EDMONTON – The Canadian Football League’s hottest two teams meet on Sunday when the Edmonton Elks take on the host Montreal Alouettes at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in Week 12 CFL action. The game will be broadcast live on TSN and 630 CHED with kickoff scheduled for 5 p.m. MST.
While the defending Grey Cup champion Alouettes are on a four-game winning streak, the Elks have won three games in a row for the first time in six years. A victory on Sunday would give Edmonton its longest win streak since 2017, when the Green and Gold ended the season with five consecutive victories.
“We’re just trying to stack games, and the exciting part is however good last week looked, we know we have better football ahead of us, so hopefully we show that game this week where we play a complete football game,” Elks quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson says.
After starting the season with seven straight losses, Edmonton has bounced back to reel off consecutive victories over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, B.C. Lions and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. At 3-7, the Elks are suddenly right back in hunt for a playoff spot in the CFL West Division.
“Everybody sees and understands what’s at hand right now, they understand the momentum that we have right how, and we’ve just got to keep this thing going,” says Elks receiver Eugene Lewis, who spent five seasons with Montreal before joining the Green and Gold in 2023.
Edmonton is highest scoring team in the CFL, averaging nearly 30 points per game for the season, and more than 40 points per game during its current win streak. Week 11’s 47-22 trouncing of the Ti-Cats saw Edmonton score its most points in a road game since the Year 2000.
No shortage of offence on Sunday#GoElks x Bloom Benefits pic.twitter.com/YQ8WggWVSL
— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) August 23, 2024
Montreal counters with one of the top defences in the CFL. The Alouettes have allowed the opposition to score more than 26 points just one this season. When the Elks and Als first met this season, in Week 2 at Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton scored its second fewest points of the season in a 23-20 loss.
Bethel-Thompson gets his second consecutive start, after completing 15 of 23 passes for 234 yards with a pair of touchdowns and 0 interceptions in his team’s 47-22 triumph at Tim Hortons Field last week. One of Bethel-Thompson’s TD tosses in Week 11 was to Kurleigh Gittens Jr., who continues to have a tremendous season, leading Edmonton in receptions and touchdown catches.
After missing the last three games with an injury, third-year Elks running back Kevin Brown is back in Edmonton’s lineup, joining Justin Rankin in the back field. Last week, in only his third CFL game, Rankin ran for 108 yards and three touchdowns.
“He loves football to death, he wants to contribute in any way, form or fashion that he can and he’s always studying the plays,” Elks head coach Jarious Jackson says of Rankin, who was on the CFL Honour Roll for Week 11. “He’s got some major traps on him, so when he lowers his head and drops those shoulders, he’s pushing forward all the time.”
On the other side of the field, Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo is likewise returning to action following a three-game absence due to injury. The Als are also bolstered by the addition of star receiver Austin Mack, who rejoined the Als this week following his release by the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League and could be in uniform on Sunday.
Edmonton’s defense features linebacker Nyles Morgan, the league leader in total tackles, and defensive lineman Noah Curtis, who is tied for the CFL lead in sacks. The Elks will be without defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy in Montreal, as the veteran was hurt during practice this week.
Montreal is on one of the CFL’s most incredible runs of recent memory. Including regular season and playoffs, the Alouettes have won 17 of their last 18 games. But Edmonton is always a tough opponent for the Als, and the clubs have a storied rivalry that includes three meetings at the Grey Cup in a four-year span from 2002 to 2005.
This will be just the second visit to Montreal for the EE in five years. When they last took to the field at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, on July 14, 2022, the Elks came away with a thrilling 32-31 victory.