The Edmonton Elks completed the sweep of their season series over the Ottawa Redblacks with a 30-20 win on Friday night. It was a victory not without its hurdles, but they continue to find a way during this three-game win streak. Here are my thoughts on the game.
Fajardo factor
Cody Fajardo has now won more starts than he’s lost with the Elks. The two losses were by a total of four points and were against two of the top teams in the league this year.
There is a consistency and calmness that the veteran brings to the offence. When tough times come in a game, he finds ways for the team to get past them and get the win. For a team that has seen a lot of “here we go again” over the past few years, that may be the biggest X-factor of this recent run.
An excellent first half had Fajardo on pace to go over 300 yards passing. The second and third drives, in particular, were well managed and well executed to put Edmonton up 17-0. Nine passes and six runs on those drives, and the offence seemed to be rolling. Even Cody himself got in on the action with a 30-yard dash.
One blemish came with five minutes left in the half when Ayinde Eley made a great play for an interception headed Steven Dunbar’s way. The Redblacks capitalized with a touchdown shortly after. The Nevada product still bounced back to get another field goal before the half ended.
After a third-quarter lull, the fourth was one of Fajardo’s best in picking the team up and finding a way to close out. A four-minute drive for a touchdown and a brilliant two-minute drive inside the three-minute warning to get the game-sealing field goal. The biggest play came after a very scary injury to Daniel Okpoko. Second-and-seven turned into a 38-yard pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. for the much-needed first down.
“We just draw back to the last four weeks,” Fajardo said in the post-game scrum. “We’ve been in close games. We found a way to win. We found a way to make a big play. It’s unfortunate when you see a brother, even though he’s on the other team, go down, but against Hamilton, we had a lightning delay, and we were in second-and-long, so we had that experience to draw on. For me personally, I don’t think I played my best game, but we made a couple throws at the end that we needed.”
If there was a most valuable player on the Elks right now, it would be Fajardo and his leadership.
Defence we expected
This was the closest we’ve come to seeing the defence we expected after the offseason spree of additions. Three sacks and three tackles for a loss. Lots of pressure on Dustin Crum, especially in the first half. A second week in a row of holding the opposition to 20 points. Things may be starting to come together.
The first half only had one scoring drive, and it was after the interception gave Ottawa good field position. Four of the six tackles for a loss came in the first half. They forced five punts, with one being returned for a touchdown. That’s a productive 30 minutes from the defence.
The pressure from the front line was the most I have seen this season. Jared Brinkman and Jake Ceresna are starting to push their way around the middle of the line. That’s not always showing up on the stat sheet, but the pressure is helping the other guys get loose. Brinkman almost pushed Ottawa center, Peter Godber, into Crum on multiple occasions.
I know I said this last week, but Noah Taylor is becoming a force on the Elks’ defensive line. The North Carolina product played seven games last season and is now hitting his stride, showing improvement in every outing. Four tackles with two sacks in this game was his best performance to date. He uses all of his six-foot-four frame to run down tackles and knockdown passes, so I have to think he will land a starting role on the line before long. The Double E post-game video of him getting the defensive game ball was well deserved.
Going a bit under the radar this season is Kobe Williams. The stats sheet shows him with three tackles and one knockdown, but the timing of his plays are huge. He executed a brilliant jump to get the knockdown against Justin Hardy, breaking up the momentum Ottawa had when they were only six points down. Coming over from Calgary, I had some high expectations of him to help this defence. Seems like he is starting to fit that role now.
We did see a third-quarter slump. Edmonton has had some troubles coming out of the half in past years. A touchdown surrendered gave Ottawa a bit of hope, but instead of falling, they turned up the pressure and kept the next touchdown from coming. I think the belief JC Sherritt’s system is coming, and the rookie defensive coordinator is learning how to use his pieces on the board. That will be critical as they have a big challenge coming in the next two games against a high-flying Calgary offence.
Special teams rollercoaster
Punt returns for touchdowns have been a rare happening in Edmonton for many years. The last time the Green and Gold had two punt return TDs was 2013. Household names of Jamal Miles and Cary Koch had one each that season. You have to go back to 2008 to find one guy, Tristan Jackson, who had two in one year.
Enter Javon Leake. The four-year veteran put his second on the board for 2025 with an 80-yard scamper to the house. Mark Kilam has had a major effect on this special teams unit. You can see the blocking stepping up, and once Leake gets to the second level, look out. The native of Greensboro had his best year in 2023 with four punt returns. He could get there this year again.
Vincent Blanchard handled all three kicking duties once again and fared well. I have been really impressed with his kickoffs. The rookie had a 69-yard average in this game and puts the ball high enough for the cover team to get in position. Kalil Pimpleton has been a force on returns and was limited to a 14-yard average return in kickoffs.
For a second game, Blanchard also had the punting job and was able to put up a 45-yard average. Cody Grace is still missed, but that is a decent output for the 27-year-old. He also bounced back, going three-for-three on field goals. He did get his one doink saved by a penalty that turned into a punt situation. Holder Cole Snyder had a better game overall, but was the issue on the time count penalty on the missed field goal. Kilam had words with him as he came off the field, but I like to see the improvement overall.
The cover teams have improved immensely as the year goes on. They are also laying out on the hits to make sure the returner is wrapped up. Global Alex Raich had two special teams tackles, and both were powerful drops. DK Bonhomme, or as the team calls him “Predator”, continues to rack up tackles, and Brock Mogenson has become one of the hardest hitters on teams.
Rankin rolls
Justin Rankin continues to be the straw that stirs the drink on offence. Another 94 yards from scrimmage for the Tank, 36 rushing and 58 through the air. Once again, he caught every target thrown his way. That is three games in a row he has done that.
The Ohio native is on the cusp of a thousand yards from scrimmage and has surpassed his totals from 11 games last year. A significant number of those yards have come after the catch. With eight games left, it will be interesting to see where he ends up in both receiving and rushing, as they are close now with 485 and 436, respectively.
“He’s our offensive flint,” said Fajardo, “He starts the fire. He does a lot of tremendous things. Catches the ball and gets yards after catch. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the first guy tackle him, ever. It’s fun to share the backfield with him.”
Canadian content
Kurleigh Gittens Jr. led the team in receiving for the second time this season. As mentioned, his 38-yard reception in the fourth was key to this win. The Ottawa native put on a show for the home crowd with six receptions on six targets. His consistency, especially as a second-down receiver, has been noticeable with Fajardo behind centre.
The Wilfrid Laurier grad now has 454 yards through 10 games. It’s an outside shot, but if he keeps getting used, he could get to a second thousand-yard season. Great to see a Canadian get that with the Green and Gold.
Two tough tests lie ahead for the Elks, as they have the home and home Labour Day series with the Calgary Stampeders on deck. Having the winning feeling before could be a great motivator. A split will be the minimum needed to stay in the hunt out West. We shall see if the Fajardo factor continues to bring success.
