CFL Preview - Winnipeg (6-8) at Edmonton (9-5) (ET)

GAME NOTES: A West Division showdown is on tap for Monday afternoon, as the Edmonton Eskimos entertain the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Commonwealth Stadium.

With just four games left on the schedule, it is now or never for the Blue Bombers as they find themselves in last place in the division standings, two games under .500. Unfortunately, this situation is Winnipeg's doing, after the team won three straight and five of the first six games to open the 2014 campaign.

The Bombers have won only once since that strong start, a 24-16 triumph versus Montreal in Week 9. Last week, the program was thrashed by newcomer Ottawa in a 42-20 decision on the road, the team's fifth consecutive setback and the seventh in eight tries overall.

Winnipeg actually held a 10-7 lead after one period of play against the RedBlacks, but then the expansion club went to work with three touchdowns in the second frame and ran away with the victory from there. Quarterback Drew Willy hit 19-of-30 passes for a decent 223 yards, but he failed to get a single pass into the end zone, was sacked six times and had three attempts picked off.

Robert Marve registered the lone offensive TD for the Bombers on a one-yard run in the second frame, while Maurice Leggett silenced the crowd with a thrilling 114-yard missed field goal return for a major in the opening period.

Defensively, Winnipeg didn't have a prayer as the RedBlacks produced a hefty 477 yards of offense, an uncharacteristic effort considering Ottawa was next- to-last in the league with only 294.3 ypg of offense heading into the contest.

As for the Eskimos, they appear to have their bags packed for the postseason as they are tied with Saskatchewan for second place in the West behind only Calgary, which has already clinched a playoff berth. Edmonton is making it hard on itself though, having lost two of its last three outings and four of six.

Last weekend, Edmonton came up just short against Toronto on the road, 33-32, but don't blame quarterback Mike Reilly who threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Granted Riley, who ran for a team-best 36 yards and a score, did toss an interception and was sacked three times, but it was a team effort that resulted in the setback as the Esks got hit with 18 penalties for a loss of 224 yards.

Edmonton went into last week as the second-most penalized team in the league with 149 flags being thrown at it, for a league-high 1,260 yards, but this level of undisciplined play reaches new heights for sure and should give head coach Chris Jones reason to be concerned.

Defensively, the Eskimos did give up 370 yards of offense to the Argonauts and still the visitors came up just short in their comeback bid.

On the season, Edmonton has bragging rights when it comes to slowing down opponents, limiting teams to a mere 289.7 ypg, easily the best mark in the league entering Week 16 action. The Eskimos stand third in the CFL in points allowed with 20.4 per contest, while the offense is second with 26.6 ppg.

But while those aforementioned numbers certainly work in favor of Edmonton, there are ones that have crippled the squad from time to time and those are the over-the-top penalties. As if there were any doubt, the Eskimos have been hit with infractions more often (167) than any other team, and that has led to being pushed back one way or another by an average of more than 100 yards per outing.

The first meeting of the season between the clubs took place in Winnipeg at Investors Group Field during Week 4, where Edmonton halted a three-game win streak to start the season by the Bombers, with a 26-3 rout. In that contest, Edmonton scored the first 13 points and never looked back, as Reilly survived four sacks and an interception by throwing for 192 yards and a score.

Willy wasn't nearly as fortunate as he absorbed five sacks, had an INT of his own and completed only 14-of-27 attempts for 180 yards. Winnipeg controlled the action for less than 22 minutes and failed to capitalize on 14 penalties for 125 yards charged to the Esks.

With the victory, Edmonton now leads the all-time series by a count of 96-85-3, dating back to 1938 and considering only regular-season meetings.

With scoring down by nearly a touchdown per game this season from last, coupled with the fact that there are on average 21.7 penalties per game, even the slightest mistake could cost a team these days. With that in mind, if the Esks continue to shoot themselves in the foot, this is a meeting that could easily be claimed by the visitors.