B.C. Lions escape with 27-25 win over Argos thanks to late back-breaking pick

The B.C. Lions have maintained their hold on a playoff berth for the time being, but they did so by the slimmest of margins Friday night in a 27-25 road win over the Toronto Argonauts. The bizarre game-ending circumstances should have given Toronto a great chance to win, but the Lions managed to pull this one out by the skin of their teeth. That's a vital win for them, one that improves their record to 7-10 and gives them control of their own playoff destiny. They didn't acheive it in an overly-impressive manner, and they have a lot to improve on, but for now at least, they're still on track for a postseason berth. For now, that's enough of a victory.

The odd end-game circumstances here that gave B.C. the win deserve particular description. A Lions' drive stalled late, and it seemed their field-goal attempt would give Toronto at least one more chance to go for a touchdown to win. The Argos' chances then got even better when they blocked Richie Leone's field goal, leaving them inside the final minute with just a field goal needed to win, and they were already even in potential range. However, Toronto elected to try and move the ball closer to make things easier for rookie kicker Jake Rogers, B.C.'s defensive line broke through and hit quarterback Ricky Ray as he released the ball, and Lions' defensive back Ryan Phillips recorded his fifth career interception of Ray (more than anyone else has had). That let B.C. hang on for the victory, but it wasn't a particularly inspiring one.

Two other fourth-quarter special-teams miscues also hurt the Lions' chances of putting this away. With B.C. already leading 27-15, Chris Rainey took a punt return back to the house early in the quarter, but that was nullified by an illegal block. Shortly thereafter, the Lions' offence stalled and they had to punt; a blocking mistake meant that Argonauts' defensive back Travis Hawkins broke through and blocked the punt, which he then returned for a touchdown to make it 27-22 with just over 10 minutes left, a 14-point swing. A Rogers field goal then narrowed the deficit to two points and paved the way for the game-ending weirdness.

B.C. did do some things well on the night, especially defensively. They sacked Ray six times and pressured him constantly, which was a big part of why he finished with just 26 completions on 38 attempts (68.4 per cent, not bad, but below his usual standard) for just 227 yards with one touchdown and one interception. They also limited the Toronto ground game; primary running back Brandon Whitaker had just 22 yards on seven carries. However, the Lions' offence needs lots of work; running back Andrew Harris only collected 11 net yards on 10 carries (albeit with one touchdown), and quarterback Jonathan Jennings threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns, but with just a 63.6 per cent completion percentage and two interceptions. B.C. is currently set for a playoff berth, and they can clinch one Sunday if the Montreal Alouettes lose to the Edmonton Eskimos (or clinch next week with a win against Calgary if Montreal wins), but they'll have a lot of work to do to be competitive if they do get to the postseason. Friday's win was a big part of making sure they have a good chance to get there, though.