Midseason additions Buck Pierce and Stefan Logan prove their value in B.C.’s win Friday

Friday night's CFL game between the B.C Lions and the Edmonton Eskimos didn't mean much in terms of playoff positioning, as the Lions were already locked into third place in the West Division and the Eskimos were already out of the playoffs. However, its result may still suggest something about how B.C. could do in the postseason. The Lions came away with a 43-29 victory Friday, breaking a three-game losing skid in the process and regaining some important momentum. Perhaps even more importantly, they did so thanks largely to the efforts of Stefan Logan and Buck Pierce, two midseason pickups who may play important roles in the postseason.

It was a great game for Logan, who got off to a solid start in his first game back with the Lions last week following his return from south of the border and improved on that 11 carry, 51-yard showing this week with 10 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown. He's proving a useful backfield partner to Andrew Harris, who bounced back from a bad week of his own with 11 carries for 76 yards. Logan also impressed in the return game, collecting 90 yards on four kickoff returns and adding 49 further yards on five punt returns. He did suffer an injury late in the game, so we'll see how that affects him going forwards, but if he isn't hurt too badly, he could be a critical presence for them in the playoffs.

Pierce also delivered an impressive showing, and that could also be important going forward. He spelled the ineffective Thomas DeMarco at the start of the second quarter and went on to have a great game, completing 11 of 14 passes (78.6 per cent) for 141 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. That's the kind of performance that could be quite critical to B.C.'s success in the postseason. Of course, the thinking is that starting quarterback Travis Lulay should be ready to return by then, but if he isn't, or if he's back but then gets hurt again, the Lions need a solid backup who's ready to step in at a moment's notice. While DeMarco has shown some potential over the last few weeks, he hasn't been consistently effective. The Lions traded for Pierce in September, thinking that his CFL experience and previous time in B.C.'s system could provide them with a useful backup in case something happened to Lulay. It's certainly looking like they were right.

Of course, this B.C. win should be taken with a grain of salt. The Lions were 9-7 heading into this, while the Eskimos were just 3-13, so a B.C. win at home is far from unexpected. Moreover, Edmonton didn't particularly play well here; quarterback Mike Reilly threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns, but completed just 58.9 per cent of his passes with two interceptions and was held to 25 rushing yards on five carries, while running backs Hugh Charles and John White collected just 33 yards on seven carries. The Eskimos' defence also was in less than stellar form. Still, despite the opposition, there were plenty of good signs here for the Lions, especially from a couple of their most recent acquisitions. We'll see if they can keep that strong form up heading into the playoffs.