The Edmonton Elks returned to the practice field on Tuesday after their first bye week of the season, as they prepare for Saturday’s home opener (2 p.m.) against the undefeated (2-0) Montreal Alouettes.
The Elks are also undefeated after beating Ottawa 29-21 in Week One. Edmonton won their season opener for the first time since 2019, and they will look to go 2-0, for the first time in seven years.
It won’t be easy, as Alouettes starting quarterback Davis Alexander has never lost in the regular season. He is 13-0, the best start to a career for any quarterback in CFL history. Alexander was 26-for-38 with 338 yards and two touchdowns in Week One and was 30-for-42, 441 yards and two touchdowns in Week Two.
He leads the CFL in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards, and touchdowns. The Alouettes have thrown the ball 80 times in two games, while rushing it 25 times, and six of those were quarterback sneaks. The Elks’ defence needs to get pressure on Alexander, but they have to be aware of running back Shomari Lawrence as he has 69 rushing yards on only nine carries. When he gets the ball, he’s made plays.
Montreal can score, but they’ve also given up a lot defensively. Bo-Levi Mitchell completed 34 of 39 passes for 307 yards in the opening week, while Chad Kelly completed 28 of 46 passes for a whopping 445 yards. The Alouettes defence has allowed an average of 409.5 yards per game through two games.
Montreal has won both of their games due to strong fourth quarters. They outscored Hamilton 10-3 in the fourth to tie the game before winning in overtime. And they tallied 20 points, while allowing 10, in the fourth quarter to defeat Toronto 37-30.
Montreal scores a lot, but they give up a lot and the Elks offence must score points this weekend. They can’t settle for short field goals like they did in Ottawa. The heavy rain was a factor in the Elks inability to punch the ball into the end zone, but two key drops by Kaion Julien-Grant didn’t help. They can’t afford those mistakes against Montreal.
Edmonton will need to be efficient offensively to win. The Elks aren’t built to beat you with big plays. Cody Fajardo doesn’t have the arm strength to stretch the defence. The Elks will win by being methodical and efficient with the ball. Fajardo will be pressured a lot, but that leaves Montreal vulnerable downfield. He needs to hit the open receivers in the 15-20 yard range downfield, and of course, he needs to ensure their most dangerous player, Justin Rankin, gets the ball a lot.
Rankin was excellent in Week 1. He had 94 receiving yards on five receptions and 92 were yards after catch (YAC), including a brilliant 63 yard catch and run. He also carried the ball 13 times for 102 yards which included an electrifying 61-yard touchdown.
Rankin is Edmonton’s best player. He could become the CFL’s first player to finish the season with 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards. He had 18 touches in Week One, and I think he needs a minimum of 20 touches per game.
ROSTER CHANGES…
The Elks have a few roster changes due to injuries. Canadian right guard Coulter Woodmansey was placed on the 6-game injured list and will be replaced by American Cameron Carter. Woodmansey will be out a significant period of time, but his injury isn’t season-ending. He likely will return late in the year.
Carter played four years at Murray State and he played in the USFL in 2023 and spent the past two seasons in the UFL with Michigan and Houston.
The Elks O-Line will line up like this from left to right: Bordner-O’Donnell-Beard-Carter-Murray
Carter slots in between two very good veterans, which should help him read and react to the constant pressure Montreal will bring.
Adding Carter as a starter alters the ratio a bit, but Edmonton has many quality Canadians and they will start Tyrell Ford, Robbie Smith, and Joel Dublanko on defence while starting Carter O’Donnell, David Beard, Skyler Griffith, and Kaion Julien-Grant on offence along with kicker Vincent Blanchard. They also have Brendan O’Leary Orange at receiver and at times will have eight or nine Canadians as starters, depending on the formation.
The Elks will also be without special team stalwart Eteva Mauga-Clements. He will be out multiple weeks. Receiver Joe Robustelli will miss his second game, and he will be out at least two more weeks with a hamstring injury.
Great decision by the EE to honour Dwayne Mandrusiak. No one has played a bigger role in the culture of the organization than Dwayne has.
