Watch: Reilly's 76-yard bomb helps Eskimos edge Lions
.@Rikester13 and @BrandonZylstra3 make the @BCLions pay after missing an extra point that would've given them the lead. #CFLKickoff pic.twitter.com/lCJiMASF5O
— CFL on TSN (@CFLonTSN) June 25, 2017
After coughing up a two-possession lead in the fourth quarter Saturday, Mike Reilly and Brandon Zylstra connected on a 76-yard pass that set up the game-winning score, as the Edmonton Eskimos opened the season with a 30-27 road triumph over the BC Lions.
Zylstra was brought down short of the goal line, but Sean Whyte kicked the game-winning field goal at the end of regulation to seal the result.
Reilly went 20-of-28 on the night, throwing for 315 yards and two touchdowns, He outdueled Jonathon Jennings, who was kept out of the end zone for the first time since Week 16 of last season versus the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Zylstra, meanwhile, finished as the contest's leading receiver, hauling in seven receptions for 152 yards.
It was a disappointing opener for the Lions, who trailed for most of the night and struggled to find a rhythm offensively. BC also missed an extra point late in the fourth quarter that would've given Wally Buono's team the lead, though Reilly's bomb in the final minute turned that moot.
As sweet as the victory was for Edmonton, it did come at a cost, as the Esks lost star linebacker J.C. Sherritt to a suspected Achilles injury.