For the first time in two months, the Edmonton Eskimos were able to celebrate a win thanks to a 42-24 victory over the Montreal Alouettes on Thanksgiving Day, which ended a six-game losing streak.
Now the Eskimos have the chance to begin a winning streak on Saturday when they host the Toronto Argonauts on The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
A win would also put the 8-6 Eskimos a step closer to clinching a playoff spot.
In fact, if the B.C. Lions lose to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the early game on Saturday, combined with an Edmonton win, the Eskimos would clinch at least a cross-over spot into the Eastern Division.
The bigger picture for head coach Jason Maas is ensuring his team improves on the field at the most important time of the season.
“Just focus on playing physical, good, disciplined football because that’s what playoff games are like,” Maas said. “They’re very physical. Every single play matters. Let’s focus on the details again and just keep it rolling.”
The star from the Eskimos win in Montreal was receiver Brandon Zylstra, who caught seven passes for 201 yards and scored a touchdown. Zylstra accounted for 70.2 per cent of Mike Reilly’s 286 passing yards on the day.
Saturday’s game will feature the top two passers in the CFL in Mike Reilly and Argos quarterback Ricky Ray.
Coming into week 17, Reilly led the CFL in passing with 4,546 yards while Ray is second in the league with 4,420 yards. Reilly is on pace to finish with over 5,800 yards passing while Ray is on pace to finish with just under 5,400 yards.
LISTEN: Mike Reilly says mentally and physically preparing for an opponent on a short week is challenging:
Two key members of the Eskimos defence will return on Saturday as defensive back Brandyn Thompson and linebacker Korey Jones have been activated off the six-game injured list.
Safety Neil King is out and has been placed on the one-game injured list. Cauchy Muamba will take his place. Defensive tackle Mike Moore has been activated and will replace fellow D-lineman Da-Quan Bowers, who is on the one-game injured list.
Defensive back Brendan Morgan and defensive lineman Kalonji Kashama will added to the roster.
Linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis has been added to the one-game injured list. Defensive back Marcell Young and fullback John Delahunt have been placed on the six-game injured list.
Here is the projected offensive and defensive starters for Edmonton:
Offence
Quarterback: Mike Reilly
Running Back: C.J. Gable
Offensive Line: Joel Figeuroa-David Beard-Justin Sorensen-Matt O’Donnell-Colin Kelly
Receivers: Derel Walker-Adarius Bowman-Cory Watson-Brandon Zylstra-Duke Williams
Defence
Defensive Line: Philip Hunt-Almondo Sewell-Euclid Cummings-John Chick
Linebackers: Adam Konar-Christophe Mulumba-Tshimanga-Kenny Ladler
Defensive Backs: Johnny Adams-Aaron Grymes-Cauchy Muamba-Brandyn Thompson-Forrest Hightower
The Eskimos have dominated the Eastern Division again this season owning a 6-1 record. Their only loss came on Sept. 16 in Toronto, losing 34-26. Since 2014, the Eskimos have 23-8 record against the East.
630 CHED will have live coverage of the game starting with Countdown to Kick-off at 3:30 p.m. The opening kick-off between the Eskimos and Argos will be at 5 p.m. on The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
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