EDMONTON – If Edmonton wants a storybook ending to their season, Saturday’s game will have to be one of the most important chapters.
The Elks will face off against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a Saturday night affair (5:00 pm MT) for the first of three games remaining in the 2025 regular season. With the Green and Gold currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the CFL postseason, it’s going to take one heck of a run to extend their campaign into November.
However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel if the Elks can take care of their business. The final three games on the schedule are against the three teams (Winnipeg, BC, and Calgary) they need to chase down in the standings. Win, and there is a very good chance the team is in the hunt for the Grey Cup this postseason.
“It’s going to be one hell of a story,” quarterback Cody Fajardo said. “The story’s still being written and we have the pen in our hand, so we’re able to finish the book the way we want to write it. We have all the opportunities ahead of us, but we have to show up and show out.”
Fans will certainly be scoreboard watching on Saturday, as the rival Calgary Stampeders kickoff against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the early game that day. A win by the East Division leading Tabbies, puts the Elks fate in their own hands – potentially setting up a win-and-you’re-in matchup against the Stampeders at Commonwealth Stadium on October 24.
“That’s the good thing about the way our schedule has lined up. We have every Western opponent in front of us, so all the teams that we’re chasing, we have a chance to play against,” Fajardo said. “When I talk about writing our own destiny and writing our own book, that’s the opportunity where we get to earn that right to call ourselves a playoff football team — by beating teams that are ahead of us in the standings. The only way we can do that is by starting with this week with a great Winnipeg team, where we’re going to have our hands full and must find a way to win that football game.”
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers come in as an intriguing obstacle for the Elks. The Bombers are coming off a stretch of five consecutive Grey Cup appearances, but with an 8-7 record this season, they have been vulnerable at times. Still, there is a championship pedigree to the Double E’s opponent who have had the Elks number in recent years.
“Every time you play Winnipeg, you know it’s going to be a physical game,” Head Coach Mark Kilam said. “They’re well coached. They’re a veteran team that knows how to win. They’ve got playmakers all across the board. We’re going to have our hands full.”
Where the Elks could have an advantage in their quest for the postseason is directly related to one of their goals stated in the offseason – turn Commonwealth Stadium back into a tough place to play. The Double E have won three consecutive games at home and are on pace to finish the year with a winning record at Commonwealth for the first time since 2019.
A primary reason for that has been the fans. The vocal supporters of the Green and Gold have helped spur on the Elks against two topped ranked Divisional opponents, with roughly 28 to 30 thousand fans putting opponents on the back foot in the last two games at Play Alberta Field.
“Our last two home games, the fans have been spectacular,” Kilam said. “The crowds have been great. We feel the energy on the field. I know the guys get excited when we come out and we see the lower bowl full.”
The appreciation for the fan support was a sentiment shared by the Elks starting quarterback.
“There are so many good teams in this league that you have to be able to win at home,” Fajardo said. “Our schedule lines up really well for us with these last three games, two of them being at home. I don’t think there’s any coincidence that our biggest crowds of the year have been our biggest wins of the year, so I’m hoping we can replicate that on Saturday.”
“It’s a playoff game. I’m hoping for a playoff atmosphere and our fans show out for us. Looks like the weather should be pretty good for a good fall football game. I want this place loud like it’s been the last couple of times we’ve been out here, and it’ll be exciting to see.”