Ottawa @ Edmonton preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 13, 2018 ) Ottawa 16, Edmonton 34

The Edmonton Eskimos look to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time in 2019 when they host the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday. The Eskimos missed an opportunity to grab a share of first place in the West Division after suffering a 24-18 loss to the Calgary Stampeders in Week 8 and hope to stay within striking distance of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and their provincial rivals by winning their sixth straight home game dating back to last year.

"We've got to learn from this loss and the hope is that it makes us a better football club," Eskimos coach Jason Maas told reporters. "We've got to regroup and get better." Ottawa ended a four-game skid with a 30-27 overtime win against the Montreal Alouettes in Week 8. The Redblacks were held to 243 yards of total offence but a pair of kick-return touchdowns from rookie DeVonte Dedmon and the steady foot of field goal kicker Lewis Ward helped the capital-city club avoid their longest losing streak since 2014 and they hope to climb back to .500 by recording their first win in Edmonton in more than three years. "We have to figure it out and we have to keep working," Ottawa coach Rick Campbell told reporters. "It's safe to say we're not playing our best football but we're going to show we can hang with people."

TV: 10 p.m. ET, TSN, ESPN2

ABOUT THE REDBLACKS (3-4): Dominique Davis went 20-of-34 through the air for 164 yards with a touchdown and a pair of interceptions against Montreal after missing the previous two games with a lower-leg injury. Dedmon was named one of the CFL's Top Performers of the Week after two electrifying special teams scores, including a franchise-record 111-yard kickoff-return touchdown against the Alouettes. Ottawa released a pair of linebackers as Jeff Knox Jr., who had 112 tackles with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2015, and Charles Brousseau were cut Monday.

ABOUT THE ESKIMOS (4-3): Trevor Harris completed 29-of-42 passes for 373 yards and two touchdown passes but it wasn't enough as he fell to 0-7-2 as a starter against Calgary. Greg Ellingson, who has caught 34 passes for 457 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2019, is set to return from the one-game injured list while fellow wide receiver DaVaris Daniels is questionable after missing the loss to the Stampeders. Edmonton acquired kick returner Christion Jones from the Saskatchewan Roughriders in exchange for wide receiver Kenny Stafford after their top return man Martese Jackson suffered a wrist injury.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Edmonton WR Ricky Collins Jr. leads the CFL in receiving yards (615).

2. Davis has thrown five interceptions in his last three starts.

3. The Eskimos are 10-2 at home since the start of the 2018 season.

PREDICTION: Eskimos 33, Redblacks 26