When the Edmonton Eskimos returned to work last Tuesday, they knew they had clinched a playoff spot during bye week.
If the chips fall just right, the Eskimos could host the CFL Western Semi-Final at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium on November 13.
For that scenario to work, though, the Eskimos must first beat the BC Lions in their third straight road game, this time at BC Place on Saturday.
A win would give the Eskimos a series sweep against the Lions and a tiebreaker advantage for third place in the CFL West standings. Edmonton already holds a tiebreaker advantage against Winnipeg, the other team that’s currently two points ahead of them.
Coming off a couple of dominant road wins and having a week to rest their bodies has done wonders for the team’s confidence.
“Like I was telling the guys last week, I don’t really want a crossover,” said veteran defensive end Marcus Howard. “We still have a chance to get a home playoff game, which would be awesome. We haven’t played at home the whole month of October. Just to get another home game would be awesome.
“The road’s not an intimidating place for us.,” said Howard, whose return from the injured list two games ago has made a huge difference for the team’s defensive line pressure. “Either way, when we get into the playoffs we know we’re going to have to play on the road to get to the Grey Cup, so we might as well get started now.
“We’re a West team, so why not represent the West in the Grey Cup if we can do that? My whole thing is stay closer to home, play Winnipeg, B.C., Calgary, whoever to get to the Grey Cup.”
Quarterback Mike Reilly concurs.
“The reality is we were playing good football before the break and it’s imperative for us to pick up where we left off,” said Reilly. “Half the struggle with the bye week is to make sure you can continue the momentum you’re built up.
“At this point of time, each game is important and this one against B.C. is also the case. We’re going into a place and playing against a hungry team that’s very good. We need to be on point and need to be playing better football that we did before the break.”
During their three-game winning streak, the offence has added a superb running game to its league-leading passing game and confidence is growing with each outing.
“We just need to continue eliminating mistakes,” said Reilly. “Right now, it’s important these last couple of days of practise to make sure the intensity is cranked up, not just rest on what we’ve done. We need to make sure we still have that same sense of urgency and we certainly will.
“We can only control what we do on the field. We’re going to need a little help to get a home playoff date, but if we don’t take care of business in the next three weeks, none of that is going to matter.”
According to head coach Jason Maas, it’s just a matter of staying the course and continue to do the things the team has been doing for the past month.
“We have a lot to play for,” said Maas. “We have a three-game stretch in which we need to win to secure a home playoff spot potentially. We prefer to stay in the west and play a playoff game at home. That’s our goal but playing good football week in and week our is what we’re more focused on.”