Esks vs. Stamps in Western final
WINNIPEG — Adarius Bowman caught two touchdown passes and C.J. Gable added a pair on the ground as the Edmonton Eskimos defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 39-32, in Sunday’s CFL Western Division semifinal.
It was Edmonton’s sixth straight victory and earned them a trip to Calgary (13-4-1) for next Sunday’s Western divisional final.
Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly completed 23-of-33 pass attempts for 334 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols, who didn’t appear to be hampered by a calf injury, was 35 of 48 for 371 yards with three TDs and no picks in front of an announced attendance of 27,244 at Investors Group Field. The loss bumped up Winnipeg’s Grey Cup drought to 27 seasons.
Edmonton played in last year’s East final as the crossover team, losing to the eventual Grey Cup-champion Ottawa Redblacks.
Both clubs were 12-6 in the regular season, with Winnipeg winning the two previous matches. The Bombers had entered the game by wining only two of their last five games.
Edmonton had a 39-16 lead at 3:20 of the fourth quarter when the Bombers attempted a comeback.
Winnipeg got down to Edmonton’s 26-yard line, but Chris Givens couldn’t hang onto a pass and the Bombers turned the ball over on downs with just over four minutes left. It was their third turnover.As time expired, Dressler caught a 13-yard TD pass and also grabbed the two-point convert throw.