Elks in must-win territory as they face Blue Bombers

Edmonton Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo, right, hands the ball off to Justin Rankin during first half CFL football action against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Edmonton, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025.

The odds are already poor for the Edmonton Elks’ playoff hopes, but if they beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday in a clash of divisional Canadian Football League rivals, they’ll live for another week.

With three games left in the 2025 regular season, the Elks (6-9) host the Blue Bombers (8-7), the West Division’s Grey Cup representative the last five years and a team that’s already notched a win over the Green and Gold this campaign – a 36-23 decision on June 26 in Winnipeg.

That game in Week 4 of the CFL season was three-and-a-half months ago, but it “feels like two years ago,” Elks head coach Mark Kilam told media on Thursday, given several changes to the lineup and to the fortunes of the team that started 2025 with a 1-6 record before stringing wins together to give them a shot at a playoff berth.

Now, in Week 19, it’s a matter of win-and-stay-in, because while a loss to the Blue Bombers on Saturday wouldn’t officially eliminate the Elks from playoff contention, that and a Calgary Stampeders win the same day over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats would.

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And it’s not all gloomy this weekend for Edmonton: An Elks win and a Stampeders loss on Saturday would put the Green and Gold in charge of their destiny this season: win their remaining games and they’d make the playoffs.

Both the Elks and the Blue Bombers are coming off bye weeks following wins: Edmonton’s 27-25 home victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the CFL’s top-ranked team, and Winnipeg’s commanding 40-3 decision over Hamilton.

“Every time you play Winnipeg, you know it’s going to be a physical game,” Kilam said after practice at Commonwealth Stadium. “They’re well-coached. They’re a veteran team that knows how to win. They’ve got playmakers all across the board.”

Those playmakers include:

• Longtime starting quarterback Zach Collaros, who returned to the Blue Bombers’ lineup after missing two games with a head injury. He threw for 367 yards with a touchdown in the win over the Tiger-Cats;
• Receiver Nic Demski, who caught 114 yards through the air; and
• Backup QB Chris Streveler, who rushed for three short-yardage touchdowns.

Edmonton, too, saw standout performances from some of their key players, such as:

• QB Cody Fajardo, who tossed 305 passing yards;
• Receiver Kaion Julien Grant, who recorded 89 receiving yards and a touchdown; and
• Running back Justin Rankin, who scored two touchdowns while rushing for 82 yards. He signed a two-year contract extension with the Elks on Wednesday,

And with their remaining games coming against teams they’re still chasing for a postseason berth – Edmonton travels to B.C. to face the Lions (9-7) on Oct. 17 before returning home to play Calgary a week later – Fajardo said the Elks have a chance to have a say in where they end up in the standings.

“That’s 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 ahead of us in the standings.”