Global Game Preview: Elks vs. Tiger-Cats

The Edmonton Elks’ pursuit of their first win of the 2022 CFL season has come agonizingly close the last couple weeks.

Two games ago, Edmonton led the Saskatchewan Roughriders with just over five minutes to play. Then on Saturday against the Calgary Stampeders, the Elks were ahead on the scoreboard for nearly two thirds of the game.

Edmonton ultimately came up just short both times, leaving the Elks with an 0-3 record through the first three weeks of their schedule.

But by taking two fierce rivals in the ultra-competitive CFL West Division to the wire, Edmonton has shown how close it is to tasting success. And now, as they head East for a Canada Day clash with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Elks believe they’re about to turn the corner.

“I definitely feel that,” says Elks defensive back Treston Decourd. “I sensed that last week, honestly. We had the lead in the fourth, and unfortunately, we didn’t pull it off, but this team is not far behind. I know a lot of people are probably like, ‘Oh they’re 0-3, they’re not good’, but that’s not the case here. We’ve got a good group of guys, great locker room, great leaders, we’re just putting it together. I think we’re going to be really good.”

The Elks have put a difficult 59-15 season-opening loss to the B.C. Lions in Vancouver on June 11 behind them and played significantly better against the Riders and Stamps in games that were decided by margins of 10 and seven points, respectively.

“We’ve got a lot of fighters out there,” says Elks linebacker Brady Sheldon. “We’re really close to piecing it together, we’re really close to a win. We’ve just got to correct a few things and execute a bit better, but we’re right there these last couple games. The first one got away from us, but we’re a few plays away. It comes down to alignment, assignment, execution, and we’re going to get a win here.”

Edmonton faces a Tiger-Cats squad that is also 0-3 and equally in need of a breakthrough victory. The team that finally gets in the win column, on Friday, will be the one that balances that urgency to win with the composure to perform under such pressure.

“It’s still early, we’ve got 15 more games,” continues Decourd. “I’m not worried at all. We keep working every day, coach (Chris) Jones has got us where we need to be and I think this is going to be the week to turn it around.”