Hamilton @ Edmonton preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 4, 2017 ) Hamilton 28, Edmonton 33

The Edmonton Eskimos look to start 2-0 for the second straight season when they host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday. The Eskimos outlasted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33-30 in the longest regular-season game in CFL history - clocked in at five hours and 42 minutes - following two separate lightning delays and hope to take down the Tiger-Cats for the fifth consecutive time.

"Now that it's over we all think the win in Winnipeg is a real building block that galvanized this team," Edmonton head coach Jason Maas told reporters. "To be able to come back … and win the game speaks volumes about the character and mental fortitude that we have." Hamilton is left to wonder what could've been after a couple of costly mistakes in the 28-14 setback against the Calgary Stampeders. Jeremiah Masoli had two turnovers, including an interception late in the fourth quarter, and finished without a touchdown pass, but head coach June Jones confirmed he will remain the starting quarterback for Friday's clash despite calls for Johnny Manziel to make his CFL regular-season debut. "We had the ball with a chance to score at the end to win and you can't throw a pick like that so that's on me," Masoli told reporters. "We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot and against a team like this you can't do that."

TV: 10 p.m. ET, TSN

ABOUT THE TIGER-CATS (0-1): Masoli completed 25-of-36 passes for 344 yards to go along with a rushing touchdown while Mike Jones had one of the best games of his career as he hauled in five passes for 120 yards, but it wasn't enough as Hamilton fell to Calgary for the 13th straight time. The Tiger-Cats made a move to bolster their secondary as they signed former all-star boundary cornerback Delvin Breaux, who returned to the CFL after a three-year stint with the New Orleans Saints. The Tiger-Cats released defensive back Demond Washington, who has struggled to make an impact since tearing his ACL during training camp in 2016, to make room for Breaux.

ABOUT THE ESKIMOS (1-0): Mike Reilly, who won the league's Most Outstanding Player award in 2017, started off the new season with a bang as he threw for 408 yards and a touchdown to go along with a pair of rushing touchdowns as Edmonton scored 11 points in the final 1:22 to edge Winnipeg. Derel Walker hauled in eight passes for 176 yards and a touchdown while Sean Whyte made 3-of-4 field goals, including the game-winning kick from 44 yards with eight seconds left. Edmonton suffered a number of injuries in the opening week as linebacker Adam Konar, defensive tackle Mike Moore and offensive lineman Tommie Draheim were placed on the six-game injured list.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The last five meetings between Edmonton and Hamilton have been decided by six points or fewer.

2. The Tiger-Cats have lost 13 of their last 15 regular-season games against West Division opponents.

3. Walker has caught 19 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games against Hamilton.

PREDICTION: Eskimos 34, Tiger-Cats 25