The venom has been sucked out of B.C. Lions' sack assault, however matchup with Stamps nonetheless one thing to sink their tooth into

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Other than the 50-point pummelling they inflicted on the B.C. Lions, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers did one thing else in Week 9 that no different CFL staff had accomplished this 12 months: maintain the Donut Boys to a giant, fats donut within the sacks column.

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The Leos’ sack assault had been a fearsome drive to begin the season, however had slowed even earlier than getting shut out by the Bombers.

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B.C. had only one in opposition to the Edmonton Elks, courtesy of Manny Rugamba off the sting, and the week earlier than in opposition to Saskatchewan, they’d three — one in all which got here on the sport’s ultimate play by Mathieu Betts. (Woody Baron had the opposite two.)

The Lions are nonetheless within the CFL’s higher echelons of quarterback tackles, tied at second with the Calgary Stampeders (25) behind the league-leading Bombers (27), however is the guide out on methods to cease them? Winnipeg definitely had them discovered final week — six offensive linemen, max safety calls, and deep balls repeatedly lobbed overtop an aggressive secondary.

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“The factor that I like about soccer is we are able to all make one another look good or we are able to all make one another not look good,” stated Lions coach Rick Campbell. “It’s a symbiotic relationship. … The D-Line has received to get there up entrance, and that’s a operate of overlaying within the again finish — and vice versa.

“That’s one thing that didn’t occur final week, however we’ve proven over our full physique of labor that we are able to try this.”

The Stampeders (3-5) keep in mind their first assembly with B.C., a 25-15 Week 1 loss at house, the place QB Jake Maier was sacked 3 times and harassed right into a 160-yard afternoon, going 19-of-35 and getting picked off as soon as. The bottom recreation didn’t get a lot traction in opposition to the B.C. entrance, both, with reigning dashing champ Ka’Deem Carey being held to 43 yards whole.

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As a staff, the Lions are giving up simply 75 yards per recreation, second greatest to Ottawa’s 61.

“There’s numerous good fronts within the league, however they’ve received energy and velocity and so they’ve received rotation,” Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson advised Postmedia’s Danny Austin.

“They do an excellent job conserving guys contemporary and so they do lots of good issues to cease the run. They convey edge stress, they combine it up inside and, actually, once they’re at their greatest is once they have the lead and may pin their ears again and are available at you.”

The Lions are hip to the truth that this isn’t the identical Stamps squad they beat to begin the season. Calgary grew to become the primary staff within the league to greatest the Toronto Argonauts in 2023, beating the Boatmen 20-7 at McMahon Stadium final week after forcing Chad Kelly to go away the sport with a second-quarter ankle harm.

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Betts, who has slowed on his file tempo however nonetheless leads the CFL in sacks (10), stated there may be nothing they should change, however on the identical time, they must do higher.

“(Winnipeg) was by far the sport the place we had the least stress, that’s for certain. That’s on us. That’s on the D-line as a gaggle,” stated Betts, whose streak of a sack each recreation ended in opposition to Edmonton, however stays on monitor to prime Brent Johnson’s file for sacks by a Canadian (17 for B.C. in 2005).

“The method to go away (the Bombers recreation) all behind is to win soccer video games. For us, it’s to exit and have a extremely good recreation in opposition to Calgary. Attempt to not get away from the sport plan, don’t do something loopy to win, simply do what it’s a must to do with the very best of your capability — excessive motor, excessive effort — and hopefully good issues will come our approach.”

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Calgary received’t make it straightforward. The Stamps have let pass-rushers get to their QB simply 16 occasions this 12 months, second solely to league-leading Toronto (10), and in the case of offence, they aren’t too far off the top-scoring posse of Winnipeg, Toronto and B.C.

However they’re trying ahead to the problem, particularly at B.C. Place, the place they’re on a 7-0 regular-season streak going again to 2016. The final Lions win over Calgary at house, aside from final 12 months’s 30-16 demolition within the West semifinal, was June 25, 2016, once they received 25-18 in Week 1.

“They’re all actually expert and (Mathieu) Betts is having a hell of a 12 months, clearly,” stated Stamps O-lineman Ryan Sceviour. “All the fellows in there work rather well collectively and so they’re bodily and so they all have good talent and so they do pretty much as good a job of dashing the passer as they do stopping the run.”

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NEXT GAME

Saturday

Calgary Stampeders (3-5) at B.C. Lions (6-2)

Time: 4 p.m. Venue: B.C. Place. TV: TSN Radio: AM730

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