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- What: Calgary Stampeders vs BC Lions
- When: Saturday, June 15th
- Where: BC Place
Week 2 of the CFL season will bring an intriguing matchup in the Western Conference between two good teams as the Calgary Stampeders visit Vernon Adams and the BC Lions. The kick-off on Saturday is scheduled for 7 PM ET at BC Place in Vancouver. Calgary is coming off an impressive win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in their season opener, while BC wasn’t so fortunate. The West finalists fell to the Toronto Argonauts, who are currently without quarterback Chad Kelly due to suspension. Continue reading for the Calgary Stampeders vs BC Lions picks.
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Stampeders vs Lions Odds
| Team |  |  |  |
| Calgary Stampeders | +330 | +305 | +325 |
| BC Lions | -410 | -410 | -410 |
The Lions are a heavy home favorite with -410 moneyline odds for an implied win probability of 80.39%. The Stampeders return at +330 and have a 23.26% chance of taking this contest. BC is laying 7.5 points on the spread, while the total is set at 51 points.
British Columbia won three of four meetings with the Stampeders last season.
Stamps Looking to Keep it Rolling
Calgary finished 6-12 last season and ultimately lost in the west semifinals to you guessed it, the Lions. For a team that used to be the class of the CFL, finishing below .500 is not familiar territory. And with the conference always getting stronger and stronger, it will be another tough campaign for the Stamps. Injuries and inconsistent play were key factors in how 2023 unfolded and unfortunately, they were dealt a brutal injury in training camp as WR1 Malik Henry went down.
That said, Calgary showed well in Week 1 against the Tiger-Cats with a 32-24 victory. Jake Maier was productive under center, completing 21 of 26 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. The running back room absolutely destroyed Hamilton’s defense, with Dedrick Mills rushing for 6.7 yards per carry. BJ Emmons also had five carries for 23 yards in the win. Out wide, Clark Barnes stepped up and reeled in six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. The Stamps took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter before blowing it open in the second. The Tiger-Cats scored 17 points and made it close in the fourth quarter, but Calgary ultimately held on.
While it was just one game, Maier certainly got off to a good start after an underwhelming 23′ campaign, throwing for 19 touchdowns against 15 picks. If the Stampeders are going to be competitive in the West, he needs to be a lot better. When it comes to defensively, this is a strong team. They will be relying on that to win them games at times, especially if the offense isn’t thriving.
BC Needs to Bounce Back
The Lions went into Week 1 as a heavy favorite because of Toronto’s quarterback situation. Instead of living up to expectations and taking advantage, BC fell flat on their faces and lost 35-27. Adams had a pretty big day at QB, completing 25 of 33 passes for 363 yards and two TDs against just one INT. Justin McInnis was his primary target, catching seven passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. The running backs didn’t have the greatest day but overall, the Lions offense did their job. The defense? Well, they didn’t.
Cameron Dukes ended up throwing three touchdowns and also wreaked havoc on the ground along with Ka’Deem Carey. British Columbia honestly had no answers for the Argonauts’ offense, evident by the 35 points they allowed. The Lions have one of the better offenses in the league, it simply comes down to being able to stop the opponent. That’ll be important on Sunday as they aim to stop Maier and Co.
Winning this game is absolutely crucial for the Lions. This is a squad who has lost in the west finals in back-to-back seasons and has serious Grey Cup aspirations. Getting off to a 0-2 start wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it wouldn’t be ideal, either. This is also their first game of the season at home, so BC Place should be rocking.
Calgary Stampeders vs BC Lions Picks
The Lions tend to perform well on home soil and have the Stampeders’ number in recent memory. I do believe they will put together a more complete performance on both sides of the ball and win this one. BC has covered the spread in their last three victories over Calgary and it will happen again.
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