VANCOUVER - The B.C. Lions didn’t have the smoothest start to the 2025 CFL season.

The team lost three of its first four games. Star quarterback Nathan Rourke was sidelined by injury. The defence looked disconnected.

“We definitely had adversity. I think our record was (3-5) at the start of the year. Not where we wanted to be,” defensive lineman Mathieu Betts said Monday.

The Lions overcame that adversity en route to an 11-7 record and won six straight games to close out the regular season.

The team knows its job is far from done as B.C. prepares to host the Calgary Stampeders in Saturday’s West Division semifinal, Betts said.

“Adversity will strike again in these playoff games,” he said. “For us, it’s to keep moving on, keep focusing on the next play, on what’s ahead, and to really p

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