WINNIPEG — Despite being limited to less than 35 points for the first time this season, the Edmonton Eskimos (2-1) still managed to beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-3) 20-16 at Investors Group Field on Thursday.
Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly threw for 465 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. Winnipeg pivot Drew Willy completed 25 of 38 passes for 299 yards, two interceptions and a touchdown.
Winnipeg opened the scoring less than four minutes into the game with a Justin Medlock 43-yard field goal. Edmonton had a chance to match the score late in the first quarter but Sean Whyte came up short on a 50-yard field goal attempt.
The Bombers added to their lead early in the second quarter when Willy connected with Rory Kohlert for a 20-yard touchdown pass. The major came as a big relief for the Bombers as a Shayon Green penalty cancelled a 94-yard punt return touchdown by rookie Kevin Fogg just a few plays earlier.
Edmonton eventually found the scoreboard with a 23-yard Whyte field goal. Adarius Bowman helped set up the score by making a fantastic 60-yard catch under double coverage.
Winnipeg went up 13-3 thanks to a Medlock 38-yard field goal with less than three minutes left in the second quarter. Weston Dressler hauled in a 39-yard pass from Willy on the drive.
Reilly found former Bombers receiver Cory Watson in the end zone for a two-yard major just before the half to make it 13-10.
Both teams traded field goals in the third quarter before Edmonton jumped in front in the fourth. Reilly found Derel Walker for a 73-yard game winning touchdown.
With the loss, the Bombers drop to 7-22 at Investors Group Field since it opened in 2013. Winnipeg has also failed to win two straight games in nearly 24 months.
Edmonton, the defending Grey Cup champions, entered the night having score a league best average of 38 points per game.
The match was filled with penalties with both teams committing a dozen infractions each.
The Bombers inducted legendary quarterback Ken Ploen into the team’s Ring of Honour during halftime. Ploen was named a West Division All-Star in his first year with the Bombers in 1957. He led Winnipeg to four Grey Cups in five seasons during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Ploen retired as the CFL’s sixth all-time leading passer and fifth on the Bombers’ all-time rushing list.
Attendance at Thursday’s game was 24,007.
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