THE CANADIAN PRESS
The Edmonton Eskimos are going back to the Western Final and they’re doing it riding one impressive high. The streakiest team of 2017 made it six straight wins with their 39-32 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday, and the Esks certainly have momentum on their side.
There’s an argument for getting hot at the right time in this league, and Edmonton is as sizzling as they come.
What a roll
We’ve made mention of this before, but when you think about 2017 for the Eskimos, it’s actually pretty crazy. Edmonton started the season 7-0, then lost six in a row, and now they’re riding another six-game winning streak. You don’t see streaky teams like the Esks all the time, but there’s an explanation for it.
Edmonton was full marks for a perfect start through seven weeks. The Esks were getting typically outstanding stuff from quarterback Mike Reilly and their defence was firing on all cylinders. Despite some unfortunate injuries to big-name players, the Eskimos looked every bit a powerhouse, until the injuries kept on coming.
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There’s no coincidence that things started to go off the rails as the injuries really started to pile up in July and into August. In the midst of a six-game slump, Edmonton not only started to get healthier, but also added a few key pieces.
While the Eskimos welcomed injured Euclid Cummings and Da’Quan Bowers back to the defensive line in September, they also said hello to an old friend in the backfield. Halfback Aaron Grymes made his return to Edmonton for Week 15, which just happened to be the team’s last loss of 2017.
Adding Grymes to a defence already boasting names like Cummings, Bowers, Odell Willis and Kenny Ladler was naturally going to make the Esks better, and it has. Edmonton went from averaging 35.5 points against during its six-game skid to 22.6 in the final five regular season games. Let’s not forget, either, that Winnipeg scored 16 of its points on Sunday in the fourth quarter of a game way out of reach.
There were a couple of offensive additions in need of noting, too. Tailback C.J. Gable was acquired from Hamilton ahead of their Week 16 game with Montreal and, funny enough, Edmonton hasn’t lost a game since. Gable has been absolutely dominant in his five starts with the Esks and there’s no way they are where they are without him.
Including Sunday’s Western Semi-Final, Gable is averaging 94.8 rushing yards and just under a touchdown per game. The sixth-year pro was in wrecking ball mode all day Sunday, but especially in the second half. Gable racked up a pair of touchdowns as Edmonton used him at times exclusively to milk the clock and trample Winnipeg’s hopes of a comeback.
Last but not least, we have to mention Derel Walker’s return to green and gold, because it’s made a huge difference, too. In nine games since rejoining the Esks, Walker is averaging 76.1 receiving yards and he’s been a huge addition to perhaps the league’s most dangerous aerial attack.
Edmonton was already stocked with the likes of Brandon Zylstra, Adarius Bowman, Vidal Hazelton, and D’haquille Williams, so getting Walker back really wasn’t fair. Even scarier is the fact Bowman looks back and better than ever after a slow first few months of the seasons.
Last year’s leading receiver had just a pair of touchdown grabs in his first nine games of the season. Since then, though, Bowman has five majors in four games, including a pair of touchdown catches Sunday in Winnipeg. Bowman is still one of the very best receivers in this league, and now that he’s healthy and comfortable in this offence, he looks like an extremely valuable piece.
It’s tough to wrap your head around the streaky nature of Edmonton’s 2017 season. However, when you think about it, it makes a little more sense. Most importantly, the Eskimos are totally deserving of their six-game winning streak and berth in the Western Final, so let’s see if their momentum keeps them rolling.
The power of one
In last week’s Berg vs. Ferg piece, Marshall Ferguson and I debated the merits of Saskatchewan using two quarterbacks heading into the post-season. For me, it was important for the Riders to have one of Kevin Glenn or Brandon Bridge to really emerge for the team to have any true playoff success. Well, exactly what I was looking for happened on Sunday and it made Saskatchewan an extremely dangerous group.
In their 31-20 Eastern Semi-Final win over the Ottawa REDBLACKS, the Riders used Glenn all day long and it paid massive dividends. The veteran pivot was on point right from the get-go and I think he was the most important player in Saskatchewan’s first playoff win since 2013.
Glenn set the tone early on by going 4-for-4 as the Riders marched down field to open the scoring. Glenn hooked up with Bakari Grant for a 29-yard touchdown before the game was even three minutes old and he kept it going on the team’s next drive, and really for most of the first half.
PLAYOFF TICKETS
» Eastern Final: Saskatchewan at Toronto
» Western Final: Edmonton at Calgary
There’s not much you can really quibble with when looking at Glenn’s performance in Ottawa. He was poised in the pocket, was as confident as I’ve seen him this season in stepping up to avoid the rush, and made quick, accurate decisions. That’s the Glenn the Riders needed to win a playoff game, and they’ll need him to be at the same level as they continue through the East Division.
I’ve got absolutely nothing against Bridge. In fact, I’m a huge fan of his, and not just because he has the potential to be the first Canadian regular starter in two decades. Bridge is ridiculously athletic, strong, and fun to watch. He’s also improved so much with his decision-making and doesn’t look too far from being the guy.
What it came down to for me, though, was one of these guys stepping up to ensure Saskatchewan wasn’t forced into using both out of necessity. Because Glenn and Bridge are such different players, using them both extensively in games like they did down the stretch messes with flow and continuity.
I had no favourite, I just felt one of them had to take the reins for the Riders to truly be successful. Now that Glenn has steady control, it’s on him double it up in six days when his team visits a very formidable Toronto Argonauts team.
Match game
Speaking of Sunday’s Eastern Semi-Final, it shapes up to be a really fun game. In fact, for a variety of reasons, both games this Sunday look to be really outstanding matchups, to the point it’s safe to say things couldn’t have worked out any better.
Saskatchewan forced 33 turnovers during the regular season and added three more against the REDBLACKS. Facing the Argos looks to be a much taller task, though. Led by Ricky Ray, Toronto won five of seven down the stretch and did a nice job of managing the football without a lot of turnovers during that stretch.
And let’s not forget how formidable the Argos are defensively. With Shawn Lemon back and healthy again, Toronto boasts as good a one-two punch off the edge as there is with Victor Butler on the other side. Lemon is such a big difference-maker and Glenn is going to have to be just as adept at avoiding pressure against the Argos as he was against Ottawa.
When looking at the Western Final, the obvious Battle of Alberta storyline jumps out first. The Eskimos bested Calgary just once this season, but it came in Week 19 in their final meeting of the season. Edmonton knew there was a chance it’d have to go through the Stamps this post-season, so picking up that win was a huge mental victory for Edmonton.
Beyond that, though, the way both teams are trending is fascinating, too. We already talked about how red hot the Eskimos are, but what do we think of Calgary heading into the playoffs? The Stampeders finished the regular season with three straight losses, something they haven’t done since 2007. As good as this team is, and as highly as I think of them, I can’t say that’s not a worrying trend.
However, Calgary is capable of flipping the switch, and did so last season. Remember, the Stamps lost their regular season finale, had a bye in Week 20 and then another week off with their automatic berth to the Western Final. They showed no signs of rust, though, and crushed the BC Lions 42-15.
Bo Levi Mitchell is a big time quarterback who gets the job done when it matters. Yes, he and the Stamps struggled in last year’s Grey Cup, but Mitchell already has a title under his belt and wins more than any other player at his position. He’s definitely playing through an injury, but I can’t see Mitchell being anything but on point in what should be an extremely close Western Final.
