The 2018 BC Lions season was the 61st season for the team in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and their 65th overall. The Lions improved upon their 7–11 record from 2017 and clinched a playoff berth following a week 19 win over the Edmonton Eskimos.[1] They returned to the playoffs following a one-year absence where they missed the playoffs for the first time since 1996. However, the team lost the East Semi-Final to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by a 40-point margin, which is the largest in the Lions' playoff history.[2]
| 2018 BC Lions season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Ed Hervey |
| Head coach | Wally Buono |
| Home field | BC Place Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–9 |
| Division place | 4th, West |
| Playoff finish | Lost East Semi-Final |
| Team MOP | Ty Long |
| Team MOC | Boseko Lokombo |
| Team MOR | Claudell Louis |
| Uniform | |
 | |
On November 30, 2017, Wally Buono stepped down as general manager, being replaced by Ed Hervey in that role. Buono stayed on as head coach, which was his 12th and final season in that role.[3] He finished his Lions coaching tenure with a record of 129–86–1, making the playoffs in 11 of his 12 seasons coached and winning two Grey Cup championships.
This was the ninth consecutive season that the Lions held their training camp at Hillside Stadium in Kamloops, British Columbia.[4] Main camp opened Sunday, May 20, 2018, with rookies reporting earlier.[4]
Offseason
CFL draft
The 2018 CFL Draft took place on May 3, 2018.[5] The Lions had seven selections in the eight round draft, but have made several trades for positioning. They traded their fourth-round pick to Ottawa for Odell Willis, but got first and second-round picks from Winnipeg in exchange for the Lions' second-round pick this year and a first-round pick next year.[6][7] The team acquired Saskatchewan's sixth-round pick in exchange for Mike Edem and the Lions' eighth-round pick.[8][9]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Peter Godber | OL | Rice | Toronto, ON |
| 1 | 7 | Julien Laurent | DL | Georgia State | Toronto, ON |
| 2 | 16 | David Mackie | RB | Western | Jackson's Point, ON |
| 3 | 21 | David Knevel | OL | Nebraska | Brantford, ON |
| 5 | 34 | Isaiah Guzylak-Messam | DB | Wilfrid Laurier | Hamilton, ON |
| 6 | 47 | Rashari Henry | DL | Wilfrid Laurier | Ottawa, ON |
| 7 | 54 | William Watson | WR | British Columbia | Surrey, BC |
Preseason
Schedule
| Week | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | TV | Venue | Attendance | Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | ||||||||
| A | Bye | ||||||||
| B | Fri, June 1 | 6:00 p.m. PDT | at Calgary Stampeders | W 36–23 | 1–0 | None | McMahon Stadium | 24,681 | Recap |
| C | Fri, June 8 | 7:30 p.m. PDT | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers | W 34–21 | 2–0 | TSN | BC Place | 15,237 | Recap |
- # Games played with colour uniforms.
