REGINA

Riders look to ride wave of momentum coming off the bye and facing Eskimos

The Canadian Press Published Wednesday, August 23, 2017 1:25PM CST

Saskatchewan Roughriders' quarterback Kevin Glenn stands on the sideline during the second half of a CFL football game against the B.C. Lions in Vancouver, B.C., on Saturday August 5, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

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It's been nearly two weeks since Ed Gainey and the Saskatchewan Roughriders last played.

On Aug. 13, the Riders dispatched the B.C. Lions 41-8 the week after dropping a 30-15 decision in Vancouver. Gainey played a major role in that victory, registering a club-record four interceptions and fumble return.

So Gainey and the Riders (3-4) should definitely feel refreshed Friday night when they visit the Edmonton Eskimos (7-1). But the bye didn't help Saskatchewan on July 22 when it dropped a 27-10 decision in Calgary following a 37-20 home victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Edmonton should also be anxious to make up for its 33-26 loss last Thursday night to Winnipeg. The Eskimos still lead the West Division but are just one point ahead of Calgary (6-1-1) and two in front of the Blue Bombers (6-2-0).

The Riders are fifth, four points behind B.C. (5-4-0) and just 1-3 within the West Division. What's more, they've won just one of their last five games coming off a bye week.

The loss to Winnipeg was Edmonton's first this season. But given their injury woes, it's a testament to the Eskimos' resolve that they continued winning as long as they did.

On Tuesday, Edmonton announced long-snapper Ryan King (knee), defensive end Marcus Howard (Achilles) and offensive lineman Jean-Simon Roy (knee) were all going to miss the remainder of the season. That leaves 16 players on the Eskimos' six-game injured list, including receiver Adarius Bowman, linebacker J.C. Sherritt and kicker Sean Whyte.

So it's no surprise the Eskimos acquired veteran defensive lineman John Chick from Hamilton. Chick, the CFL's top defensive player in '09, had 14 sacks last year but just two and 16 tackles in 2017.

A constant for Edmonton has been quarterback Mike Reilly, who threw for 356 yards and two TDs and ran for another against Winnipeg. D'haquille Williams had four catches for 110 yards and a TD

The good news is receiver Brandon Zylstra, defensive tackle Almondo Sewell and defensive back Garry Peters could all return against Saskatchewan. The Eskimos are also 4-0 at Commonwealth Stadium while Saskatchewan is 0-3 on the road.