Redblacks to shuffle lineup again for rematch with Lions after injuries hit three key starters
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News after last week's win was more of the same for head coach Bob Dyce and the Ottawa Redblacks: Three more key players will miss significant time with injuries.
But that hasn't swayed the course for the team, who beat the BC Lions 34-27 in Ottawa to run their undefeated streak to six games and improve their record to 7-2-1.
Now Dyce is preaching the same message as the team prepares for a rematch with BC in the CFL's Touchdown Pacific game in Victoria, B.C.
“That’s kind of been this season for us,” said Dyce to reporters on Tuesday. “Both of our starting cornerbacks began the season on the six-game [injured list] and [their replacements] filled in and played exceptionally well. We’ve lost starting tackles, we lost a starting guard, Frankie [Griffin] was down for a number of weeks. This is no different; our expectations are exceptionally high.”
Starting wide receivers Jaelon Acklin and Bralon Addison, plus starting middle linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox were all forced out of the game against BC with injuries.
Acklin has starred alongside Justin Hardy as the leaders in the receiver room, as his catches (45), yards (484) and touchdowns (3) all rank second on the roster. He suffered a concussion against BC and has no set timeframe for a potential return, according to Dyce.
“He’s had testing and scans, and everything is moving in the right direction. When it comes to things like concussion protocol, there’s no set time (for recovery)," Dyce said.
“It’s like family, they treat each other like brothers. Someone’s health is always going to be paramount.”
Addison, a former All-Star with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, has 27 catches for 318 yards in his age-30 season with Ottawa. He suffered a hand injury against the Lions.
“He’s likely going to go on the six-game injured list and we’ll go forward from there. It’s another situation where it isn’t a season-ending injury, but he’s not going to be able to play the next number of weeks,” said Dyce,
The likely replacements in the lineup at the receiver position are Andre Miller and Eli Stove, Dyce said. He praised their consistency behind the scenes which should allow them to step into the lineup seamlessly.
“Obviously, we think a lot of them. Dre and Eli have maintained their positions because of the great work they’ve done,” said Dyce.
“They came out of training camp, we were extremely happy with them. They’ve continued on that path and have continued to get better. It’s a great opportunity for those two young guys to step into the roster.”
This weekend will be the first CFL action for both 26-year-olds in their careers.
Santos-Knox, who has 53 tackles, two sacks and an interception in his second season with the Redblacks, is expected to miss a lot of time but his injury is not necessarily considered season-ending.
“It’s not season ending or anything like that, but he won’t be up in the next couple of weeks, that’s for sure,” said Dyce. “It could be an extended period, but we’ll wait and see how everything goes.”
No matter the lineup at the start of the game, Dyce pointed to correctable issues that need to be improved upon moving forward, as the team seeks a return to the playoffs for the first time since losing the 2018 Grey Cup.
“There are a lot of ways we can be better,” said Dyce. “It was a one-score game [against BC]. We talked about some things we did to limit ourselves. We took six penalties within the 45-yard line. That’s an area where we’re going to score points. We have to reduce those penalties ... We have to be more disciplined," he said.
Ottawa will look to make it seven consecutive undefeated games on Saturday. You can watch the Redblacks battle the Lions LIVE on TSN1, TSN.ca and the TSN App, with coverage starting at 7p.m. ET / 4p.m. PT.