Bombers D key to defeating Esks, Reilly

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This article was published 27/09/2018 (2536 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They have a quarterback who is near impossible to stop, with weapons surrounding him that will make you pay for any little mistake.

But the key to beating Mike Reilly and the Edmonton Eskimos doesn’t lie in just limiting their offence. It also requires battling a defence that despite having some impressive personnel hasn’t exactly impressed through much of the 2018 CFL season.

“It ultimately comes down to Mike Reilly and his decision-making, which is for the most part very consistent,” linebacker Adam Bighill said after the Bombers’ closed practice Thursday. “He does a good job always keeping his eyes downfield, extending plays and being able to make something out of nothing. That’s kind of been his hallmark, being comfortable in the pocket and not letting it bother him.

“The offence definitely does run through Mike.”

Reilly, 33, leads the CFL in passing yards (4,219), and is tied with the Calgary Stampeders’ Bo Levi Mitchell for most touchdown passes (27). Edmonton’s offence has been the most dangerous through the air, averaging 325 passing yards per game, and Reilly’s seven games with at least 300 yards is also a league-best. While the Eskimos (7-6) have been getting much of the same from Reilly that they got a year ago, when he was named the league’s most outstanding player, there have been games that even when Reilly has been at the top of his game, it just hasn’t been good enough.

Look over at the defence and it’s a much different story.

Edmonton is better than only the Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes, two teams with a combined record of 6-19 this year, in some of the most important defensive stats. Those include average points allowed (24.9), touchdowns against (33), and net yards, an average of 378.5 per game.

Somewhat surprising, though, is that Edmonton is second to the B.C. Lions in registering quarterback sacks, with 33 through 12 games. Edmonton utilizes a defensive line flanked by arguably the league’s most feared interior lineman in Almondo Sewell. Other key contributors include Mike Moore and Kwaku Boateng, who has eight sacks coming.

“They have one of the most disruptive front fours in the league for sure,” said Bombers right guard Patrick Neufeld.

“Defensively they get to the quarterback well and they pride themselves in being able to do that. It’s a dynamic front with four guys that all kind of play different styles, so we’re going to have to play super tight and it’s going to be a fun battle for sure.”

There is certainly reason to believe that if the Bombers can contain pressure at the line of scrimmage, while also limiting the damage from Reilly, they’ll have a good chance at earning a win when the two West Division rivals meet in the second of three games between them this season Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.

Giving Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols the time and space he needs in the pocket has, of course, always been a priority for the offensive line, but it will integral in Saturday’s game in trying to outduel an impressive Eskimos attack.

“The whole time I’ve been playing in this league Edmonton’s been a team where their philosophy is push the pocket and rush with just four guys straight up,” said centre Matthias Goossen, now in his fifth season with the Bombers after being drafted by the team in 2014.

“In a lot of ways it makes it more simple to block them because you know they’re going to come right at you but in other ways you got to know that they do that for a reason, they do that because they have very good guys who can beat guys one-on-one. So that’s a big challenge for us to stop their guys and give Matt a lot of time.”

Nichols, for his part, will have to build off the success from one of his best outings this seasonin a 34-11 win over the Montreal Alouettes last week, where although he still didn’t reach the 300-yard passing mark for the first time in 2018 he made smart decisions and was without an interception. Nichols noted the importance of chewing up yards on first down and putting the Bombers in second-and-short situations more often than not.

Nichols believes he enters the game at a bit of an advantage, having practised alongside a number of the players he’ll face on Saturday. He played in parts of three seasons with the Eskimos before being traded to Winnipeg midway through the 2015 campaign. He’s also comfortable with Commonwealth Stadium, where he is 2-0 against the Eskimos.

“I was there for a long time, practised in that stadium every single day,” Nichols said. “The last couple of times I’ve gone back there it definitely feels like a place that I was at for 5½ years, so I definitely, personally, have a comfort level in that stadium. I enjoy going back there and enjoy it even more when we come back with a win.”

As for Reilly, he has been relatively pedestrian in recent weeks, posting fewer than 300 passing yards in three of his last four games — all losses. But he’s been nearly lights out at home this season, averaging 325 passing yards per game and combining for 13 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

The Bombers’ defence has certainly improved in recent weeks, despite snapping a four-game losing streak with a win over Montreal last week, but that success has come against teams lower in the standings.

Saturday will be the defence’s greatest challenge since facing off against Mitchell and the Stampeders in late August. In that game, a 39-26 loss, the Bombers’ offence couldn’t find a consistent groove and the defence did their best to hold on, only to fall apart in the final quarter from fatigue and by the end they surrendered 511 yards.

“If we allow their offence to dictate what they want to do, as far as launching the ball and getting explosion (plays) then it’s going to be a long day,” said Bombers cornerback Chris Randle. “If we’re all working on one accord we should have a good chance at winning.”

At 6-7, Winnipeg won’t be eliminated from the playoffs with a loss, but it would put them in a deep hole. A win, however, would not only even the season series to one game apiece but even the two clubs’ records to 7-7. Depending what B.C. does in their game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Bombers could be in a tie for third place in the West and very much back in the post-season picture.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton