It’s Thursday Night Football in Winnipeg as the Edmonton Elks put its unbeaten record on the line against the Blue Bombers.
The first two games of the Elks have been kind to them, securing a 29-21 Week 1 win over the Ottawa Redblacks, and a 32-29 overtime win against the Montreal Alouettes in Week 3.
Edmonton has been buoyed by the potent Justin Rankin, who has rushed for a league-leading 281 yards in two games, averaging a staggering 9.1 yards per rush, while adding another 145 through the air. Thursday’s matchup will prove to be another opportunity for Rankin to run wild, as there’s been no team worse to the run early this season than the Blue Bombers.
They’ve allowed 171 rushing yards against per game, having no solution for the Calgary Stampeders rushing threat of running back Dedrick Mills and quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. in Week 1. Nor did they have answers against the Hamilton Tiger Cats’ Larry Roundtree III in Week 2. Will things change after their Week 3 bye?
The Elks will look to impose their will defensively, too, entering Week 4 as the league’s No. 1-ranked defence both in points against, allowing just 25 against per game, and in total yards, allowing 389.5 per game. Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira, the league’s most outstanding player in 2024, has rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown and yet to have a breakout game. Look for the Elks to focus on shutting down that rushing attack.
Tonight will still be a test for the Elks, playing on a short week after last Saturday’s win over the Alouettes, but the team seems unfazed by it.
- Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026
- Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. MT
- Location: Winnipeg, M.B.
- Venue: Princess Auto Stadium
- Watch: TSN
- Weather at kickoff via Environment Canada: 22 degrees, chance of showers, risk of thunderstorm. 30 per cent chance of precipitation. Winds blowing southeast at 10 km/h.
FIELD GOALS
QB Cody Fajardo on Edmonton playing on a short week:“ That’s what makes the CFL game so unique and special, is the short weeks. Every team is gonna have their short weeks. I think (having ours) early on, there’s a little bit of a benefit to it, because there’s not a lot of tape to scheme, you just put stuff in and you’re just kind of facing what they’ve run in the past, so you just don’t overthink it. Sometimes later in the year when you have a short week, with a lot of tape, you’re just trying to get everything in because you feel you’re behind. Right now you don’t feel like you’re so behind, especially with them coming off a bye week, I don’t feel I’m behind on tape just because it’s a short week.”
LB Brock Morgensen: “We’ve just got to stop the run, first and foremost. Stop run and get them to pass, that’s our goal.”
DOWN AND DISTANCE
The Blue Bombers brought back a familiar face this week, acquiring quarterback Dru Brown from the Redblacks in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick and a conditional 2028 second-round pick. The move adds some depth to their quarterbacking room, and some insulation should 38-year-old Zach Collaros go down at any point.
Brown, 29, started two seasons at the helm of the Blue Bombers from 2021-23, posting a 12-14-1 record, and the door is open for him to be the go-to guy down the road.
Winnipeg will get linebacker Jaylen Smith back from the one-game injured list after missing Week 2 with a head injury. He was drafted by the Blue Bombers in the second round of the 2025 CFL Draft.
DEPTH CHARTS
Elks
Blue Bombers
