Calgary Stampeders quarterback Henry Burris will be sidelined at least two games — if not more — because of a dislocated left shoulder.

An MRI performed Tuesday confirmed an anterior dislocation, which is considered less serious than a posterior dislocation and unlikely to require surgery.

Henry Burris sits injured on the bench in last Friday's 24-20 Stamps loss.
(Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

"It all comes down to the rehab now," Burris said. "We're going to be getting after it, day and night."

Losing Burris could have serious playoff implications for the Stampeders, who trail the British Columbia Lions by four points and the Saskatchewan Roughriders by one point in the CFL West Division.

Calgary leads the Edmonton Eskimos by two points with six games remaining.

"We're hopeful he can get back to playing before the regular season is over," Stampeders head coach Tom Higgins said. "It's a possibility, but we truly don't know.

"We've been honest with our players. They know that, right now, there's a good possibility Henry's season is over and there's a good possibility he is back before the regular season is done."

Burris, 32, suffered the injury on a controversial play in the final minute of last Friday's 24-20 loss to the lowly Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Burris dove for a first down at Hamilton's seven-yard line, and was hurt when Tiger-Cats linebacker Zeke Moreno landed on him out of bounds.

"I was actually about to get up, and then somebody landed on me," Burris recalled. "That was actually when I felt something."

The Stampeders were livid that Moreno avoided a roughing penalty that would have made it first-and-goal at the two-yard line, and the team was subsequently fined $10,000 by the CFL for criticizing the officiating.

"The result of the game would be entirely different," Stampeders president Ted Hellard said.

Tops in TD passes

Burris has completed 235-of-391 pass attempts for 3,497 yards and a league-high 26 touchdowns in 12 starts for the Stampeders this season, his eighth in the CFL. 

He also has scrambled 84 times for 606 yards and five touchdowns.

Burris will sit out Saturday's key showdown with the Lions at Vancouver (CBC, 10 p.m. ET), and when Calgary plays host to the Roughriders in the Thanksgiving Day Classic on Oct. 8 (CBC, 4 p.m. ET).

"It is going to be tough because these are two of the foes I love playing against," Burris said.

Burris will be replaced by former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Akili Smith, who has completed 12-of-26 passes for 132 yards with five interceptions in limited action behind Burris.

"I've seen a lot of things on the sideline and, with a week of preparation, I am confident I will be able to go out there and execute," Smith said. "We need to keep this thing rolling."

"The execution is going to be the same," Stampeders wide receiver Jermaine Copeland said. "We're not expecting anything less.

"A.K. is a No. 1 quarterback, always has been, so pressure isn't something that's going to be on his shoulders. He's just got to go out there and execute."

With files from the Canadian Press