Montreal @ Edmonton preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 10, 2016 ) Edmonton 40, Montreal 20

The Edmonton Eskimos host the Montreal Alouettes on Friday in a series that has been one-sided of late. The Eskimos have won six straight meetings with the Alouettes, including the last three games at Commonwealth Stadium by an average of 15 points, and hope to continue their dominance after opening the season with an exhilarating 30-27 victory on the road over the BC Lions.

Sean Whyte kicked a short field goal as time expired, but the victory came at a cost as star linebacker J.C. Sherritt ruptured his Achilles tendon and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Montreal had to sweat out a game-winning field goal attempt by Tyler Crapigna, whose kick sailed wide right, to squeak out a 17-16 victory in Darian Durant's debut with the Alouettes. Durant, who spent the previous 11 seasons in Regina, celebrated wildly after the final whistle and hopes to lead the Alouettes to their first win against Edmonton since a 47-24 triumph Oct. 5, 2013. "I think we did a pretty good job but we left a lot of yards and a lot of points out there," Durant told reporters. "We have the potential to be a very good offence if we can put it all together."

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

ABOUT THE ALOUETTES (1-0): Durant completed 20-of-31 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns against his old team while B.J. Cunningham caught four passes for 90 yards and a score. Montreal signed free agent quarterback Drew Willy, who has thrown for 8,539 yards and 39 touchdowns in 46 games in the CFL, after he was released by the Toronto Argonauts earlier in July. "We're always going to solidify that spot," Montreal general manager Kavis Reed told reporters. "If anything catastrophic were to happen to Durant we want to make certain that we have a seasoned guy around."

ABOUT THE ESKIMOS (1-0): Mike Reilly, who led the CFL with 5,554 passing yards in 2016, continued where he left off last season as he threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions. Brandon Zylstra was the main beneficiary of Reilly's big night as he caught seven passes for 152 yards, including a 76-yard grab that set up Whyte's game-winning field goal as time expired. John White rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown while Duke Williams, who starred for Auburn University, hauled in four passes for 110 yards and a touchdown in his CFL debut.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Edmonton has won five consecutive regular-season games against East Division opponents.

2. Montreal WR Nik Lewis needs 18 more receptions to become the fourth player in CFL history to reach 1,000 for his career.

3. Whyte has made 21 consecutive field goal attempts.

PREDICTION: Eskimos 34, Alouettes 21