Week 20 Preview

Three games this weekend conclude the regular season schedule and finalize post-season positioning for the Scotiabank East Semi-Final and Championship.

The action gets underway Friday night when the Edmonton Eskimos play their final game of 2006. The Eskimos welcome the Saskatchewan Roughriders to Commonwealth Stadium for the second time this year.

Post-season atmosphere settles in on Saturday with a double header carrying heavy playoff implications. The action gets underway at 3:00pm ET as the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts battle for first place in the East. Later in the evening the Winnipeg Blue Bombers look to clinch second place with a win over the BC Lions in Vancouver.  

Here’s a look at this week’s match-ups:

RIDERS (9-8) vs. ESKS (6-11)

Game Day: Friday, October 27   Location: Commonwealth Stadium        

Game Time: 9:00 ET    TV Broadcast: TSN

Two of Edmonton’s six wins this season have come against Saskatchewan. The last time these two teams played Ricky Ray scored a late fourth quarter touchdown as the Eskimos went on to defeat the Roughriders 30-25. Click here to view the box score and stats.

Stats & Facts

-      Edmonton is 4-4 at home; Saskatchewan is 3-5 on the road.

-      The last time the Roughriders won a regular season game in Edmonton was in 2000.

-      Edmonton’s Ricky Ray needs 188 passing yards to eclipse the 5,000-yard mark on the season for the second time in his career.

-      Last week Edmonton’s Ron McClendon rushed for 198 yards, the most by any running back in a single game this year. It was his first game of the season.

ALS (9-8) vs. ARGOS (10-7)

Game Day: Saturday, October 28           Location: Rogers Centre           

Game Time: 3:00 ET    TV Broadcast: CBC / RDS

First place is at stake as the Alouettes travel to Rogers Centre to take on the Argonauts. The last time these two clubs met was in Toronto when the Argos won 31-6. Click here to view the box score and stats.

Stats & Facts

-      Each team can control its post-season destiny with a victory. The winner of Saturday’s game will host the Scotiabank East Championship. The loser of Saturday’s game will be waiting to see the results from the Winnipeg-B.C. game later that evening. If the Bombers win, they finish in second place.

-      Toronto is 5-3 at home; Montreal is 4-4 on the road.

-      The Als are 8-7 when playing in Toronto since rejoining the CFL in 1996.

-      Since Jim Popp took over as head coach the Alouettes are 1-2.

BOMBERS (9-8) vs. LIONS (12-5)

Game Day: Saturday, October 28           Location: B.C. Place Stadium   

Game Time: 10:00 ET    TV Broadcast: TSN      

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers can clinch second place in the East Division with a victory over the first place BC Lions on Saturday night. Earlier this season, the Lions defeated the Bombers at Canad Inns Stadium 32-5. The Bombers were without starting quarterback Kevin Glenn and all-star receiver Milt Stegall who will both be in the line-up for this week’s contest. Click here to view the box scores and stats.

Stats & Facts

-      BC is 7-1 at home; Winnipeg is 5-3 on the road, tops in the League.

-      The last time Winnipeg won in BC was in 2003, when they defeated the Lions 34-27.

-      Winnipeg’s Charles Roberts is on his way to claiming the League rushing title for the third time in his career. On Saturday he will be up against the second best rushing defence in the CFL.

-      Milt Stegall enters this week’s contest with 136 career touchdowns, one short of the all-time record held by George Reed and Mike Pringle.

-      BC’s Geroy Simon continues to lead the League in receiving with 99 receptions and 1,756 yards.