The Edmonton Elks secured first place in the West Division following a statement 35-27 victory over Zach Collaros and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Despite trailing 21-10 with under a minute remaining in the first half, the Elks mounted a critical response with a four-yard touchdown pass to Austin Mack on third down, narrowing the deficit to 21-17 fours seconds left in the 1st half. Momentum shifted in the second half as the Elks opened with a touchdown and a rouge to take a 25-21 lead. Although the Bombers mounted a late fourth-quarter rally, their efforts were thwarted by an interception from Nick Anderson at the 15-yard line. The ensuing 13-play, 95-yard drive, highlighted by 10 carries from Justin Rankin, effectively sealed the win for the Elks.
Week 21 of the CFL season features four games:
- Game 1: Montreal Alouettes at Toronto Argonauts: Friday, Oct. 23: The top two seeds in the East Division are set to face off in a contest where both teams prioritize avoiding injuries ahead of the playoffs. The Alouettes may introduce a new placekicker following Jose Maltos Diaz’s injury, while the Argonauts should rest Chad Kelly, who sustained an injury during last week’s game against the RedBlacks..
- Game 2: Winnipeg Blue Bombers at BC Lions: Friday, Oct. 23: This is a must-win game for the Blue Bombers to secure a playoff spot; a loss would allow the Stampeders to clinch. Meanwhile, the Lions are confirmed to host the West Semi-Final on Halloween.
- Game 3: Ottawa RedBlacks at Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Saturday, Oct. 24. The RedBlacks, coming off their first victory of the season under quarterback Bryson Barnes, are aiming to conclude their campaign with a two-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Tiger-Cats return from a bye week looking to secure a series sweep against the RedBlacks.
- Game 4: Edmonton Elks at Saskatchewan Roughriders: Saturday, Oct. 24. While both teams have already secured playoff berths, a victory for Saskatchewan would guarantee them third place in the West, whereas a loss would force them to travel to Toronto for a crossover matchup against the Argonauts.
The Lead: With the hosting of the West Division Final now confirmed, the Elks aim to maintain health while pursuing their 14th victory of the season. The organization previously reached this 14-win milestone in 1955, 1957, 1981, 1989 (16 wins), and 2015. Notably, over the past three seasons, the Riders have held a slim two-point scoring advantage across seven head-to-head matchups against the Elks.
CFL Leaders:
Elks category leaders through Week 21 in the CFL:
- Field goal (54 fg)
- Rushing yards (126.3 yds/game)
- Rushing attempts (383)
- Time of possession (31:30/game)
- Red zone opportunities (70)
- Average field possession (40.1 yd line)
- Points allowed (24.8/game)
- Opponent net offence (343.1 yds/game)
- Opponent yds/play (6.41)
- Opponent 1st downs (327)
- Opponent pass efficiency (87.1)
- Opponent passing first downs (201)
- Opponent 2nd down conversion (45.4%)
- Opponent TD Drive Percentage (17%)
- Opponent time of possession (28:30/game)
- Tackles for loss (35)
- Forced fumbles (18)
- Fumbles recovered (15)
- Interceptions (26)
- Turnovers forced (51)
- Points off turnovers (175)
- Turnover ratio (+25)
- Field goal percentage (93.1%)
- Kickoff average (69.0 yds)
- #1 ranked efence
- #6 ranked special teams
The Fajardo File: Cody Fajardo has set career highs in passing attempts, completions, passing yards, passing TD’s and wins in a season. Fajardo has also scored rushing TD’s in 4 consecutive games (5 games is his personal best in his first 5 games as a Rider in 2019). He has a chance to break 5000 passing yards with 212 yds if he plays.
The Strategic Matchup: Execution will be the deciding factor in this matchup. I would not be surprised to see a performance driven by the law firm Powell & Powell…Taylor Powell at quarterback and ShunDerrick Powell at running back. Furthermore, I anticipate a significant rotation of players across all positions as the Elks prepare for the West Final.
Historical Note: October 20th marks the 75th anniversary of the Johnny Bright Incident. Johnny Bright, a CFL Hall-of-Famer and legendary Eskimo, was famously assaulted on the football field in 1951 while playing for the Drake Bulldogs against Oklahoma A&M College (now Oklahoma State University) in Stillwater, Oklahoma. At the time, Bright was a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy; however, his season ended after defensive tackle Willbanks Smith repeatedly knocked him unconscious and broke his jaw. This horrific act was captured by photographers Don Ultang and John Robinson, whose image ultimately won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. The aftermath of this event left a profound and lasting impact on Bright, his family, the involved institutions, and the sport of football as a whole.
Personal take: Johnny Bright was part of the Eskimos ‘Big 4’ (Bright, Jackie Parker, Normie Kwong & Rollie Miles) of the 1950’s Dynasty teams. I never met Bright, but have heard many stories from fans, students he taught and players he coached. When learning of the Johnny Bright Incident, it is sickening of the evil that was perpetrated on Bright that day. I always thought the CFL should have had a Johnny Bright Day with games played on the 20th with the Edmonton & Calgary hosting games. One game at noon, with the other at 7:30 pm. In between the games, it would allow time to tell stories of racial injustices of the past and how not only Johnny Bright’s story be told but to include various past players from various teams. Edmonton has had some of the greatest players like Bright, Rollie Miles, Larry Highbaugh (IU 10) and Warren Moon who had injustices shape their lives and their stories should be told and never forgotten. With the CFL changing the timing of their schedule, a chance for a formal Johnny Bright Day on Oct. 20 will not be possible but the responsibility to not forget belongs to all of us. God Bless.
