Edmonton quarterback Jason Maas ran in a pair of touchdowns and passed for another to guide the hometown Eskimos to a 40-34 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Sunday at Commonwealth Stadium.
With the loss, the Bombers (6-11) are officially eliminated from the post-season.
The Eskimos improved to 9-9 and have advanced to the playoffs for 33 straight seasons, a pro sports record.
Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Jason Maas gets sacked by Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Doug Brown. (CP PHOTO/John Ulan)
To everyone on the Eskimos, it was a huge relief to clinch a post-season spot. A lot of pressure was on the team since they won the Grey Cup last year and thestreak was on the line.
"I think everyone in the city was panicking," said receiver Ed Hervey, who led the Eskimos with eight catches for 103 yards. "We knew the urgency but we have veterans in this locker room who believe in this team and we did everything we could to make sure the streak didn't end on our watch."
Maas became only the second Eskimos quarterback to pass for more than 5,000 yards with a pass in the first quarter. Warren Moon is the other.
"It just feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest," Maas said. "We beat a good team – that's the really good thing about it."
Charles Roberts had 130 yards rushing and a touchdown in a losing cause for the Bombers, who needed to win their final two games to gain a playoff berth.
After battling back and forth for most of the game, kicker Sean Fleming gave the Eskimos a lead they wouldn't relinquish with a 12-yard field goal just seconds into the fourth quarter.
Hervey then hauled in a six-yard touchdown pass. Another field goal by Fleming made it 40-27.
Fleming had four field goals in the game, the longest from 37 yards out.
Winnipeg slotback Milt Stegall caught a 14-yard pass for a major with less than a minute remaining to close the Eskimos lead to 40-34. But the Blue Bombers couldn't recover the ensuing onside kick.
Edmonton went ahead 7-0 on a Maas one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Scott Regimbald's one-yard plunge forged a 7-7 tie for the Blue Bombers with 5:55 to go in the fir.
Terry Vaughn put the Eskimos ahead 14-7 on a 17-yard touchdown reception with less than a minute left on the clock.
Winnipeg made it 14-10 on a 39-yard field goal by Troy Westwood less than three minutes into the second quarter. A 14-yard touchdown run by Roberts gave the Bombers a 17-14 advantage.
Fleming responded with a 22-yard field goal with less than six minutes to play in the half to force a 17-17 tie for Edmonton. He added a 37-yard kick later in the second quarter to put the Eskimos ahead 20-17.
Westwood tied the game 20-20 before the half with a 20-yard field goal.
The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter. Mass ran for a one-yard score early and Stegall caught a four-yard pass for a major at 10:08.
with files from Sports Network
