The same B.C. Lions that lost five straight games are now the talk of the CFL as they prepare to host the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night.

Amazing what two straight decisive wins against Eastern powerhouses will do for a team.

After stomping Ottawa 38-12 on Aug. 31 in the Touchdown Pacific game in Victoria, B.C., to improve to 4-1 at home, the Lions traveled across three time zones in a short week and ripped defending CFL champion Montreal 37-23 on Sept. 6.

Star quarterback Nathan Rourke’s return to form has been the main storyline, but it’s far from the only narrative with B.C. (7-6), which enters the game tied atop the West with idle Winnipeg.

The Lions have as many weapons as anyone in the league with veteran running back William Stanback, who leads the league with 938 yards, and receiver Justin McInnis, who has a league-high 1,074 receiving yards and seven scores.

“We’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they get the ball in their hands,” Rourke said. “So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible. We’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game.”

That’s where it seemed the Argonauts were last year when they cruised to the CFL’s best record before Montreal whipped them 38-17 in the Eastern finals. This year, Toronto — which is 1-5 on the road — hasn’t found the same consistency. After a 41-27 loss Saturday at Ottawa, the Argonauts are 6-6, although the incompetence of Hamilton (3-9) means their playoff spot is all but assured.

Quarterback Chad Kelly, who sat out the first nine games under a league suspension, tossed four interceptions against the Redblacks. He went 36 of 56 for 463 yards and three scores but most of that was meaningless after Toronto trailed 31-3 at halftime.

The Argos won the teams’ first meeting 35-27 on June 9 at Toronto.

The Lions listed five players as questionable for the game on the injury report: defensive linemen Nathan Cherry (knee) and Amir Siddiqi (knee), offensive linemen David Knevel (ankle) and Anu Una (knee) and fullback David Mackie (hamstring).

The Argos have ruled out linebackers David Kwamou (knee) and Wynton McManis (groin), defensive linemen Jared Brinkman (ankle) and Thiadric Hansen (hip), wide receivers Dejon Brissett (knee), defensive backs Jonathan Eduoard (elbow) and Jamie Harry (hip) and offensive lineman Gregor Mackellar (toe).

–Field Level Media

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