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The margins were thin.
For all intents and purposes, the Calgary Stampeders (1-1) put up a good fight against the host B.C. Lions (1-1) and showed that they’re able to compete against a presumed Grey Cup favourites.
They wanted a win, though.
After a couple seasons where they’ve repeatedly lost in games that matter to a Lions team that has emerged as many expert’s pick for the West Division’s top Grey Cup contender, the Stampeders were open about wanting to make a statement in Vancouver on Saturday night.
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Instead, a late Dedrick Mills fumble stalled their momentum, and the Stamps would wind up on the losing end of a 26-17 scoreline.
That’s not the end of the world.
Saturday’s game will largely be remembered for the 50 Cent performance that opened the proceedings and a relatively competitive early season showdown between two teams that will need to be a lot better later in the season than they were this weekend if they want to legitimately win the Grey Cup.
But with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers losing to the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday evening and falling to 0-2, it’s clear that the CFL’s West Division is there for the taking.
Beating the Lions would have put the Stamps at 2-0, and a four-game lead on the Bombers is big enough that you could already start talking about a shift in the balance in power in the West.
And for the first part of Saturday’s game, it felt like the Stampeders were up for the fight.
Quarterback Jake Maier had a decent enough game, completing 26-of-33 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns, although he had an interception, as well.
And Mills was dangerous on almost every play, running the ball for 46 yards on 11 carries and also catching six passes for 99 yards. His late-game fumble, though, will be what he remembers from Saturday’s game.
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That’s no exaggeration. With the Stamps down by six points and confidently moving the ball up the field with only a couple minutes left, they only needed to keep possession and find the end zone and a win was completely within their grasp.
Instead, they fumbled and the Lions scored a game-sealing field goal.
There were other concerns, too, most notably the four sacks that the Calgary offensive line allowed. The Stamps have built a decent offence, but there are going to be questions about the protection they are providing Maier until they prove they can keep him standing.
That they didn’t officially register any sacks against a Lions o-line that had allowed six of them a week earlier against the admittedly high-powered Toronto Argonauts’ defensive line is a bit of a worry, too. You need to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, plain and simple.
But ultimately, a Week 2 loss against the Lions only tells us so much. The Stampeders dropped a game to a presumed contender. It happens.
They get a bye this week and return against the Bombers. Beat them, and you’ll have put a rival knee-deep in the mud. The Stamps are tied on wins with the Lions and Saturday night represents a significant step forward from the way they were absolutely manhandled by the Lions in Vancouver last summer.
You don’t want to lose, nobody’s saying that, and it doesn’t necessarily look like every issue from last season’s underwhelming year has been resolved.
But the Stampeders put up a fight.
And they know they’ve got to have more if they want to beat these Lions.
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