Edmonton @ Montreal preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 30, 2017 ) Montreal 19, Edmonton 23

The Edmonton Eskimos look to stop their downward spiral when they hit the road to face the Montreal Alouettes on Thanksgiving Monday. The Eskimos raced out to a 7-0 start before dropping six straight games, including a 28-19 defeat against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 15, to fall into third place and hope to stay in contention for a postseason berth by topping the Alouettes for the eighth consecutive time.

"We're not good enough right now to win ball games," Edmonton coach Jason Maas admitted to reporters. "We're lucky we're still in the playoff hunt but we've got to figure things out." Montreal's playoff hopes are on life support following a 59-11 setback to the Calgary Stampeders. The Alouettes sat atop the East Division two months ago, but have dropped seven straight games, including three in a row since firing Jacques Chapdelaine, to fall into the division cellar, five points behind the Ottawa Redblacks for the last playoff spot in East with four games remaining. Montreal has dropped four consecutive games to West Division opponents and hopes to turn its fortunes around by beating Edmonton for the first time since a 47-24 victory Oct. 5, 2013.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS

ABOUT THE ESKIMOS (7-6): Edmonton acquired running back C.J. Gable, who has rushed for 466 yards and five touchdowns this season, from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in exchange for the rights of two players on their negotiation list. Gable will likely step straight into the starting lineup after Travon Van, who has gained 283 yards on the ground with three touchdowns in six games in 2017, injured his hamstring against the Blue Bombers. Edmonton signed fullback John Delahunt and defensive back Brendan Morgan to the practice squad and released running back Marion Grice and kicker Brett Lauther from the active roster.

ABOUT THE ALOUETTES (3-11): Drew Willy was limited to 137 yards and a touchdown in his first start of the season against Calgary and will get the call once more with Darian Durant still nursing a sore hamstring. Linebacker Dominique Tovell could return to the fold after missing the last six games with a knee problem while offensive tackle Jovan Olafioye will miss his second straight contest because of an arm injury. "There won't be any radical changes as we feel we have a strong opportunity on Monday," Montreal general manager and interim head coach Kavis Reed told reporters. "We have to make certain we put the best team on the field."

EXTRA POINTS

1. Edmonton QB Mike Reilly has thrown for more than 300 yards in four straight outings.

2. Montreal has lost its last five games by an average of 26.2 points.

3. Eskimos WR Brandon Zylstra has registered 100 receiving yards in three of his last four contests.

PREDICTION: Eskimos 33, Alouettes 19