Lions roll past Redblacks for fifth straight win

The C. Lions continued their surge with a 45-24 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on Sunday night at TD Place. The win was the Lions' fifth consecutive and improved their record to 6-5, while the Redblacks dropped to 0-11 on the season.

The game was tied at 17-17 at halftime, but the Lions pulled away in the second half, outscoring Ottawa 28-7, as reported by TSN.

Zander Horvath was the star of the night, rushing for 164 yards and four touchdowns on his way to leading the Lions' offensive attack. He also added four catches for 30 yards, according to a report from CP24. Horvath's performance put him at a league-leading 13 touchdowns this season, while his 625 rushing yards ranks fifth in the CFL.

"It's never a one-man show, it's about everyone doing their job out there," Horvath said, as quoted by CP24. "I think we executed on offence, defence, special teams and just locked in toward the end of the game."

Lions head coach Buck Pierce credited Horvath's development and the team's balanced approach.

"I think him and James Butler make each other better," Pierce said, according to CP24. "We're able to mix it up a little bit to keep those guys fresh and you've got to credit the O-line too, and the receivers for doing a great job on some of those runs."

Butler contributed 45 yards on seven carries. Quarterback Nathan Rourke also played a key role, completing 22 of 25 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns, though he threw two interceptions in the first half, both picked off by Alonzo Addae, as detailed by CP24.

Redblacks' struggles continue

The Redblacks' troubles were particularly evident in their rushing attack. Ottawa finished the game with minus-three net rushing yards and remain last in the league with 548 rushing yards on the season, as noted in CP24's report.

Ottawa's head coach Ryan Dinwiddie acknowledged the ongoing issue.

"I mean, if we can just get to second and six, if we just get four yards and then we can still have a run game available on second down," Dinwiddie said, as quoted by CP24. "It's been a problem all year."

The loss extends Ottawa's winless streak to 17 games, the longest in the CFL's modern era. The Redblacks have not won since Sept. 5, 2025, and with a bye week, they will not play again until Sept. 12, when they visit the Toronto Argonauts.

Quarterback Jake Maier also made an unfortunate piece of history, becoming the first quarterback to start a season with 11 straight losses, according to both CP24 and TSN.

Social media post draws criticism

After the game, the Lions took to the X platform with a post that appeared to mock the Redblacks' struggles. The post read, in part, as reported by TSN:

"The BC Lions have decided to respectfully refrain from posting win memes tonight out of an abundance of caution for the well-being of the Ottawa Redblacks and their fans. Please know the BC Lions are excited about their win but extend the deepest of sympathy for all those who experienced another loss tonight."

The post generated mixed reactions across social media. Several prominent figures in Canadian football voiced their disapproval.

Dave Campbell, the Edmonton Elks' radio colour analyst, said, as quoted by TSN: "I slept on it and yeah, I don't like this at all. I've seen up close what it's like for an organization to struggle and fan base that is discouraged by it."

Former Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Troy Westwood commented, "Wow. Cold," according to TSN. Hamilton-based sports anchor Clint (Bubba) O'Neil called the tweet a "cheap shot" and a "poor look," as TSN reported.

Chris Hofley, a former Redblacks communications manager, also weighed in, posting on X: "Love chirps from team accounts. But if you're going to go this way the statement has to be at least a bit clever. This is just trying too hard to end up with cheap grasping at low-hanging fruit," as reported by TSN.

As of Monday afternoon, the post remained on the Lions' Twitter account, according to TSN. There was no immediate comment from the Redblacks.