The Edmonton Eskimos came into Toronto knowing full well if they won, they’d be sitting alone in second place in the CFL West division. The only thing that stood in their way was discipline, or a lack of it; and it led to an Eskimos loss.
After a dominating 24-0 at home against rival Saskatchewan, Edmonton came into Toronto fully knowing the value of a win here. They had 299 yards against the Riders on the ground and looked to keep up that production against the Argos. Problem was, the Argos were equal to the task. The Esks only managed 58 yards on the ground, a far cry from a week before. Reilly was held in check most of the game, his 23-yard touchdown run his only answer to the double blue rush defense.
The lack of yardage on the ground was not the only reason for the Eskimo loss, though. A stunning number of penalties, 18 of them, for a whopping 228 yards is what ultimately did them in.
When speaking about the lack of discipline, coach Chris Jones sounded frustrated. “There were a lot of plays we failed to make due to lack of discipline.” When asked about why so many costly flags were thrown against his team, Jones said, “I’d like to know that. I’ll start searching for those answers.” He indicated that he had already spoken to his team, too. “We just had a little discussion on that. That was the difference in the ball game.”
QB Mike Reilly also threw an ill-advised pass and was picked off deep in Argo territory; if that had been completed, the momentum might not have swung in the Argos favour. On that play, Jones said, “Turnovers in any game are going to cost you. That’s what let this game slip away from us.” He continued, “The turnover there in the third quarter is a glaring thing, if you’re trying to jump on the quarterback and try to point the finger at one thing.”
The game was extremely close, though, and the Eskimos lost by only a single point. But when asked about this, Jones responded, “It’s one of those deals where it doesn’t matter if you lose by one or you lose by 30. It doesn’t help you.”
So after a hard-fought loss battled to the very end, the Eskimos are left wondering why they took so many penalties. It will remain a focus in Edmonton, as the Eskimos are still tied with the Riders for second in the West, after letting a chance to pull ahead slip away.
The Eskimos host the Blue Bombers on Thanksgiving, and will hope their flag taking ways will be in the rear view mirror. If not, they’re going to have another tough day: Winnipeg is on a losing skid, and will be looking to avenge an embarrassing defeat to Ottawa.
Thank you for reading. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo:
