It wasn’t pretty, but the Edmonton Elks got the job done.
Despite the B.C. Lions losing quarterback Nathan Rourke to an apparent shoulder injury on the second play of the game, and his backup Chase Brice throwing four interceptions, the Elks held on to win 19-17, moving into first place in the Western Division with a 5-1 record.
For Edmonton, though, it was a tale of two halfs. The defence was strong in all four quarters, but the Elks offence was chugging along in the first half of the game, scoring 16 of 19 points. The second half? Well, not so much. They looked lost more often than not, struggling to move the ball down field, scoring a meagre three points off a Vincent Blanchard third-quarter field goal.
Cody Fajardo looked unstoppable in the first half, at one point completing 18 of 21 passes, one of which incompletion was a drop. And while he still went a stellar 27/37 in the game, throwing for 282 yards and a touchdown, it highlights how much their game dropped off.
After the game, Fajardo highlighted how some different looks from the Lions threw the Elks for a loop.
“They won us this game,” Fajardo told TSN’s Tom Gazzola after the game when asked about the Elks defence. “Offensively, just not good enough. But… they ask how many, not how.
“We’re finding ways to win football games, defend home turf. B.C., coming off a bye, gave us a lot of defensive looks we weren’t ready for, that they hadn’t shown on tape, so it made it difficult on offence. We were a bit one-dimensional again tonight. We got to get back to running the ball and our style of offence.”
Despite that, Fajardo spoke highly of the Elks defence.
“This is a three-phase football team, every phase is helping out,” said Fajardo. “Tonight, it was the defences opportunity to shine, and they shined for us.
“Rourke going down in the first quarter, obviously it’s tough for a backup to come in and be successful. So as a veteran quarterback like myself, I just knew that if I came in and protected the ball, we were going to be in this ball game.”
Edmonton Elks Week 7 Recap
After Rourke went down on the second play of the game, the Elks’ offence would be forced into a two-and-out, but they would get the ball back quickly. On the Lions’ second drive, Brice threw his first of four picks, as defensive lineman Noah Taylor would intercept a pass tipped by Gavin Meyer. It set up Edmonton on B.C.’s 30-yard line, as they would convert for a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
Brice would help the Lions quickly march down the field with a 40-yard bomb to receiver Keon Hatcher Sr., allowing Zander Horvath to punch in a one-yard touchdown, taking a 7-3 lead.
On the Lions’ second possession of the second quarter, Elks defensive back Tyrell Ford would pick off Brice, setting up Fajardo and the Elks on B.C.’s 48-yard line. The second play of the drive saw Fajardo hit receiver T.J. Luther for a 38-yard gain, and on the fourth, he would find Luther again for a four-yard score, giving the Elks a 10-7 lead.
Blanchard would extend the lead with a field goal with under two minutes left in the first half to make it 13-7. Edmonton would finish off the Lions’ final drive with defensive back J.J. Ross intercepting Brice.
The Elks would struggle throughout the second half, punting on four drives, and fumbling on one. Edmonton’s most notable drive, however, was a 12-play march starting on their own 39-yard line, resulting in a field goal with just over a minute left in the third quarter.
Defensively, safety Kenny Logan Jr. would intercept Brice on the Lions first play of the second half, marking the Lions’ final turnover of the game.
