Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian of 2018 Lemar Durant Helps Make a Difference For struggling BC Lions team

BC's own - Lemar Durant Returns to His Hometown and Helps Make a Difference For struggling BC Lions team

A year ago, wide receiver Lemar Durant was catching passes for the Calgary Stampeders. Calgary would eventually play for the Grey Cup, win it, and Durant was named the game’s Most Outstanding Canadian after he caught four passes for 30 yards and a touchdown and added 22 yards rushing.

What a difference a year makes.

Heading into Week 16 of the 2019 CFL season, Durant is enjoying his best individual season but his new team, the BC Lions, is simply the opposite of the team he dedicated his previous four years to. While Durant has a career-high 51 receptions for 702 yards and five touchdowns, the Lions are the league’s worst performing team this year, largely related to a drastic change in coaching and playing personnel. BC is just 3-10 heading into a Week 15 matchup with Ottawa.

Speaking of Ottawa, one of the Lions two wins was over the Redblacks. The other was an 18-17 win over Toronto in Week 4. The combined record of Toronto and Ottawa? 5-18. Both teams join BC at the bottom of the Nissan CFL Power Rankings.

Evident since the start of the season however, is Mike Reilly's, Lemar Durant's and Bryan Burnham's chemistry. They have been able to stay atop the CFL's Stats for both receiving yards and reception touchdown's.

Durant is the Lions second-leading receiver behind Bryan Burnham, who is first in the CFL with 73 catches for 1078 yards and five touchdowns. With five scoring catches, Durant is tied with Burnham in receiving touchdowns.

But, Durant and Burnham don’t play defence where the Lions have been one of the worst units in the CFL.

Although there has been a notable improvement over the past two games, the Lions are giving up an average of 28.9 points per game. In eight of their 12 games this season, the Lions have surrendered 30 or more points. With an offence that averages just 18.3 points per game, it’s easy to see why the Lions are just 3-10.

After facing Ottawa in Week 15, tallying up a BIG win (40 Lions - 7 Redblacks) as a result of a strong and improved over-all performance on the field, the Lions have five games remaining on the schedule: Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, and Calgary, Durant’s old team