ALOUETTES AT ESKIMOS

Five things you should know about the Als-Eskimos game in Edmonton on Saturday (9 p.m., TSN, RDS, TSN Radio 690), by Herb Zurkowsky.

1.

Matchup

The Alouettes came close last week, losing 24-17 at Ottawa, but nonetheless lost their fifth consecutive game and dropped to 1-7. The Eskimos are 5-3 and would have been 6-2, but squandered leads of 14-3 and a 20-10 halftime cushion at B.C. en route to a 31-23 loss. The visitors were held to three secondhalf points and were guilty of shoddy clock management.

2.

Injuries

The only one that matters to Als fans is the loss of quarterback Johnny Manziel, who has been placed under the CFL’s concussion protocol after taking a forearm to the head from Redblacks’ cornerback Jonathan Rose. Manziel’s on the one-game injured list, for now. Drew Willy, the starting QB when the season began, has been placed on the six-game injured list after sustaining a gash to a finger that required stitches and was supposed to sideline him about two weeks. Edmonton tailback C.J. Gable will miss the game and has been replaced by Shaquille Cooper.

3.

The QBs

Manziel’s loss means the Als must turn to Antonio Pipkin, who gets his first career CFL start. Pipkin was with Montreal last season, but didn’t get onto the field until replacing Matt Shiltz in the final game, at Hamilton. The Als lost 33-0 and Pipkin completed two of nine passes for 14 yards. Shiltz, who sustained a shoulder injury this season while playing on special teams, will at least dress for the game. But should Pipkin sustain an injury, next man up likely would be rookie Austin Apodaca.

4.

The receivers

The Edmonton tandem of Duke Williams and Derel Walker rank first and second, respectively, in the league this season. The two have combined for 1,493 yards and 11 touchdowns. But the Eskimos also have former Alouette Kenny Stafford, enjoying the most productive season of his career. He has caught 33 passes for 515 yards, scoring once.

5.

News you need

There’s a possibility this game will be delayed or possibly postponed due to the B.C. wildfires, which have engulfed this city with a haze of smoke this week. A cold front’s expected to eventually move across the Prairies and reduce the smoke.