BC @ Edmonton preview

BC at Edmonton

Last Meeting ( May 26, 2019 ) BC 7, Edmonton 22

Mike Reilly returns to his old stomping grounds when the BC Lions visit the Edmonton Eskimos on Friday. The veteran quarterback spent six successful years in Edmonton - lifting the Grey Cup in 2015 - before signing a $2.9 million contract with the Lions to become the highest paid player in the CFL, and hopes to bounce back from the 33-23 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 1 by leading his new team to its first win in Edmonton since July 13, 2013.

"I'm not going to try to kid myself and be hardcore about it and say it's just another game," Reilly told reporters. "It's going to be weird in the other locker room coming out onto the other sideline and playing against Edmonton." Edmonton is hoping for more offensive fireworks after putting up 608 yards in its season-opening 32-25 win against the Montreal Alouettes. The Eskimos bounced back from the disappointment of missing the playoffs last year by racking up their most yardage in a single game in 22 years and look to stay on the winning track by extending their home winning streak against the Lions to seven straight games. "For a group of guys who have only been together for a few weeks to go out and do that is pretty special," Edmonton coach Jason Maas told reporters. "We know it's going to be an emotional game for a lot of people but obviously it's about controlling those emotions."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, TSN, ESPN2

ABOUT THE LIONS (0-1): Reilly lived up to his lofty price tag in the opener as the CFL's passing leader for the last three seasons threw for 324 yards and a touchdown in the loss to Winnipeg. Bryan Burnham was the main beneficiary of Reilly's big night as he hauled in five passes for 153 yards to record the 12th 100-yard receiving game of his career while Lemar Durant, who came over from the Calgary Stampeders in the offseason, finished with six receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. Duron Carter, the talented but troubled wide receiver who has played for three teams in the last 12 months, finished with six catches for 65 yards.

ABOUT THE ESKIMOS (1-0): Trevor Harris was named one of the CFL's Top Performers of the Week after he completed 32-of-41 passes for 447 yards and three touchdowns to go along with the go-ahead rushing score with 1:07 left in the fourth quarter of his Edmonton debut. C.J. Gable also garnered the weekly accolade from the league after racking up 154 rushing yards and catching a touchdown pass in the win against Montreal. Linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox, who signed as a free agent in the summer, could be ready to make his debut after missing the season opener with a foot injury while fellow linebacker Don Unamba is expected to sit out after undergoing an MRI for an upper-body injury.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Reilly has thrown for over 300 yards 43 times in his career.

2. Harris has completed at least 20 passes in 14 straight regular-season games.

3. Gable needs 44 rushing yards to reach 4,000 for his career.

PREDICTION: Lions 31, Eskimos 30