The Canadian Press
TORONTO — In the second half of Saturday’s CFL doubleheader, two teams will battle for position in the West Division.
The Lions hold a two-point lead over the Eskimos for third place. An Edmonton win and they’re tied. A BC victory and the gap widens.
The Esks have won three games in a row before its week of rest in Week 17. The dynamic receiving duo of Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker are still quarterback Mike Reilly’s favorite targets – they both remain on top of the league in receiving with 1609 and 1464 yards respectively. Reilly is only 946 yards away from hitting the 6,000 yards passing mark on the season and will be looking to inch his way towards that total on Saturday night.
The Lions, meanwhile, are riding a two game losing skid – after back-to-back losses to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers – and have slipped from second to third in the West. BC’s most recent loss, a 35-32 defeat, found the club with two late game turnovers that directly led to two Winnipeg scores (including a game winning field goal). This week, if the Leos want to maintain sole possession of third place in the division, it’ll have to protect any lead it may get.
Can the Eskimos close the gap between themselves and the Lions? Or will BC keep sole possession of third place in the West? All these questions and more in this week’s CFL Pick ‘Em Marquee Matchup.
» PLAY CFL PICK ‘EM
The majority of fans are picking the Lions to snap its losing skid against the Eskimos this week.
If the Eskimos want to prove those fans wrong, the defence will have to come out strong against Jonathon Jennings and his stellar receiving corps and use their own receivers to move the ball down the field.
The Lions, meanwhile, will have to use their league-leading rushing offence to their advantage. BC leads the CFL in rushing yards (1,590) and rushing touchdowns (21) while Edmonton’s defence against the rush is middle of the pack.
CFL.CA WRITER PICKS
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| Cauz (11-5) | Morris (11-5) |
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| Steinberg (11-5) | Ferguson (6-2) | Landry (12-4) | Nye (10-6) |
While the fans are leaning toward the home team, the writers aren’t as convinced.
Four of six CFL.ca writers are choosing the Eskimos to come out on top of the West Division matchup. Pat Steinberg, Marshall Ferguson, Don Landry and Jamie Nye are all siding with the visitors.
Matthew Cauz and Jim Morris, however, are picking the Lions to snap its losing skid.
Keep an eye on the pick trend and if you haven’t already, log in and make your pick! Kickoff arrives Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. ET.
