5 Things That Went Wrong for the Calgary Stampeders in the West Semifinal that caused their defeat against BC Lions

5 Takeaways from Calgary Stampeders’ Painful Playoff Exit to BC Lions

Time management woes and a few costly errors overshadowed a spirited effort by the Calgary Stampeders, whose season came to a heartbreaking end in a 33–30 defeat to the BC Lions in the CFL West Semifinal on Saturday night.

1️⃣ Time Troubles, Part I
Calgary’s playoff hopes began to unravel late in the first half. With eight seconds left and a timeout still available, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. opted to go for the end zone instead of setting up a field goal. His short completion to Tevin Jones ended the half with no points added — a decision Adams later admitted was his mistake.

2️⃣ Time Troubles, Part II
Adams rebounded well after halftime, throwing for over 300 yards and engineering three touchdowns. However, clock management again proved costly in the final minute. After a big 42-yard completion to Jalen Philpot, the Stamps were forced to settle for a tying field goal, leaving too much time on the clock. BC capitalized, with Sean Whyte nailing a 43-yard winner as time expired.

3️⃣ Not All on Adams
While the quarterback took responsibility, the loss wasn’t solely on him. The Stampeders’ normally dominant run game struggled early, and untimely miscues halted momentum. Still, Philpot’s 140 receiving yards and Dedrick Mills’ 111 rushing yards showed how dangerous Calgary can be when firing on all cylinders.

4️⃣ Defence Did Its Job
Despite giving up 33 points, the Stamps’ defence held BC to under 300 offensive yards. Two costly turnovers — including a fumble and a special-teams lapse — inflated the Lions’ total. Coordinator Bob Slowik’s unit largely contained one of the CFL’s most potent attacks.

5️⃣ Heads Held High
Head coach Dave Dickenson praised his team’s fight and growth after finishing 11–8, a major improvement from last year’s struggles. “It’s a tough one to take,” Dickenson said, “but I’ve got a lot of respect for this group. They played extremely hard all season.”

Bottom Line:
The Stampeders proved they belong among the league’s top teams again, but poor clock control and late-game execution cost them dearly in Vancouver.