injuries, the team had their struggles.
Rourke, meanwhile, backed up the Lions' decision to stick with him as their quarterback, finishing second in both passing yards (5,290) and touchdowns (31), and was also the CFL's top rushing quarterback, registering 564 yards and 10 touchdowns.
His production earned him a finalist nod for both the MOP and the top Canadian award.
Neither quarterback is shy about going for big plays, and they've both been guilty of throwing their fair share of interceptions.
It'll be interesting to see which quarterback can limit the mistakes without taking away their desire to test the opposing secondary, but Rourke's rushing ability will give him another advantage in this matchup.
Lions receivers vs. Stampeders secondary
Calgary's pass defence struggled to limit quarterbacks through the air this season, allowing the second-most yards per game, but was also tied for second in interceptions.
It won't be an easy task to stop a Lions receiving group that features two wideouts who finished in the top three in receiving yards. Keon Hatcher had a career-best season with 1,688 yards and nine touchdowns as Rourke's favourite target, but Justin McInnis wasn't too far behind with 1,256 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Stampeders' calling card this season was their bend-don't-break mentality on defence.
However, the combined 90 points scored in the two games against Calgary suggest that the Lions found a way to negate the Stampeders' biggest strength on defence.
Dave Dickenson (Calgary) vs. Buck Pierce (B.C.)
Once teammates during their time together in B.C., head coaches Pierce and Dickenson are no strangers to this stage — but to different degrees.
The experience in this game certainly favours Dickenson, who has 17 seasons of experience on the sidelines, including nine as Calgary's head coach. He has won five Grey Cups — three as a player and two as a coach, with his last coming in 2018.
Pierce is a first-year head coach after spending 10 seasons as an assistant with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where he appeared in five consecutive Grey Cup games, winning a pair of trophies.
It's a different experience altogether for Pierce, who has helped this Lions offence reach another level, but playoff games bring a different level of pressure. Before leaving the Blue Bombers, Pierce had been a part of a coaching staff that lost three straight Grey Cup appearances.
There isn't much that Dickenson hasn't seen as a head coach, but he'll have his hands full trying to find a way to stump a Lions team that's had his number on multiple occasions this season.
Prediction
Lions 38, Stampeders 23
