Fresh-look B.C. Lions aim to spoil Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ playoff bid

VANCOUVER — On paper, the B.C. Lions don’t have a lot to play for in the final week of the CFL’s regular season.

That isn’t the way head coach Buck Pierce and his players see it, though.

“You play to win. You don’t do it any other way,” said the former CFL quarterback. “These guys are excited to take the field and go out and play. And there’s one way to play, and that’s as hard as you can.”

The Lions (10-7) have already clinched a playoff spot and will host the West Division semifinal on Oct. 31 regardless of what happens when they take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-9) in Vancouver on Friday.

The stakes are much higher for the Bombers — Winnipeg needs a victory to earn its 10th straight post-season berth.

A B.C. win would end Winnipeg’s season and put the idle Calgary Stampeders (9-9) in the playoffs.

“We just want to give ourselves an opportunity to compete in the post-season,” star running back Brady Oliveira said after practice on Wednesday. “So we have a great opportunity ahead of us. It’s win or go home. And we’re not going home.”

The Lions and Bombers have already faced off once this season, with backup quarterback Kaidon Salter powering B.C. to a 35-19 victory back on July 30.

The 23-year-old American rushed for 160 yards in the contest and added another 96 yards — with a touchdown — through the air.

It’s a performance Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea remembers all too well.

“He’s very fleet-footed and if you just leave him there in the pocket, too, I imagine he can get the passing going,” O’Shea said of Salter. “Certainly a tough opponent.”

Salter will take the starting role once again on Friday, coming in for Nathan Rourke.

“Regardless of the guys who’s playing and who’s not playing, whoever’s out there on that field, this is an opportunity for us,” Salter said. “So we got to take full advantage of our opportunity. We’re just going out there to win this game.”

The QB swap is one of nine personnel changes Pierce is making for Friday’s game.

Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun is listed as Salter’s backup and could see his first CFL action, while return specialist Seven McGee will play his first game since picking up a foot injury in B.C.’s season opener.

Emani Bailey will start at running back for the Lions, with Zander Horvath in behind him.

Horvath has been B.C.’s No. 1 rusher this season and is on the cusp of both franchise and league history.

The 27-year-old American has chalked up 18 rushing majors — one short of the CFL single-season record set by Mike Pringle — and three receiving TDs for a total of 21. The Lions’ record for touchdowns in a season is 22, held by Cory Philpot, while the league mark is Milt Stegall’s 23.

Several other Lions stars — including receivers Keon Hatcher Sr. and Justin McInnis — won’t dress for the matchup.

“I wouldn’t call it rest,” Pierce said of the moves. “I mean, the guys are working. The guys are out here (at practice), they’re dialed into what we’re doing.

“And it’s pro football, right? So it’s important for us to make sure that we’re playing at our best. But I believe in the group for putting the work in to allow that to happen.”

The Bombers need to be at their best no matter who the Lions put out on the field, O’Shea said.

“I don’t think you’ll find a pro who takes the field — whatever anybody else wants to call them — who doesn’t think they’re a starter and isn’t going to have their foot on the gas the entire time,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press