A new hope: can the Eskimos triumph against Darth Mitchell and the big, bad B.C. Lions?

In many ways, the story of Lions' defensive tackle Khalif Mitchell playing the villain in advance of B.C.'s clash against Edmonton (7:30 p.m. Eastern, TSN/ESPN3)'s one that applies to these teams as a whole. Yes, Mitchell's wrenching of Simeon Rottier's arm in the last game between these clubs may not have quite been a Force choke, but it was out of line, and it earned him a deserved two-game suspension (one that was upheld for once). It's somewhat refreshing to see Mitchell still playing the bad guy, though, as that's a role perhaps underfilled in the CFL these day. He's well-suited for it, given his size and strength, and it's one that could certainly apply to his team as a whole. Good stories often have a powerful villain, and B.C. may be filling that role for the CFL this year.

That's not to say there's anything malicious or underhanded about the Lions or the way they play. Rather, it's their league-best 8-3 record and the dominance that they've shown that makes them feel like a bit of an evil empire. They've stomped all over the league all season long, and that's evident in the statistics. Heading into this week, B.C. had by far the league's best point differential (+94), the most yards of net offence per game (396.3), the most first downs (256), the most rushing yards per game (130.0), the best gain per rush (6.3 yards per carry) and the fewest quarterback sacks allowed. That's before you get to the defence, which leads the CFL in 19 of the 25 defensive categories tracked by the league, including points per game (18.5), fewest touchdowns (15), fewest yards passing, fewest yards rushing and fewest first downs. Some might even suggest this Lions' defence has become the ultimate power in the CFL.

Even powerful battle stations inevitably have weaknesses, though. Sure, the Eskimos look like a ragtag group at the moment, coming off a disturbing 51-8 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (who themselves were taken out by the cellar-dwelling Blue Bombers Friday night). Sure, it's awfully hard to find a lot to be optimistic about with this team; they can't seem to settle on a quarterback, and there isn't a huge amount of faith in quarterback Steven Jyles, while even the once-strong ground game hasn't been all that effective recently. Heading into this week, the Eskimos were last in passes completed (209), tied with Winnipeg for the least first downs (197) in the league and with Montreal for the least yards per rush (4.6), second-worst in points scored (22.4 per game), net offence (326.9 yards per game) and pass completion percentage (60.9 per cent). Still, even ragtag groups can occasionally record massive victories at the last second. All Edmonton needs to do is locate B.C.'s thermal exhaust port...