Rallying to erase a 16-point deficit, the Edmonton Eskimos defeated the B.C. Lions 35-29 in an overtime comeback on Saturday night.
It’s the third straight wins for the Eskimos who clinched a playoff spot last week.
It was an impressive night for Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly, who was 31 of 41 for 397 yards passing and throwing for two touchdowns.
The Eskimos raced out to a 12-0 lead only to see the Lions go on a 29-1 run to lead 29-13.
Edmonton started the rally from 29-13 down in the fourth quarter when Reilly scored his second touchdown of the game on a one-yard plunge. Reilly then hit Adarius Bowman for a 20 yard touchdown and a two-point convert to tie the game at 29-29.
Reilly would complete the comeback in overtime when he found Cory Watson for a five-yard touchdown allowing the defence to close out the game on the Lions only possession of the extra quarter.
Reilly said that despite having a playoff spot, the Eskimos are not ready to relax.
“I (said) it prior to this game, and I’ll say prior to the next one… these last three regular season games are not about our opponent. They’re about us,” Reilly said. “(We’re) trying to figure out how we can get to the point where we’re playing great football for four quarters going into the playoffs.”
Edmonton scored the final 22 points of the game to improve their record to 10-6.
Bowman finished with nine catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. Derel Walker caught six passes for 118 yards for his first 100 yard receiving game of the season. Linebacker Adam Konar recorded nine defensive tackles including a key stop on second down in overtime on Lions running back Chris Rainey.
Head coach Jason Maas said it was a “great CFL game.”
“You start off 12-0, a great start to a football game, all three phases (were) playing well and then our offensive couldn’t find their groove for a couple of quarters and our defense kept us in the game,” Maas said. “And then at the end of the game, when we needed it most, our offense came alive… Anytime you’re in the CFL and it’s a two-score game with around three minutes to go, you know you’re never out of it. But to get a win like that at the end of a tough grinding year, like we’ve gone through, I think it’s just one of those spectacular wins that you’ll remember for the rest of your lives.”
The Eskimos sit in third place in the Western Division, two points up on the Saskatchewan Roughriders and two points back of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for second place.
The Eskimos will host the Calgary Stampeders next Saturday on The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium. 630 CHED will have live coverage starting with Countdown to Kick-off at 3:30 p.m., the opening kick-off will be at 5 p.m.
– With files from Dave Campbell, 630 CHED
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