B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke has been named CFL player of the week following his impressive performance in the Lions’ 31-24 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sept. 25. Rourke achieved a perfect passer rating of 158.3, completing 22 of 28 passes for 375 yards and finding the endzone four times in the crucial victory to move the Lions into second place in the CFL’s west division. The 28-year-old gunslinger also made three completions of 30 yards or more, including a 59-yard strike to Justin McInnis that set up a late touchdown to Jermaine Jackson to help seal the Lions win. Rourke also rushed for 37 yards, giving him a combined total of 412 yards for his second player of the week award of the season, the first coming in week 12 in another Lions victory against the Riders. The Victoria-born Rourke has thrown for 300+ yards in 10 of 12 starts this season, currently ranking 5th in the CFL in passing yards, despite missing multiple games with a shoulder injury. He also has a completion rate of 71.6 per cent for the season, the highest of any quarterback in the league with at least 150 pass attempts. Rourke was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player in 2025, and remains one of the favourites to be named the west division nominee for 2026, alongside Edmonton Elks quarterback, Cody Fajardo. With four games left in the regular season, Rourke is on pace to throw for 5,000 total passing yards for the second consecutive season. The Lions, currently 8-6 on the season, are back in action on Saturday, on the road against the 9-6 Toronto Argonauts.
