Offensive questions abound in Edmonton following Eskimos’ 17-1 loss to Saskatchewan

The Edmonton Eskimos may have gotten the post-Ricky Ray era off to a good start in Week One with a win over Ray and the Argonauts, but the new era came crashing to the ground quickly Sunday with an atrocious 17-1 debacle of a loss against Saskatchewan. This may not have been as bad all around as the 52-5 loss to Calgary in 2010, which some cited as the lowest point in franchise history, but it was an even worse offensive performance than that nightmare. . It also hurts for the Eskimos that this was Saskatchewan's first win over a West Division opponent since 2010. As always, CFL observers should be careful not to take too much from the result of any one game; last week's game certainly didn't prove Edmonton was right to trade Ray, and even this week's bad horror movie of a game didn't conclusively prove the Ray trade was the wrong move. Still, this loss raised significant questions about this offence, and deservingly so. Unless the Eskimos have better answers than the ones they revealed Sunday, it could be a very long season in Edmonton.

It's appropriate that Apocalypse Now was the analogy of choice for the Eskimos' season preview, as "The horror! The horror!" is the best conceivable reaction to their offensive stats from Sunday. (It could also sum up Sunday's game as a whole, which was a miserable 6-1 heading into the final three minutes of play.) Edmonton starting quarterback Steven Jyles completed 10 of 19 passes (52.6 per cent) for 91 yards, while 37-year-old backup Kerry Joseph showed his age, completing just three of six attempts for 25 yards. The ground game was better, with Hugh Charles rushing for 57 yards on just eight carries (7.1 yards per carry), which demands the question of why the Eskimos didn't use him more. Instead, they went with spectacular plays such as a quarterback draw for Joseph on second and long, which went about as well as expected. The team couldn't move the ball at all, and their MVP on the night might have been punter Burke Dales. Hey, the 394 yards he picked up on 10 punts were more than double the 191 combined passing and rushing yards the Eskimos collected...

Unsurprisingly, the criticism is already flying fast and furious in Edmonton. Tillman attempted to get out in front of some of it, recognizing the team's poor performance and saying "Until we get this thing turned around, all of the pitchforks should be coming in my direction," but that hasn't prevented pitchforks from being launched. From Terry Jones of The Edmonton Sun:

It's not picking up a loss that's really important here. Being 1-1 isn't the end of the world; remember, last year's Grey Cup champions started 0-5. What's more significant is how your team performs week-in and week-out, and that's far more concerning for Edmonton than their .500 record. They got two remarkable defensive performances in Weeks One and Two, but next to no offence to go with those, and they could be 0-2 if Argos' kicker Noel Prefontaine hadn't missed two field goals. There was zero indication in either week that Steven Jyles was back to the promising form he showed in Winnipeg in 2010 rather than the lacklustre showing he turned in with the Argonauts last season, and Sunday's game suggested that Joseph doesn't have much left either.

For the Eskimos, perhaps the crucial takeaway is that this current offensive plan of having Jyles and Joseph frequently chuck the ball up won't work. That becomes especially true if the late injury to star receiver Adarius Bowman is serious. Jyles should perhaps get another start or two where the team tries to emphasize his mobility and rushing ability while limiting how many tough throws he has to make, but it's difficult to justify having Joseph take in-game snaps again. Ray's shadow's going to keep looming over this team, but he's not coming back this year, so the Eskimos need to find a long-term replacement, and it's clear Joseph is no solution there. Jyles might deserve another chance or two with a short leash, but the team should put a heavy emphasis on developing Matt Nichols and/or Jeremiah Masoli. Whatever way they decide to go, they have to improve offensively. Sunday's loss may have been just one game, but without significant changes, it could be a troubling precedent for how this year may play out in Edmonton.