British Columbia Lions wide receiver Justin McInnis of Pierrefonds, Quebec shined in week five of the 2024 Canadian Football League regular season on Sunday night. McInnis had 10 catches for 144 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a 44-28 Lions win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Tim Hortons Field. McInnis set a career-high in receptions and receiving yards, and had two touchdown catches for the second time in his career. The first time came in a 41-37 Lions win over the Ottawa Redblacks on September 16, 2023.
McInnis’s first touchdown catch on Sunday came in the first quarter. It was a five yard converted touchdown catch from Vernon Adams Jr., which put the Lions up 14-0 at five minutes and 59 seconds into the game. McInnis then had a seven-yard touchdown catch from Adams Jr. with one minute and 25 seconds into the second quarter which put the Lions up 21-1. In five games, McInnis has 31 catches for 482 receiving yards and four touchdowns. The Lions are second in the West Division at four wins and one loss.
Two more Canadians had touchdowns on winning teams in week five. On Thursday in Regina, wide receiver Samuel Emilus of Montreal, Quebec had a 34-yard converted touchdown catch from quarterback Shea Patterson with five minutes and 48 seconds left in the second quarter, which put the Saskatchewan Roughriders up 10-9 at the time. The Roughriders went on to beat the Toronto Argonauts 30-23. Emilus had three catches for 54 yards. For the season, he has 15 catches for 165 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The Roughriders lead the Western Division at four wins and zero losses.
The other Canadian with a week five touchdown for a winning team was Kaion Julien-Grant of Toronto, Ontario. He had a five-yard touchdown catch from Montreal Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo on Saturday in a 30-26 Alouettes home win over the Calgary Stampeders. Julien-Grant opened the scoring at 8:18 of the first quarter. On Saturday, Julien-Grant had four catches for 20 receiving yards. In five games, Julien-Grant has 26 catches for 288 receiving yards and one touchdown. The Alouettes lead the East Division at five wins and zero losses.
