Edmonton Eskimos at Ottawa Redblacks

Sunday, 1 p.m.

Mike Reilly is a man of his word. After suffering an upper-body injury late in Edmonton’s 24-21 East Division semifinal win over Hamilton, the veteran quarterback emphatically stated he’d play in this weekend’s conference final against the Ottawa Redblacks. The return Wednesday of Thomas DeMarco prompted questions regarding Reilly’s health. But Reilly practised and threw effectively, then said he was “good to go.” Backup James Franklin threw for 335 yards and four TDs in Edmonton’s 41-17 regular-season finale win over Toronto but Reilly is the club’s undisputed offensive leader. He finished first overall in passing (5,554 yards) and second in touchdown strikes (28). Last year, Reilly returned from injury to lead Edmonton on a 10-game win streak, capping it with an MVP performance in the Eskimos’ 26-20 Grey Cup win over Ottawa. And although the Redblacks (8-9-1) became the first team in CFL history to finish atop a division with a sub-.500 record, they were 2-0 against Edmonton. And veteran Henry Burris, the CFL’s outstanding player last season and a multiple Grey Cup champion, will start. Burris will have plenty of options at his disposal. Ernest Jackson, the East Division’s outstanding player nominee, Chris Williams, Greg Ellingson and Brad Sinopoli all cracked the 1,000-yard receiving plateau for a second straight year, a CFL first. However, Williams (knee) is out. Ottawa must contend with an Edmonton ground game that accumulated 180 yards against Hamilton. And when Reilly goes back to pass, he’ll have Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker, who finished 1-2 in CFL receiving, to look for. The Eskimos come in having won three straight and six of seven.