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The Jason Maas Eskimos used the game against the beleaguered one-win Boatmen to seemingly correct a lot of things that weren’t in synch, even if it was a 41-26 win against the Argos which wasn’t near as dominant as the 26-0 shutout at home against Toronto.

First of all, it was a win on the road. The Eskimos missed the playoffs last year because they had only managed to win two on the road last year and lost three of their first four away from home this year.

And a team with otherwise excellent statistics on offence finally appeared to fix their problems in the red zone where they were almost as inefficient as they were on third-down gambles.

But, again, it was the Argos. So maybe you still can’t make the strong statements about the now 6-3 team as they make the turn in the 18-game schedule. One statement you can make, though. It’s all there to happen if they can make the next three weeks a happening.

The “real season” is about to begin.

After the less than compelling first half of the season for a fan to follow, partially produced by a schedule with two home games in June followed by a month without a home game that included woeful weather and involved three losses on the road, a plethora of penalties and failure to score from the red zone, it’s now show time.

The first big game of the season at home against the 7-2 first-place Winnipeg Blue Bombers is Friday followed by the annual Labour Day doubleheader against the Calgary Stampeders and a mid-September visit by the East Division-leading Hamilton Tiger-Cats is dead ahead.