The storyline for this game is quite easy; it’s the return of Mike Reilly to Edmonton for the very first time since leaving for Vancouver via free agency. Reilly spent six seasons in Edmonton, leading the Eskimos to a Grey Cup title in 2015 and two years later was the CFL’s most outstanding player. Reilly amassed over 26,000 passing yards, 143 touchdowns in 94 career starts with the Eskimos.

Betting Analysis

It’s hard to sell in-depth analysis between these two teams considering one (Mike Reilly) plays for the Lions, and two Trevor Harris didn’t even live in Western Canada last year.

With that information on the table, the Eskimos are 7-3 in their last 10 games against the Lions dating back to October of 2015.

The Lions have played well on Friday nights dating back to last season, with a 4-0 record against the spread record.

Head to head the over is 4-1 in the last five games played in Edmonton, while the over is 4-0-1 in the five games overall.

BC Lions

Mike Reilly was on full display in a week one loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Lions ran 43 offensive plays from scrimmage; Reilly attempted a pass on 39 of those plays for a whopping 90.7 percent of the time. Receiver Bryan Burham was the favourite target, hauling in five catches for 153 yards. His longest a 56 yard reception in the first half. Newcomers (to the Lions) Lemar Durant (6-75 yards) and Duron Carter (6-65 yards) were also significant in the loss.

The Lions run game will need to establish itself early in this one. Last week it was non-existent with John White IV carrying the ball four times for just four yards. He’ll face an Eskimos defence that allowed the Alouettes 133 yards along the ground in week one.

Edmonton Eskimos

Trevor Harris is quickly making Eskimos’ fans forget about Mike Reilly. In his Edmonton debut last week, he completed 32-of-41 passes for 447 yards and three TDs in the home sides 32-25 home win over Montreal. He also ran for a touchdown. Former BC Lions receiver Ricky Collins Jr. also had a nice Eskimos debut, catching nine passes for 175 yards.

Unlike Reilly, Harris had a lot of help in the backfield from CJ Gable. Gable tore up the Alouettes for 154 yards and a touchdown.

The Eskimos will have to clean up a penalty problem that has plagued them for some time. Last week the team committed 12 penalties for 118 yards – over the length of an entire field. They also turned the ball over three times, including a pair of fumbles.

LIONS

Away

27

ESKIMOS

Home

34

Score
Predictions

Matchup