Regular season
Standings
| Team | GP | W | L | T | Pts | PF | PA | Div | Stk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary Stampeders | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 26 | 522 | 363 | 5–5 | W1 | Details |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 24 | 450 | 444 | 7–3 | W2 | Details |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 20 | 550 | 419 | 4–6 | L1 | Details |
| BC Lions | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 423 | 473 | 4–6 | L2 | Details |
| Edmonton Eskimos | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 482 | 471 | 5–5 | W1 | Details |
Schedule
| Week | Game | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | TV | Venue | Attendance | Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Sat, June 16 | 7:00 p.m. PDT | Montreal Alouettes | W 22–10 | 1–0 | TSN/RDS/ESPN2 | BC Place | 20,182 | Recap |
| 2 | Bye | |||||||||
| 3 | 2 | Fri, June 29 | 7:00 p.m. PDT | @ Edmonton Eskimos | L 22–41 | 1–1 | TSN/ESPN2 | Commonwealth Stadium | 29,940 | Recap |
| 4 | 3 | Sat, July 7 | 5:30 p.m. PDT | @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers | L 19–41 | 1–2 | TSN | Investors Group Field | 26,567 | Recap |
| 5 | 4 | Sat, July 14 | 7:00 p.m. PDT | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | W 20–17 | 2–2 | TSN | BC Place | 19,541 | Recap |
| 6 | 5 | Fri, July 20 | 4:30 p.m. PDT | @ Ottawa Redblacks | L 25–29 | 2–3 | TSN/RDS | TD Place Stadium | 21,319 | Recap |
| 7 | Bye | |||||||||
| 8 | 6 | Sat, Aug 4 | 6:00 p.m. PDT | @ Calgary Stampeders | L 18–27 | 2–4 | TSN | McMahon Stadium | 25,075 | Recap |
| 9 | 7 | Thurs, Aug 9 | 7:00 p.m. PDT | Edmonton Eskimos | W 31–23 | 3–4 | TSN/ESPN2 | BC Place | 17,745 | Recap |
| 10 | 8 | Sat, Aug 18 | 1:00 p.m. PDT | @ Toronto Argonauts | L 23–24 | 3–5 | TSN/RDS2 | BMO Field | 18,104 | Recap |
| 11 | 9 | Sat, Aug 25 | 7:00 p.m. PDT | Saskatchewan Roughriders | L 21–24 | 3–6 | TSN | BC Place | 22,873 | Recap |
| 12 | Bye | |||||||||
| 13 | 10 | Fri, Sept 7 | 7:00 p.m. PDT | Ottawa Redblacks | W 26–14 | 4–6 | TSN | BC Place | 17,529 | Recap |
| 14 | 11 | Fri, Sept 14 | 4:30 p.m. PDT | @ Montreal Alouettes | W 32–14 | 5–6 | TSN/RDS | Molson Stadium | 15,346 | Recap |
| 15 | 12 | Sat, Sept 22 | 7:00 p.m. PDT | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | W 35–32 (2OT) | 6–6 | TSN | BC Place | 18,794 | Recap |
| 16 | 13 | Sat, Sept 29 | 1:00 p.m. PDT | @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats | L 10–40 | 6–7 | TSN | Tim Hortons Field | 23,623 | Recap |
| 17 | 14 | Sat, Oct 6 | 4:00 p.m. PDT | Toronto Argonauts | W 26–23 | 7–7 | TSN | BC Place | 18,535 | Recap |
| 18 | 15 | Sat, Oct 13 | 5:00 p.m. PDT | @ Calgary Stampeders | W 26–21 | 8–7 | TSN | McMahon Stadium | 23,563 | Recap |
| 19 | 16 | Fri, Oct 19 | 7:00 p.m. PDT | Edmonton Eskimos | W 42–32 | 9–7 | TSN | BC Place | 20,463 | Recap |
| 20 | 17 | Sat, Oct 27 | 4:00 p.m. PDT | @ Saskatchewan Roughriders | L 16–35 | 9–8 | TSN | Mosaic Stadium | 30,091 | Recap |
| 21 | 18 | Sat, Nov 3 | 7:00 p.m. PDT | Calgary Stampeders | L 9–26 | 9–9 | TSN | BC Place | 24,114 | Recap |
- # Games played with colour uniforms.
- # Games played with white uniforms.
Post-season
Schedule
| Game | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | TV | Venue | Attendance | Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | ||||||||
| East Semi-Final | Sun, Nov 11 | 10:00 a.m. PST | vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats | L 8–48 | 0–1 | TSN/RDS/ESPNews | Tim Hortons Field | 23,911 | Recap |
- # Games played with white uniforms.
Team
Roster
| BC Lions roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks Running backs Fullbacks
Receivers
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| 1-game injured list
6-game injured list
Practice roster
Italics indicate international players | |||
Coaching staff
| BC Lions Staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office and support staff
| Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||