Ottawa @ Edmonton preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 20, 2016 ) Edmonton 23, Ottawa 35

The Ottawa Redblacks look to notch their first win of the season when they hit the road to battle the Edmonton Eskimos on Friday. The Redblacks blew a double-digit advantage in the 26-25 loss to the Toronto Argonauts in Week 3 and the defending Grey Cup champions hope to stop their slide by knocking off the Eskimos for the fourth consecutive time after sweeping the season series, including the 2016 East Division final.

"We have the makings to be a pretty good team but we're not firing on all cylinders yet," Ottawa coach Rick Campbell told reporters. "There's a lot of football left to be played and we'll have to reload." Edmonton began its stretch of four home games in five outings with a 23-19 win against the Montreal Alouettes on June 30 before going on a bye in Week 3. The win came a huge cost though as star running back John White, who rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown in the season opener, suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign, and the Eskimos hope that Travon Van can shoulder the load in the backfield. "I was sad about John White because I was rooting for him to get the rushing title but this is football and things happen," Van told reporters. "It's big shoes to fill and the only thing I can do is go out there and try to do my best and hopefully that's enough."

TV: 10 p.m. ET, TSN

ABOUT THE REDBLACKS (0-2-1): Ottawa turned some heads when it announced that defensive back A.J. Jefferson, who was one of the team's high-profile free-agent signings in the offseason, was cut loose on Tuesday due to the Redblacks' desire for a more youthful secondary. Trevor Harris completed 30-of-43 passes for 370 yards and two touchdowns in the loss against Toronto to finish with at least 300 yards for the third consecutive game. Greg Ellingson was the main beneficiary of Harris' big night as he caught 10 passes for 170 yards to take his CFL-leading total to 369 receiving yards.

ABOUT THE ESKIMOS (2-0): Mike Reilly threw for 286 yards and a touchdown to help Edmonton claw back from 10 points down to beat Montreal, and needs one more TD toss to catch Matt Dunigan (88) for fifth place on the Eskimos' all-time list. Sean Whyte made 3-of-3 field goals, including a career-long 55-yard attempt, to extend his streak to 24 in a row - a new franchise record. Running back/kick returner Kendial Lawrence, who played two seasons with Edmonton from 2014-15 before he was released during training camp in June, was brought back to add some depth in the backfield following White's injury.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Harris is tied for the league lead in touchdown passes with seven.

2. Edmonton has won six consecutive regular-season games against East Division opponents.

3. Van rushed for 422 yards and two touchdowns in nine games with Ottawa last season before joining the Eskimos in 2017.

PREDICTION: Eskimos 29, Redblacks 23