CFL.CA STAFF
MONTREAL — It may be Thanksgiving in Canada, but the Edmonton Eskimos and Montreal Alouettes haven’t had a lot to be thankful for over the back half of the CFL season.
It’s now or never for both slumping teams as they fight for their playoff lives on Monday to wrap up Week 16.
The Eskimos have lost six in a row after starting the season with seven straight wins while the Als have dropped their last seven. The Esks currently hold the crossover spot in the East while the Alouettes’ playoff hopes are slim but not mathematically impossible. They sit seven points back of second place in the division with four games remaining. A loss on Monday would officially knock them out of the post season race.
Edmonton’s second half slump continued last week with a 28-19 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Esks were completely held off the scoreboard through the first half but only found themselves down by one score entering the third quarter. The Bombers went on to rack up three majors in the second half, pulling away from the Esks.
Mike Reilly threw for 311 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception in the loss.
Brandon Zylstra could not be contained, finishing the night with 152 receiving yards on nine catches. Zylstra’s impressive September that included 532 receiving yards on 31 interceptions with two touchdowns in only four games earned the sophomore receiver a Shaw CFL Top Performer of the Month nod.
Esks fans will get their first look at C.J. Gable in the green and gold on Monday afternoon. The 29-year-old was traded from the Ticats to the Esks last week in exchange for two players on Edmonton’s negotiation list. The Esks were in desperate need of a running back after losing Travon Van to a lower body injury last week. Van has been placed on the six-game injured list.
Gable is known for his strong pass protection skills and has spent his entire five-year CFL career with the Ticats. Gable said he was surprised about the trade after posting 157 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Hamilton’s loss to the Toronto Argonauts last week, but says he is excited for the change of scenery.
Montreal Alouettes’ Jonathon Mincy (29) upends Edmonton Eskimos’ Calvin McCarty (31) during first half CFL action in Edmonton on Friday, June 30, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
“It’s great to come here,” Gable told Esks.com “I’m going to help them keep going and get these wins coming. They’re a great team. They have the tools and everything to go to the Grey Cup and win the whole thing. They brought me here and I’m going to do my part to get them there.”
Fullback John Delahunt will make his Eskimos debut after signing this week, while Jacob Ruby also draws into the lineup. Other than that, there are no major changes in the Esks’ lineup from last week’s loss to Winnipeg.
The Alouettes may be all but out of the playoff race, but show no sings of giving up their small chance of making the post-season.
Montreal continued a disappointing 2017 with a 59-11 thrashing courtesy of the Calgary Stampeders. The Stamps took control early and never looked back, as Mitchell and company racked up 31 points in the first half alone.
Drew Willy was tabbed to start in place of an injured Darian Durant, but managed only 137 yards and a touchdown before being replaced by Matt Shiltz in the third quarter. Ernest Jackson had a team-high 73 yards on six catches.
Despite the early deficit, the Als battled until the final whistle.
“The state that me and my teammates were in this week was we had to come out and we had to keep fighting,” defensive back Jonathon Mincy told MontrealAlouettes.com.” A lot of people can come out and make excuses and point fingers but we don’t do that… We took responsibility for last game. We came in and fixed the film and we’re going to go out and compete.”
Willy is slated to make his second consecutive start with Durant still battling a hamstring injury.
Ever since Als’ current quarterbacks coach Anthony Calvillo retired back in 2013, Montreal has started 11 different pivots during that span; more than any other CFL team.
A bright spot for the Alouettes this year has been Kyries Hebert. The linebacker only needs 10 more tackles to reach the 100 mark for the season. Only four other players in Alouettes’ franchise history have accomplished the same feat. It would be the first time Hebert reaches the milestone in his 11-year CFL career.
The Als and Esks went down to the wire during their first matchup back in Week 3. Edmonton scored the go ahead touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter and held off Montreal for the remainder of the game for a 23-19 win.
Edmonton has dominated Eastern clubs this year with a 5-1 record and are 22-8 against cross division opponents dating back to 2014.
Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly (13) makes the throw during first half CFL action against the Montreal Alouettes, in Edmonton on Friday, June 30, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
By The Numbers
5.8 – C.J. Gable’s career rushing average, ranking 13th all time in CFL history. He brings a career rushing record to the Esks of 407 carries for 2,372 yards and 17 touchdowns.
18.7 – League low average points per game for the Alouettes’ offence.
17 – Passes of 30 yards or more given up by the Alouettes defense; the least in the league.
1,134 – Receiving yards this season for Brandon Zylstra; the third most in the CFL.
The Skinny
The Als defense will have to try and find a way to lock down Reilly and the Esks high powered offence if they hope to pick up a ‘W’ on home turf.
Despite the recent struggles, Edmonton averages a league high 423.3 yards per game. While their ground game has been lacking this year due to injury problems, the Esks are the only team in the league that average over 300 passing yards per game heading into Week 16.
The Als give up the third most yards per game (408) and the most rushing yards per game (112.4). In addition to containing Reilly, Montreal will now have the added challenge of trying to stop newly acquired C.J. Gable from picking up valuable yards on the ground.
– With files from Esks.com/MontrealAlouettes.com
AFI, Yare Media and the CFL
American Football International is collaborating with Yare Media and the Canadian Football League to present 2017 CFL games live. This is more than a livestream. This is a stream of the top flight TSN network television broadcast.
If you can’t watch it live, each game is available for viewing through the remainder of the season.
LIVE STREAM PPV: CFL – Edmonton Eskimos @Montreal Alouettes – Mon. Oct. 9 – 2p EDT( 8p CEST)