CFL.ca Staff

EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Eskimos let another one slip away on Saturday night, but they aren’t about to bow their heads in defeat, especially with six crucial games remaining on the schedule.

Sporting a six-point lead heading into the second half with the offence seemingly firing on all cylinders, the Eskimos sputtered in the final 30 minutes, scoring just three points while allowing 10 against, en-route to losing their fourth straight game.

During their four-game skid, the Esks have lost three by two points or less, and while this trend likely has them frustrated, they are still optimistic of their chances heading forward.

“It’s sad we couldn’t pull out the win, but we fought hard and we definitely could have done more to get more points and not be in this situation,” said Hugh Charles following his team’s 19-18 loss at Commonwealth Stadium.

“But we’re still holding our heads up high,” he added.

While Charles was looking up and forward, Esks Head Coach Kavis Reed was in no mood to reiterate his tailback’s sentiments.

“There are no consolatory victories in football,” said Reed when asked whether or not his team’s performance was a sign of good things to come.

“There are wins and losses and we’ve lost four in a row.”

To add to the fact that the Esks have now dropped five of their last six outings, Saturday’s defeat was a critical one for a variety of reasons.

Rather than pulling to within four points of the division-leading Leos and winning the tie-breaker as well, the Esks now sit eight points back, with just one more opportunity to grab that said elusive asset.

And it won’t get any easier for the Esks, as they get set for a Week 14 matchup that will have major implications on their playoff fate – a date with the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.

Friday night’s Battle of Alberta will be as crucial as they come for the Esks, as the Stampeders already hold a 2-0 lead in the season series, with only one matchup remaining after Friday.

And with their margin for error already extremely slim, the Esks will play four of their last six games against teams from their own division, with one inter-divisional clash being against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who handed them a convincing 51-8 loss two weeks ago.

Still, despite all that, the Esks roster continues to hold their head up high.

“We just have to find a way to win games. We have to,” said linebacker JC Sherritt to the Edmonton Journal. “Whatever, at the end of the day, you have to find a way to get to the playoffs and we’re going to do what we can to get there.”