Kavis Reed stood on the deck outside of his team’s locker-room on Tuesday afternoon and peered out onto the empty football field in front of him.
When your team is 2-9 and tied for the worst record in the CFL, most people would look out onto that field and think about what’s been squandered in those nine losses. The Eskimos are far from out of the woods. They’ve put their eight-game losing streak and all of the negative history that was closing in on them to bed, but they’re on to the next challenge, and that’s to dig themselves out of the league’s cellar and into the playoff hunt.
Only guaranteed the end of this season, Reed knows what’s in front of him and his team. He spoke about how badly his team needed this win on Friday in Winnipeg and what it would do for them in terms of crossover hopes, in terms of momentum.
We saw on Saturday that the Eskimos can beat the Bombers. Can they do it again this week and go on their first winning streak of the season? They should be able to. Whether it’s Justin Goltz or Max Hall starting (Hall gets the nod this week), the Bombers are lost offensively this year. The Eskimos, as we’ve seen for the last six weeks or so, have plenty of offence and their defence is finally starting to come together. This is a winnable game for the Eskimos. The good teams, the playoff-bound teams, win the games that they’re supposed to. There’s little-to-no room left for error for the Eskimos this season.
Let’s get into my picks for this week. I’m sitting at 26-18 on the season and went 2-2 last week, stung by the Riders and surprised by the Eskimos and their resilient O-line play.
Edmonton at Winnipeg: Last week there was a win-or-else feeling around the Eskimos as they dragged their eight-game losing streak into their game against Winnipeg. This week, with a win behind them, the pressure isn’t exactly the same for the rematch but the urgency is still there. If the Eskimos want to think past the regular season, they have to be eyeing a crossover berth. Closing out this series with a win against the Bombers goes a long way toward putting Edmonton in position for that. The Eskimos were the better team last week and are better on paper. A playoff team is capable of going into a tough building and handling its business and it’s time for the Esks to do that. — Edmonton
Montreal at Hamilton: The Tiger-Cats continue to blossom out of their early season growing pains into a tough East Division squad. With the Alouettes floundering as you might expect them to without Anthony Calvillo, this is a great opportunity for Hamilton to get onto even ground and hit .500. Henry Burris continues to play like he’s in a time machine, but he and his favourite targets, rookie receiver Greg Ellingson and running back C.J. Gable will be tested against an under-appreciated Montreal defence. The TiCats should be up to the task, though. — Hamilton
Toronto at Calgary: Grey Cup rematch! Well, not so much, not yet. The CFL misses Ricky Ray and while the Argos are doing well in his absence (while also missing Chad Owens and Chad Kackert), Calgary (5-0 at home) is hard to pick against. The Stamps, despite the wave of injuries that tries to wash over them, continues to find ways to win. These are still two great teams that could meet again in Regina in November, but the keys to that game could be much different than what gets used on Saturday. — Calgary
B.C. at Saskatchewan: Who will be missed the most? Travis Lulay, who’s out at least a couple of games with a shoulder injury, or Kory Sheets, the league’s leading rusher, with a knee sprain? The Riders may not be reeling at this point, but with their first losing streak of the season and off-field controversy still simmering thanks to Dwight Anderson, Taj Smith and Eron Riley’s alleged involvement in a bar fight in Regina, they’re being tested in a way that few could have predicted this year. This game could shift to a defensive showdown and with the home field advantage, a D that allows a league-best 23.5 points per game and the Lions’ road issues, the green guys should be OK this week. — Saskatchewan
