EDMONTON – If the Elks are able to force themselves into the postseason, they will certainly battle tested.
As the CFL schedule maker continues to deliver West Division opponents to the Double E, they keep knocking them down. The Canadian Football leading Saskatchewan Roughriders were dispatched a few weeks ago in a thrilling 27-25 Elks victory in front of a raucous Commonwealth Stadium. They were followed by the five consecutive Grey Cup participant Blue Bombers, who were sent back to Winnipeg on the quiet flight home care of a 25-20 Edmonton win.
Next up, the Elks must continue their gauntlet through the West Division with a trip to Vancouver for a Friday night (8:30 pm MT) matchup against the BC Lions. Both squads come into the game as the hottest teams in the CFL since Week 9 with six wins a piece. Over that stretch, the Elks have proven they can compete with the CFL’s best as they continue to scratch and claw their way out of a 1-6 hole to start the season. If they hope to stay alive in the postseason push, they will have to do it again against a team that has been racking up both points and wins.
“They have got the most prolific offense in the CFL right now,” Head Coach Mark Kilam said about tomorrow’s opponent. “They’re putting up points. Their yards per play is extremely high. They’re really good on first down, and that makes the other phases better. Their defense has gotten better. They’ve changed some personnel and really kind of come together, same thing on special teams. They’ve got their return game going a little bit and it’s going to be a battle.”
Canadian QB Nathan Rourke has continues to be the difference maker for the Lions, averaging 322 yards passing over BC’s four-game win streak. The likely shoe-in for CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian has already thrown for 669 yards and five scores in the first two games against the Elks, both Lions victories.
However, October’s Elks are a much different team than the one BC faced in June and July. In the last outing – a Week 6 matchup against the Lions – Edmonton’s defence had given up at least 30 points in every game they played. Since then, they have allowed 30 points just once over an 11-game stretch.
The other big change for the Elks is behind centre. Veteran quarterback Cody Fajardo will take the reigns of the offence for the first time against the Lions this season, coming off a game where he feels the offence played playoff style football.
“We gave up zero sacks, we didn’t turn the ball over, and our run game was phenomenal,” Fajardo said. “That’s why this team, in my opinion, is built for the playoffs. We have just got to find a way to get in and punch our ticket. The road’s not going to be easy, but we still have a chance.”
The Elks will have a bit of scoreboard watching to do, hoping that one of Calgary or Winnipeg falters this weekend to make the final regular season game a meaningful one for the Green and Gold. The focus internally is on taking care of the task at hand in the BC Lions, and letting the playoff chips fall where they may.
If the Elks are able to make the postseason, it will be off the back of a sensational run by a resurgent Green and Gold. To do the unthinkable and recover from the start they had, it would require a stretch of winning eight of their final 11 games. If that ends up being the case, the Elks will certainly be a team no one wants to face in the playoffs.
“(The recent stretch of games) has put a ton of pressure on these young guys early,” Fajardo said. “That’s another reason why I think if we find ourselves in the playoffs, I don’t think the atmosphere is going to be too big for these guys. The atmosphere has been big the last three weeks and going into this game the atmosphere is going to be another big game. This is playoff football. I’ve been in playoff games, and I feel the same type of pressure because, if you lose, you go home.”