The undefeated Edmonton Elks are headed to Kelowna, B.C., where they will take on the winless BC Lions at the Kelowna Apple Bowl in CFL Week 5 action on Saturday, July 4 at 5 p.m. MDT.
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With a record of 3-0, Edmonton sits atop the CFL West Division, while the Lions are at the bottom of the standings with an 0-3 mark.
TEAM’S BEST START IN YEARS
The Elks are off to their best start since 2017, when Edmonton won its first seven games. This also marks the first time in eight years that the Green and Gold has reeled off three consecutive victories.
“Honestly, we don’t ever talk like that in here,” Elks coach Mark Kilam said. “It’s about, ‘what are we going to do to find a way to win every week’. That’s all that we talk about. We’re trying to go 1-0, we’re trying to improve, and that’s the things that we’re working on.”
The Green and Gold marched into the Nation’s Capital and and beat the Ottawa RedBlacks 29-21 in Week 1. At their home-opener in Week 3, the Elks went to overtime before beating the Montreal Alouettes 32-29. And last week, Edmonton scored a last-minute touchdown on the road to defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-18.
“It is about finding ways to win, and it looks different every game,” said Kilam. “Every game is its own entity, different things happen – weather, injuries – all these things happen, and you’ve got to find ways to overcome it and make plays.”
LIONS PRESENT A CHALLENGE
The Lions have proven to be an exceptionally tough opponent for the Edmonton in recent times, with victories in 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two teams. In the 2025 regular season, the Elks went 3-0 against BC, losing by an average of 16 points over those three games.
“They’re a formidable opponent we are going to have our hands full with a really good team,” Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo said. “I remember last year we went 0-3 against them and got outscored: our offence didn’t score very much and their offence scored a lot. So the guys that (were) here know that, and the new guys that don’t know that, it’s almost a good thing.”
Entering Week 5, BC ranked first in the CFL for fewest yards net offence allowed per game (375.3), while Edmonton was second (382.7). Through the first four weeks of the season, BC was averaging the fourth most yards net offence (447.3), again just one spot ahead of the Elks, who sat in fifth spot (397.3).
“They’ve got a lot of really good players on their roster and I think any team would be a fool to sleep on these guys,” said Edmonton offensive lineman David Beard. “They’ve built a great roster and got great coaches on their staff too, so you can’t sleep on BC.”
PAIR OF OUTSTANDING PLAYERS
As always when facing the Lions, the biggest threat is superstar quarterback Nathan Rourke, the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award winner in 2025. Through BC’s first three games of the season, Rourke has completed 80 of 114 pass attempts for 1,083 yards, with four passing touchdowns and two interceptions.
“Reigning MOP for a reason,” Kilam said of Rourke. “Can make all the throws, the whole field is live, breaks a ton of tackles on pocket, tough to get down, and he can put their team on his back.”
But while the Lions boast last year’s Most Outstanding Player, the early favourite to win the award in 2026 wears green and gold: Edmonton running back Justin Rankin is off to a spectacular start this season, leading the CFL in rushing yards (387) and touchdowns (4), while averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Rankin is also Edmonton’s top pass catcher, with 13 receptions for 154 yards.
“I thought he was our best player last year, too,” Kilam said about Rankin. “He’s a pretty good football player, the guy loves football, he’s committed to getting better. He’s critical of himself in a way that promotes production in areas to improve, and he raises the level of the play of the guys around him.”
UNIQUE SETTING IN KELOWNA
Dubbed “Touchdown Kelowna”, Saturday’s tilt will be the second ever CFL regular season game played in the Okanagan. The first came on June 27, when the Calgary Stampeders defeated the Lions 41-33 at the Apple Bowl in Week 4.
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The Lions are playing in Kelowna because their home stadium, B.C. Place, is currently in use for the FIFA World Cup. Given that the Elks have lost their seven regular season games in Vancouver, no one on the Green and Gold is complaining about a trip to the scenic Okanagan Valley.
“It’s going to be a fun place to play,” said Fajardo, a veteran of 10 CFL seasons. “I’ve been fortunate enough to go to Touchdown Atlantic (in Nova Scotia) and now going to Touchdown Kelowna, it’s just adding to my cool destinations that I’ve been a part of.”
After Saturday, the Elks will return home for their next game, against the RedBlacks on July 9 at 7 p.m. at Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium. Tickets are available now.