Edmonton @ Saskatchewan preview
Mosaic Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 26, 2019 ) Saskatchewan 27, Edmonton 24
The Saskatchewan Roughriders can clinch their first West Division title in a decade when they host the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday in the regular-season finale for both teams. The Roughriders rebounded from a 1-3 start by winning 11 of their next 13 games, including a 27-24 comeback victory at Edmonton last week, to secure a home playoff date and hope to earn a bye into the West Division final by extending their home winning streak to seven contests.
"Right now we just need to win the moment and let the rest take care of itself," Saskatchewan defensive back L.J. McCray told reporters. "I'm excited about that and I'm sure we'll handle business the way we should." Edmonton held a 10-point lead at intermission before eventually losing on a last-second field goal against Saskatchewan to fall below .500. The Eskimos have already secured the crossover playoff spot after missing out on the postseason in 2018 and will travel to Montreal in the East Division semifinal Nov, 10, but hope to avoid finishing the regular season with a losing record for the first time since 2013. "A lot of games are coming down to the last three minutes and that one came down to the last second," Edmonton coach Jason Maas told reporters. "Tip your hats to Saskatchewan as they had everything in the world to play for."
TV: 4 p.m. ET, TSN
ABOUT THE ESKIMOS (8-9): Trevor Harris completed 27-of-37 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown, but threw a pair of interceptions in his first game back since missing six weeks with an injury to this throwing arm. Wide receiver/kick returner Christion Jones will miss the rest of the season after he was carted off the field with a leg injury in the second quarter while safety Mike Edem is questionable with an unspecified problem. C.J. Gable is questionable after missing the previous two games with a knee injury while Maas revealed that Harris will be rested in the regular-season finale with the Eastern semifinal on deck.
ABOUT THE ROUGHRIDERS (12-5): Cody Fajardo celebrated his two-year contract extension by going 25-of-35 for 429 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Edmonton. Kyran Moore caught 10 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown while Shaq Evans gained 174 yards on six receptions as the Roughriders dug out of a 14-0 hole to beat the Eskimos on a 43-yard field goal from Brett Lauther as time expired. Moore (953) and Naaman Roosevelt (910) are approaching 1,000-yard receiving seasons while Evans has a chance to become the first Saskatchewan player to register seven 100-yard games in a season since Curtis Marsh in 2000.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Fajardo leads the CFL in passing yards (4,302).
2. Edmonton has failed to score 30 points in eight consecutive games.
3. Saskatchewan is 7-1 at home this season.
PREDICTION: Roughriders 31, Eskimos 21