Playoff Preview: Will the Riders triumph at home, or will Lulay’s return spark the Lions?

Continuing on with our Playoff Preview series, here's a breakdown of Sunday's West Division semifinal between the B.C. Lions and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (4:30 p.m. Eastern, TSN/ESPN3). We'll be live-chatting at 55-Yard Line during both semifinal games, so swing by here at 1 p.m. Eastern Sunday. Also check out our preview of the East semifinal and our gallery of potential impact players.

Saskatchewan offence: Four Rambo commercials.

At times, the Roughriders' throwback run-first offence has shone, with Kory Sheets paving the way on the ground and Darian Durant efficiently completing passes when teams stacked the box against the run. That offence took a major hit when Sheets went down with a knee injury, though, and although it's perked up slightly since his return, it hasn't quite regained its old form. The Riders averaged 28.8 points per game on the season, second-best in the league, but in their final five games (the span since Sheets' return Oct. 5), they averaged 26.2. Sheets has been picking up rushing yards, but not quite as efficiently as he was, and the passing game's effectiveness has particularly fallen off. Durant completed just 54.8 per cent of his passes for 202 yards with one touchdown and one interception in his final game of the season (a 29-25 loss to Calgary two weeks ago), while Sheets picked up just 42 yards on 11 carries (3.8 yards per carry) in that same game. The Saskatchewan offence also took another hit this week with the news that slotback Chris Getzlaf won't be able to play thanks to a knee injury. The Riders have offensive potential, but the question is if they'll be able to live up to it.

Saskatchewan defence: Five goal-line stands.

The defence has been a much more consistent part of the Roughriders' success this year, finishing the year with the CFL's best numbers in several crucial categories. They led the league in points allowed per game (22.1), opposing completion percentage (58.2 per cent) interceptions (25) and passing first downs (181). Saskatchewan was closer to the middle of the pack in yards allowed per game (320.3, third), per pass (7.6, fourth) and per rush (5.6, fifth), but they made up for that by clamping down in the red zone and forcing turnovers. Players to watch include defensive end Alex Hall (he had 16 sacks on the year, second-best in the league, and although most of those came with Winnipeg, he may still prove a key midseason acquisition for the Riders) and defensive back Dwight Anderson (a team-high five interceptions tied him for third in the CFL).

Saskatchewan special teams: Four field-goal streaks.

The Saskatchewan kickers and punters excelled this year, with Chris Milo finishing second in the league with 186 kicking points (and second with an 88.6 per cent field goal success rate too) and Ricky Schmitt notching a 45.0 yard punting average (third-best amongst those with 10 attempts or higher). However, the team's return game wasn't as strong; Jock Sanders finished third in the league with 1,292 yards, but was over 600 yards behind Larry Taylor and Tim Brown. His averages of 7.9 yards per punt return and 22.5 yards per kick return also were more solid than spectacular, and he didn't record a touchdown in either area this year.

B.C. offence: Four mid-year pickups.

The Lions' offence should get a shot in the arm from the return of quarterback Travis Lulay, announced as their starter Saturday. Lulay looked good in a brief appearance during B.C.'s regular-season finale last week, and if he can play at the level he did before getting hurt in September, the Lions may have the edge at quarterback. Lulay completed 64.6 per cent of his passes this year (Durant only hit 61.2 per cent, and struggled down the stretch), and while his 19:11 touchdown/interception ratio wasn't as impressive as Durant's 32:12, he has a solid array of receiving threats to throw to. The addition of Stefan Logan to the backfield is a big boost for the Lions, too, as Logan has teamed with Andrew Harris to form a devastating tandem that's re-energized the team's ground game.

B.C. defence: Five black uniforms.

The B.C. defence has been consistently good this year, placing first in the league in passing yards allowed per game (245.0) and second in yards allowed per game (318.3), gain allowed per rush (5.2), rushing yards per game (94.4) and passing touchdowns allowed (27). Star playmakers include defensive back Cord Parks (second in the CFL with six picks this year) and linebacker Adam Bighill (92 tackles, fifth in the league). This defence shines at big plays too, placing second in the league with 380 interception return yards.

B.C. special teams: Four former Riders.

B.C. punter/kicker Paul McCallum may be close to the end of his career at 43, but he can still be effective; his 84.8 per cent field goal rate was third-best in the CFL this year, and he finished fourth in kicking points. His punting average of 40.6 yards per punt was less than stellar, and he had some epically bad ones, but he also displayed some great directional punting at times. The Lions also have great options in the return game; Logan has been quite good there since rejoining the team in October, averaging 25.3 yards per kick return and 7.9 per punt, but Tim Brown also did well before him, and Harris can chip in returns at times. This unit may produce some key plays Sunday.

Add them up: Saskatchewan 13, B.C. 13.

X-Factor: The conditions. It's expected to be cold in Regina Sunday (Yahoo! Weather predicts a low of -17 degrees Celsius), and that could make passing very difficult. That could favour who has the best ground game. On one hand, you'd think that might be the Roughriders, considering how many yards Sheets picked up this year, but the Lions were actually quite close on a yards-per-play basis (5.4 yards versus 5.5), and that's considering all the struggles they had before adding Logan. Down the stretch, they've been a very efficient running team, with both Logan and Harris picking up large totals and doing so without a lot of touches. The B.C. defence has also been better against the run than the Riders' unit. If the Lions go to the ground more than they have, that might help them a lot in a cold game.

Prediction: B.C. 24, Saskatchewan 21.

Come by 55-Yard Line again Sunday for a live chat during the day's games, starting at 1 p.m. Eastern.