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Streveler in spotlight as Bombers open Week 2 slate vs. Lions on TSN
The 2025 CFL season continues on Thursday June 12 and TSN has you covered with all of the action from Week 2 as the new campaign kicks into high gear.
The 2025 CFL season continues on Thursday June 12 and TSN has you covered with all of the action from Week 2 as the new campaign kicks into high gear.
Lions vs. Blue Bombers - June 12
Week 2 begins on Thursday with a 2023 Western Final rematch featuring Nathan Rourke and the BC Lions against Chris Streveler and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg’s quest for a sixth straight Grey Cup appearance kicks off Week 2, as they’ll look to make it back to the big dance as the hosts in 2025. Of course, they will be without starting quarterback Zach Collaros for this tilt as he serves his one-game suspension for failing to make himself available for a drug test.
Instead, it will presumably be Streveler taking the reins, who returned to the club on a one-year deal this offseason. The 30-year-old made one start for an injured Collaros in 2024, finishing the year with 343 yards and one touchdown through the air and 272 yards and 10 touchdowns along the ground.
Streveler will look to help Winnipeg get off to a better start than they did in 2024, losing their first four games and beginning last season 2-6. The Bombers would, however, go on to win nine of their last 10 and ride the wave all the way to the big dance.
The Lions will hit the road after a dominant and groovy home opener. Why was it groovy? Because legendary rapper Snoop Dogg got the party started pre-game in the team's fourth annual concert kickoff.
Why did BC win a decisive 31-14 bout against Edmonton? Look no further than former Most Outstanding Canadian Nathan Rourke. The 27-year-old led all players in Week 1 with a 90.8 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus (PFF), thanks to 324 yards and three touchdowns through the air, earning offensive player of the week honours in the process.
BC’s 446 net yards offensively lead the league, as the duo of Stanley Berryhill III and Jevon Cottoy were the biggest recipients of the Canadian pivots' big day. The pair combined for 13 catches, 193 yards, and two touchdowns as the offence as a whole will try to trend in the right direction against what has traditionally been a stout Winnipeg defence.
Alouettes vs. Redblacks - June 13
The Montreal Alouettes and their shutdown defence will travel to the nation’s capital to take on the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday.
If there’s one thing you can take from the Alouettes 28-10 victory over the Toronto Argonauts, it’s that the defence is still top tier. The Alouettes only allowed more than 26 points five times last season while averaging 22.4 points against all year. The unit continued its stifling style last week, only allowing 10 points to Toronto.
Leading the way on that side of the ball was the linebacking duo of Tyrice Beverette and Darnell Sankey. The former continued to build off his Most Outstanding Defensive Player runner-up season last year, recording four tackles and one interception. Two-time All-CFL member Darnell Sankey was just as good, notching four tackles of his own and registering a sack.
Offensively, Davis Alexander began his journey as the Als face of the franchise, remaining undefeated as a starter (5-0) after winning four straight starts in 2024. While only throwing for 205 yards, one touchdown, and an interception, he was efficient, completing 19-of-26 passes for the third highest completion percentage of the week (73.1 percent). The 26-year-old also spread the ball around, with receivers Austin Mack, Tyson Philpot, Charleston Rambo, and Tyler Snead all making three or more grabs.
Ottawa’s offence, however, was fantastic in Week 1 against a usually suffocating back-seven in Riderville. Second-year starter Dru Brown was slinging, completing 34-of-41 (82.9 percent) passes for a league leading 413 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately for Redblacks fans, the 28-year-old has been ruled out for the team’s home opener with an unspecified injury.
That means Matthew Shiltz will take over as the starter after taking first team reps at practice all week. The 32-year-old was brought in on a one-year deal this offseason to compete for a backup spot in the nation's capital. With the Calgary Stampeders last season, Shiltz appeared in three games, throwing for 438 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Ottawa was already going to be in tough against this Alouettes defence, but with no Brown, it will provide an even bigger challenge.
Stampeders vs. Argonauts - June 14
The first game of Saturday’s doubleheader features the Calgary Stampeders hitting the road to match up with the Toronto Argonauts.
It was a tale of opposite offensive performances last week, as the Stampeders put up the most points in Week 1 (38) and the Argonauts put up the least (10).
It was a good first step for the new-look Stamps offence led by Vernon Adams Jr., as the unit put up the second most net offence last week in addition to the boatload of points. It was largely thanks to Dedrick Mills, who was the highest graded running back in Week 1 after rumbling for 94 yards and three touchdowns along the ground while also snagging three catches for 30 yards. The offence as a whole was rolling, with the big boys up front not allowing a single sack and third year Canadian receiver Clark Barnes catching four passes for 122 yards.
Toronto on the other hand would probably like to forget last week’s 28-10 loss to the Alouettes as their offence will look to perform better this time around. They’ll more than likely still be without former Most Outstanding Player quarterback Chad Kelly, however. Per TSN’s Matthew Scianitti, Kelly is in pads but not practicing as he is still recovering from breaking his tibia and fibula in the East Final last season. Taking first team reps once again was Nick Arbuckle, who struggled in the season opener.
The 31-year-old only completed 20-of-32 passes for 273 yards, throwing two interceptions, and leading only one of two teams in Week 1 to have only one offensive touchdown (Hamilton). The 2024 Grey Cup MVP filled in admirably in the playoffs last season, helping Toronto capture its second Grey Cup in three years.
Roughriders vs. Tiger-Cats - June 14
Week 2 closes with the second-half of Saturday’s doubleheader as the Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
One of the biggest questions looming over the Roughriders heading into the year was would the offensive line be improved, and after offseason acquisitions Sean McEwen and Phillippe Gagnon hit the six-game injured list, it seemed like it was going to be more of the same.
That wasn’t the case.
The unit was sturdy in Week 1, allowing just one pressure in the pass game and averaging 1.4 yards before contact per carry, third highest in the CFL. Trevon Tate, who kicked into guard from his usual tackle spot, and Logan Ferland, who moved to centre from his usual guard spot, both didn’t lose a single pass protection rep all game, per PFF.
Saskatchewan’s injury bug kept biting, however, as the team suffered more injuries not just up front, but across the whole squad. Tackle Payton Collins, receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker, running back A.J. Ouellette, and worst of all, reigning defensive player of the year Rolan Milligan Jr., all left with injuries. The Riders were still able to squeak out a 31-26 win over the Redblacks with some help from Samuel Emilus, who caught all eight of his targets for 133 yards and a major, earning the week’s highest non-quarterback grade at 88.9.
The Tiger-Cats offence was very imbalanced in the team’s 38-26 loss to the Stampeders, throwing the ball 50 times compared to running it 14 times, one of which was by the punter. Hamilton also had a pitiful second down conversion rate, only completing 30.4 percent of the time, nearly 12 percent less than the eighth place Argos (42.1 percent).
MOP runner-up Bo Levi Mitchell performed fairly well with the large workload, however, completing 31-of-50 passes for 304 yards and one touchdown. The chemistry between Mitchell and prized free agent acquisition Kenny Lawler took a big first step, as the 30-year-old finished with six receptions for 87 yards and the lone offensive touchdown. The offence will have to be more efficient as Saskatchewan brings a physical and stout defence into Tim Horton's Field.
Hamilton had to find scoring in other ways in the form of Isaiah Wooden, who returned a 105-yard kick for a touchdown, totaling over 200 yards on returns on the day.