Hamilton Tiger-Cats players tackle Edmonton Eskimos' Adarius Bowman (4) during first half CFL action in Edmonton, Alta., on Friday August 21, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson.
CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — Three teams appear to have separated themselves from the pack at this point in the season in Hamilton, Edmonton and Calgary — and for the third straight week, two of those three teams will meet.
Hot off a win over the Calgary Stampeders in the Labour Day rematch, the Edmonton Eskimos will face another one of the league’s top contenders as they venture into Tiger Town to take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. This was also a Marquee Matchup back in Week 9 but the Ticats made it look easy, winning convincingly on the road over the Eskimos 49-20.
The Esks vow that they haven’t forgetten the night they were showed up in their own building, meaning they’ll head into the Hammer with a chip on their shoulder — not to mention Mike Reilly back under centre after his second start of the season last weekend.
Two of the league’s three most talented teams and two most talented defences clash on Saturday in a potential Grey Cup preview. Who will come out on top?
The fans are leaning pretty heavily towards the Ticats, who appear to be the safe pick given Hamilton’s dominance at Tim Hortons Field. The Ticats are the CFL’s most dominant team in 2015 and while they’re only tied for the top record in the league, their point differential is in a different world as they’re plus-171 — an average margin of victory of 15.5 points per game.
If you’re looking at the last tim these teams met as a barometer though, you might want to think again. The Eskimos got Mike Reilly back under centre in their win over Calgary last weekend and they’re clearly a different team when he’s in the ball game. The Eskimos should be able to stretch the Ticats’ defence and create more space for slippery runners Shakir Bell and Kendial Lawrence among others.
Edmonton put up more than 500 yards against Clagary’s stingy defence last week and that offence is something the Ticats will have to be wary of.
While the fans are all in on the Ticats, our writers are a little more cautious, although slightly they still favour Hamilton:
Dunk Landry Steinberg
Cauz Nye Pedersen Morris
Matchup Overview:
All in all, Saturday’s matchup between two red hot team promises to be an intense one. The Ticats and Eskimos are ranked first and second defensively as they boast two of the hardest-hitting units in football.
Meanwhile, Zach Collaros and Mike Reilly might be the most exciting pivots to watch, as both can make something out of nothing with their legs but are also getting the job done with their arms.
Who’s your pick to win this week’s Marquee Matchup?
