B.C. Lions secure playoff spot with 41-20 decision over winless Ottawa Redblacks

B.C. Lions' Keon Hatcher Sr. (4), quarterback Nathan Rourke, back second right, and Michael Couture, back right, celebrate Hatcher Sr.'s touchdown during the first half of a CFL game against the Ottawa Redblacks, in Vancouver, on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

VANCOUVER — Clinching a playoff spot seemed a distant dream for the B.C. Lions early this season.

Sometimes dreams come true.

Despite starting the campaign with a 1-5 record, the Lions have become one of the CFL’s hottest teams in recent weeks. A 41-20 victory over the beleaguered Ottawa Redblacks on Friday marked B.C.’s ninth win in 10 games and punched the club’s playoff ticket.

“It’s big,” defensive linebacker Mathieu Betts said of the milestone. “I mean, it’s step one for sure. We’ve got two weeks to get the best seed as possible. We’re well aware of that.”

The Redblacks (0-16) tested the surging Lions (10-6) at times, cutting the home side’s lead to just three points in the third quarter, but ultimately couldn’t complete the comeback and suffered the team’s 22nd straight loss dating back to last season.

“We just didn’t make enough plays,” said Ottawa’s head coach Ryan Dinwiddie. “Offensively, we had some opportunities and just didn’t make them.”

Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke threw for 360 yards, connecting on 25 of his 31 pass attempts with three touchdowns and an interception as his Lions (10-6) stretched their win streak to four games.

B.C. running back Zander Horvath rushed for 89 yards on 14 carries and drove in two majors, while James Butler amassed 76 rushing yards and a TD.

Ottawa’s McLeod Bethel-Thompson went 25 for 35 on his pass attempts, tallying 253 yards with a touchdown toss. He was sacked five times and recorded one interception.

The Lions got off to a hot start Friday, scoring on the first possession of the game.

Rourke orchestrated an eight-play, 84-yard drive that ended with Keon Hatcher Sr. collecting a sharp pass directly under the uprights for B.C.’s first major of the night less than five minutes into the opening quarter.

The home side padded its lead midway through the first. Running back Zander Horvath took the ball on a short-yardage play and darted over the goal line. Sean Whyte’s single-point convert gave the Lions an early 14-0 advantage.

Ottawa responded when QB Bethel-Thompson found Daniel Adeboboye on a short pass, and the Canadian running back sprinted 18 yards upfield and into the end zone. The Redblacks settled for six points when Paul Geelen’s single-point convert went wide.

The visitors added another three points early in the second, thanks to Paul Geelen’s 38-yard field goal.

B.C. regained a double-digit cushion before halftime when Rourke sailed a 26-yard pass to Stanley Berryhill.

With less than a minute left in the first half, the Redblacks gained some momentum when Alonzo Addae picked off Rourke’s pass at midfield. The play marked the first time the Canadian quarterback was intercepted in 131 attempts over four games.

Ottawa worked the ball into B.C. territory, and Geelen booted a 24-yard field goal to trim the Lions’ lead to 21-12 going into halftime.

He put a 52-yard kick through the uprights early in the third quarter to bring the visitors within six points.

The Redblacks forced a turnover minutes later after Rourke sent a short pass toward Hatcher at Ottawa’s 36-yard line. Amani Bledsoe levelled Hatcher and came up from a dog pile with the ball, putting his team back on offence.

Bethel-Thompson capitalized on the possession, firing a rocket upfield to Justin Hardy for a 37-yard gain. An unnecessary roughness call on B.C. linebacker Darnell Sankey further improved Ottawa’s position, but the Redblacks settled for an 18-yard field goal from Geelen that cut their deficit to 21-18.

The Lions refused to relent.

“I think we’ve faced a lot of adversity, and certainly know how to respond when our back is up against the wall,” Rourke said.

“Look, I think if anyone came into this game thinking that Ottawa wasn’t going to play well and put some points up and make it close … I think they were dead wrong. And so we weren’t surprised by any means that they played good football.”

Horvath sparked the next scoring drive, plowing his way toward the Ottawa end zone for a 33-yard gain. He finished the drive by diving over a pile on the goal line for his second touchdown of the night and 21st of the season. Whyte’s convert put the Lions up 28-18.

It took B.C. just moments to regain possession. Casey Sayles sacked Bethel-Thompson, and Sankey jumped on the loose ball, turning it over.

His teammates took advantage, with Rourke tossing an eight-yard dart to Jevon Cottoy for a touchdown. Whyte’s convert attempt sailed wide of the uprights and into the hands of Ottawa’s Kalil Pimpleton.

Pimpleton sprinted up the field, evading several tackles, and ending his run in the Lions’ end zone for two points.

The adjustments B.C. made in the third came as little surprise to head coach Buck Pierce.

“I think the way our defence is able to adapt and communicate and just kind of continue to grow and get better as the game goes on – that’s what you want from your team, right?” he said. “You want them to be able to make the adjustments, look at reality and what’s happening, and then go out and fix those things. And that’s what they’ve been doing all year.”

The Lions pulled away midway through the fourth quarter on two big runs by Butler.

The speedster took the ball from Rourke and took off, getting 55 yards up the field before being felled by Kahzir Brown. Butler later accepted another handoff from his QB and dashed 14 yards for a touchdown. This time, Whyte made the convert and B.C. took a 41-20 lead.

Pierce liked the way his team didn’t panic when Friday’s game grew close.

Instead, they rallied.

“I think the group believes the next time they take the field that they’re gonna be able to accomplish something great,” the coach said. “And if you walk up and down our sidelines, you’re with those guys in meetings and throughout the course of the week, they’re able to continue to believe if they get another opportunity, then we’re going to be successful.”

Up Next

Redblacks: Host the Toronto Argonauts on Friday, Oct. 16.

Lions: Visit the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday, Oct. 17.

This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2026.