The Canadian Football League (CFL) is celebrating their 111th Grey Cup at BC Place this November. The BC Lions have won two Grey Cups as host in their history; the first in 1994 and the second in 2011. They’ve won six championships in total. This will mark the 17th time that Vancouver has hosted the Grey Cup since the Lions’ inception in 1954, and with how things look so far, it’s fair to wonder if this year might be the third time in history that the team is victorious at home.
At the time of writing, the Lions are ranked first in the West with a 5-2 record. After losing their first game of the season to the Toronto Argonauts, the Lions broke out with a five game win streak, launching them to first in the division. A loss to Calgary on July 21 knocked the Lions down to second place, but they wouldn’t be there long. The Saskatchewan Roughriders held the spot for a few days before losing to the Montreal Alouettes on July 25, bumping the Lions back up to first.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where the Lions’ success is stemming from, but one thing for certain is that this year’s team is stacked to say the least. Vernon Adams Jr. has had a dominant season so far, and is already in consideration for MOP (Most Outstanding Player). “Big Play VA” leads the league in passing yards with 2,395 as of July 30, and is second in total passing touchdowns (TDs) with 14.
Adams Jr. is on pace to be the fifth quarterback in CFL history to break 6,000 passing yards — with half the season completed, Big Play is on track to throw for approximately 6,200 passing yards and nearly 40 passing TDs. This history-making performance would put Adams Jr. in the same company as another former BC Lion and CFL Hall of Famer, Doug Flutie, who twice threw for 6,000 passing yards — including in 1991 when he played what could be the greatest season by a quarterback in CFL history. Alongside Flutie, Adams Jr. would also join the ranks of Anthony Calvillo, Kent Austin, and David Archer.
There are players to keep an eye on outside of the quarterback position as well: Justin McInnis and William Stanback are the ones to watch. McInnis has been VA’s go-to target this season, with 780 receiving yards and six receiving TDs, placing him first on the team in both categories. In the team’s last encounter with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, McInnis had 243 yards and Adams Jr. threw for 451, dominating the game to win 35-20. The BC Lions also signed two-time CFL All-Star William Stanback earlier this year, who has been making positive contributions for the team thus far.
There is a lot to be excited for if you’re a fan of the Lions. B.C. might have their eyes set on scoring records in the short-term, but come November, they hope to be locked into the Grey Cup in front of their home crowd.
