We apologize if it seems too early to do an in season “report card,” and we promise we won’t do another one until the halfway point in late August, but the fact of the matter is, your BC Lions have given fans and observers plenty to talk about through their first three games. It all started with a three- point loss to Edmonton, followed up by gritty road wins in Toronto and Montreal. Familiar faces have come back even better, new additions have lived up to the hype and there has even been a couple of surprises. As the club begins preparations for their 3rd straight game out east- they battle the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton next Saturday- we take a look at each phase through the first three weeks and break down some impressive nuggets from each one.

Offence

What we like: The balance. Four players have eclipsed 100 yards in receiving and one of them is Jeremiah Johnson, who so far has proven his ability as a duel threat. The other three are Bryan Burnham Emmanuel Arceneaux and Nick Moore. All this does is make you salivate at the possibilities when Chris Williams is scheduled to come off the injured list in three weeks. Jonathon Jennings has showed no signs of a sophomore slump. And yes, for arguments sake we are considering this his sophomore year because he only has one full season as a starter under his belt.

The dynamic QB has completed 67.6 percent of his passes (73/108) and his on pace for his second straight 5,000- yard season. He has had to scramble and escape pressure a bit more than he’d like, but Jennings has proven his ability as a great performer in crunch time. Since the start of 2016 he has engineered eight winning drives in the fourth quarter. That’s the highest of any CFL QB in that span. Jennings has emerged as the leader of this offence and the 11 others on the field have followed.

Needs to be cleaned up: The pass protection was much better in Montreal. That being said, the offensive linemen themselves would be the first to tell you they need to fix a few things up if they want to get back to the elite level they were at in 2016. Kelvin Palmer will likely get a look at right tackle once his knee injury from preseason heals. He appeared to win the job in training camp over incumbent Antonio Johnson.

Impact Newbie: Shaq Johnson. The London Juniors product and 2016 draft pick has hauled in four catches for 92 yards, but all of those receptions have been key at flipping field position. His biggest came in the Montreal win: a 47-yarder on second down that helped lead to Travis Lulay’s winning score with 2:43 remaining.

Bake’s Take: They are who we thought they were: talented, dynamic and able to change a game on short notice. They don’t want to leave it until the 4th quarter every week, but it’s comforting they can clutch up when needed.

Defence

What we like: The speed. Mark Washington’s unit is chalk full of athletes, particularly in the secondary where Ronnie Yell and TJ Lee have come back from injury with a vengeance. Chandler Fenner’s move to the nickel position has made them more athletic and versatile as well. Make no mistake: Solomon Elimimian continues to be the undisputed leader of the group. The club’s all-time leader in defensive tackles just fell one short of the single game record of 16.

Two years after his career threatening injury, Elimimian is playing as good, if not better, than he ever has. He also leads the league with 29 defensive tackles. The defensive line has picked up where it left off from an intense training camp. Bryant Turner Junior, Craig Roh and Mic’hael Brooks have emerged as the new leaders on that unit, while DeQuin Evans has added some more swagger. Overall, they lead the CFL with 15 pass knockdowns.

Impact Newbie: Tony Burnett. It’s safe to say Washington has a viable option at the weak side linebacker spot occupied so well by Adam Bighill the last six years. The USC product has learned the scheme quickly and shown his ability to break quickly on the ball. Case in point: His 108-yard interception return that was nullified by a questionable illegal contact penalty in Montreal.

Need more of: Turnovers. They have created none, three and one in each respective game and this was something they have been working on throughout camp. Given the playmakers lining up each game you have to think they will get their share before long.

Bake’s Take: Pleasantly surprised at just how dominant they have been. To go on the road for two straight weeks and only allow two defensive touchdowns is quite telling. Stopping the run has also become a big part of their DNA as they only gave up less than 100 yards on the ground in each of the two victories out east. Many, including myself, thought it would take a few weeks for guys to adjust to new roles and positions, but credit to Washington for having them ready from the get go.

Special Teams

What we like: The steady improvement of Ty Long. After starting his CFL career with a couple of missed converts (one blocked), a field goal miss and some shoddy directional punting, the product of Alabama-Birmingham has improved each week and leads the league in total punting yards. Obviously a lot of that has to do with the fact he has kicked a few single points instead of pinning the opposition deep, but he did manage to pin the Alouettes inside their own 20 on three occasions. Special teams coordinator Marcello Simmons also has to be happy with his kick coverage units, even after the retirement of all-time special teams tackle leader Jason Arakgi.

Impact newcomer: Micah Awe. His capabilities as a linebacker and teams player helped make 2016 special teams tackle leader Cameron Ontko expendable. This guy is a pure athlete and you can see why Ryan Rigmaiden and the scouting staff were so high on Awe coming out of Texas Tech. He can be relied on in certain defensive packages as well.

Need more of: Rain in the forecast. This isn’t to single out the always dangerous Chris Rainey, as opposing teams have wisely been doing their best at kicking away from him. They are only averaging 7.8 yards per punt return as a team and that will be a big talking point as the first half of the season continues.

Bake’s Take: Rainey will make his mark. You just know it. Long’s job of holding down the fort before Swayze Waters returns is a big one for the win column.

Final Outlook

They aren’t close to being satisfied yet, and that’s a good thing. The offence knows they have to play four full quarters and the defence understands the importance of creating more takeaways and giving the offence a short field whenever possible.

A chance to completely sweep this three-game eastern swing would have to be considered a massive coup to start 2017. When the schedule first came out in February we pointed out two very important parts: this eastern stretch and an October trifecta where they host Edmonton in between two trips to Winnipeg. So far they are passing the first test.

Your Lions return home Friday, July 21st for a critical western showdown and playoff rematch against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Get your tickets HERE! All kids aged 12 and under get in for $5.

Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com