If the Edmonton Eskimos were looking for even more momentum heading into the playoffs, they found it in their last regular-season games.
After the team’s backups posted a 41-17 win over Toronto before 33,514 fans at the Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, their focus shifted to the Nov. 13 CFL Eastern Semi-Final in Hamilton.
Edmonton heads east on the playoff path winning five of their last six starts with a regular-season record of 10-8 that is superior to either Hamilton or Ottawa, the first-place finisher in the CFL East.
“Hamilton is gritty, they’re determined,” said head coach Jason Maas. “We talked about it last time we played them. We’re going to have to play a full 60 minutes in all three phases to beat them. They’re very resilient. They’re coached well and they’re a team with good players, so we’re going to have to be ready. I’m looking forward to that challenge. No matter how much you’re up or even if you’re down, you have to keep grinding.”
They didn’t have to search their memory banks too far back as it was just a week before that the Eskimos posted a 29-26 win at Tim Hortons Field against the Ti-Cats.
“It was an opportunity for our guys that were a little nicked up to get some rest,” said quarterback Mike Reilly.
“It was making sure our starters are healthy going into the east semi against Hamilton. It was an opportunity for our depth guys to get meaningful reps. We accomplished a lot today and continued to build momentum going into next week’s game.
“They’re a very good football team,” said Reilly. “Going into their place, playoffs are a whole different animal. Everybody’s record is pretty much wiped clean and you have to start from scratch. You get one chance and if you don’t play well, you go home. I don’t really put a lot of stock into any team we face in the playoffs, how it went during the regular season. The playoffs are a whole different beast.
“A big part of what I was excited about is what our guys did (on Saturday). They didn’t take the game off. This was not a write-off game. We tried to build positive stuff that we’ve done for the last month-and-a-half. We’re playing good football right now. It’s something you have to go out and prove every week. In playoffs, it’s that much more difficult. It was nice to carry on a bit of momentum today.”
With Reilly watching from the sidelines, QBs James Franklin and Jordan Lynch racked up 503 yards net offence.
“You never want to go into the playoffs not playing your best,” said offensive lineman Simeon Rottier. “It was one of those things where it was good to get things going and keep it going the whole game.
“It’s going to be hard-fought, just like the last one and it’ll probably come down to a couple of plays. I’m glad we played like we did (on Saturday) . We’ve got a good feeling going into next week. We’ll continue what we have been doing and it’ll be a good matchup next week.”
With several defensive starters also watching from the sidelines, the defensive line enjoyed its best pressure game of the season, recording four sacks and rounded into playoff form as the game wore on.
“This whole momentum thing with us is pretty good,” said defensive lineman Almondo Sewell, who enjoyed a two-sack night. “There’s a calmness in the room now. It’s big confidence now. The way the young guys have been playing all year, they came up big today and put up some big numbers. We just have to get to Hamilton and get after them this time.
“We’re playing pretty good up front. Now it’s the reset button. Regular season is over and all four of us on the defensive line have to come out smokin’ hot. We’ve got to get going. Everybody’s believing right now it’s only us who can beat us.”