Lions defeat Redblacks to clinch playoff berth, extend Ottawa's record winless streak

The B.C. Lions clinched a CFL playoff spot and extended the Ottawa Redblacks' league-record winless start to 0-16 with a decisive victory at home on Friday night.

The Lions (10-6) have now won nine of their last 10 games, a dramatic turnaround from their 1-5 start to the season.

"It doesn’t matter where you are, you have to be extremely focused on where your feet are and the next opponent," said Lions head coach Buck Pierce earlier in the week. "For us to get where we want to get to, it just happens to be Ottawa this week. And we’ve got to play better than we did last week."

READ MORE: Stampeders defeat Redblacks 45-31, extend Ottawa's winless season to 0-14

READ MORE: Stampeders Stun Redblacks with Walk-Off 62-Yard Field Goal to Keep Ottawa Winless

The Lions entered the game coming off a 24-17 road win over the Toronto Argonauts where kicker Sean Whyte made a team-record eight field goals.

Quarterback Nathan Rourke, making his 50th CFL start, extended his streak without an interception to a third straight game, having gone 110 pass attempts without being picked off. He amassed 254 passing yards against Toronto and hit 4,105 on the season, but was held without a touchdown.

Pierce was not concerned about the lack of touchdown passes. "We’ve been pretty efficient there this year," the coach said. "I think it’s just consistency, the ability to maintain our focus. When you lose your focus, your execution goes with it as well."

The Redblacks (0-16) set a new CFL record for most losses to open a season last week, surpassing the 14 straight defeats the 1994 Shreveport Pirates posted.

Ottawa running back Daniel Adeboboye, who rushed for 74 yards including a season-high 55-yard gain last week, said the team continues to fight despite the record. "Even though we have the record that we have, we still have phenomenal practices," Adeboboye said. "Guys still come out with good energy; guys in the locker room are still doing what they have to do. We still all understand that there’s something to play for."

Adeboboye said giving up is not an option. "We see the turnover in professional sports, the second that they sense that (you've given up), you’re gone. So we have that to play for," he said. "They’re scouting for next year and we have to do our job to make sure we’re on the team next year."

The Lions' defence, which has been critical to the team's recent success, came up with key stops. Over their last nine outings, the unit has allowed an average of 24.0 points per game and 332 yards of net offence.

"They’re playing well," Pierce said of the defence. "There was a lot of field goals kicked. It was a field position battle. And they knew that, in the fourth quarter, it was going to come down to a stop … That’s what good teams do and that’s the complementary football that you’re always trying to instill."

The Lions previously defeated the Redblacks 45-24 in Ottawa on Aug. 30, a game where B.C. overcame a 14-3 deficit.

Up next: The Redblacks continue their search for a first win in their next outing.

With files from Sportsnet