Edmonton Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo looks to pass against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday.AMBER BRACKEN/The Canadian Press
The Edmonton Elks kept their slim CFL playoff hopes alive Saturday evening with a gritty 25-20 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on a cold, wet Commonwealth Stadium field.
Fighting to overcome a 1-6 start to the season, the Elks still need to win their final two regular-season games – including a final weekend matchup with the Calgary Stampeders – to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019 when they qualified as the crossover team.
The win was Edmonton’s third in five games – the two losses were by a combined three points – and improved their record to 7-9 overall. The Elks remain last in the West Division but are just two points back of the Bombers. However, Winnipeg holds a possible tiebreaker because they beat the Elks 36-23 in their previous game. If Edmonton beats Calgary in their final meeting the Elks would hold the tiebreaker there.
The Elks turned a one-point game into a 14-point lead with two huge plays in the third quarter. Running back Justin Rankin, who has more big plays than anyone in the CFL this season, turned a third-down gamble into a 64-yard touchdown run two minutes in.
Eight minutes later, with 15,013 fans shivering in the stands on a damp 4 C evening, after Edmonton’s Javon Leake fumbled a punt, teammate Kordell Jackson picked up the loose ball and ran it 47 yards to the end zone for a 25-10 Elks lead.
But the Bombers cut into the lead with a field goal in the final seconds of the quarter and then took advantage of a series of costly Edmonton penalties to pull within five points with six minutes remaining.
Ontaria Wilson made a one-handed catch of a deflected ball in the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown reception.
Edmonton’s defence took over from there, three times forcing Winnipeg to turn the ball over on unsuccessful third-down tries.
Defences had a slight upper hand through the first half, although each team managed to put together one impressive touchdown drive. After the teams traded field goals in the first 12 minutes, Winnipeg ended the first quarter by beginning their touchdown drive. The Bombers carried it over into the second quarter with Chris Streveler finishing off a nine-play, 70-yard drive with a two-yard scoring plunge at 2:40.
During the drive, Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the fourth straight season.
The Elks responded immediately with a 15-play, 87-yard drive highlighted by Odieu Hiliare’s three catches for 36 yards, a successful third-down gamble and Justin Rankin’s 11-yard run that set up quarterback Cody Fajardo’s four-yard scamper to the end zone at 11:12.
The only turnover of the half came in the final minute when Edmonton’s JJ Ross picked off Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros and returned it 59 yards to the Bombers 29-yard line. The Elks couldn’t move the ball and kicker Vincent Blanchard missed a 26-yard field-goal attempt, his second miss of the half. The single gave Edmonton an 11-10 lead at the half.
The Blue Bombers will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday, Oct. 17, and the Elks will visit the B.C. Lions on Friday, Oct. 17.