Elks plan to stick with winning mindset heading into mighty Lions den

Edmonton Elks players celebrate a touchdown by quarterback Cody Fajardo (7) during first half CFL action against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Edmonton on Saturday, October 11, 2025.

They don’t control their standings destiny, but the Edmonton Elks plan to play like they do anyway.

The Canadian Football League club failed to gain a leg up on last week’s opponent, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, by coming up short in the points-scored differential category – the first standings tiebreaker if they end the regular season two weeks from now with the same West Division record – in their 25-20 win on Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.

Edmonton needed to claim victory by at least 13 points to give themselves a better shot at a playoff berth as a tie in points differential would’ve meant divisional records would’ve been the next tiebreaker, a category in which they would’ve had an advantage as they would’ve finished one win ahead of Winnipeg if the Elks win their remaining games.

As it stands now, the fourth-place Blue Bombers (8-8) are two points ahead of the Elks (7-9). All they need to do is win one of their remaining two games to secure at least the East crossover spot. Edmonton is hoping Winnipeg loses both of their remaining games while the Green and Gold wins both of theirs to secure a postseason berth.

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Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo, who completed 13 of 24 passes for 142 yards in Saturday’s win over the Blue Bombers, said Tuesday that while his team is “more comfortable” with the late-season intensity of needing to win to stay alive, it “puts a ton of pressure” on the players.

“Whenever your back’s against the wall, you’re never comfortable knowing that everything has to go your way,” Fajardo told media after practice. “You have to play some of your best ball, and you have to find a way to win a football game even when you’re not playing your best ball. That’s where the pressure comes from. I think (our comfort level) in the situation is a little bit better, but in terms of what we have ahead of us, in terms of how good B.C. is, and us going out there to their place – it’s going to be a tough, hostile environment – we’re going to see what kind of team we have.”

Ah yes, the elephant in the room: the B.C. Lions, whom Fajardo called “arguably the best team in the CFL right now.” Friday’s Elks opponent is tops in several league offensive categories, including points scored (average 30.9 per game), offensive points scored (30.1) and touchdowns (53, nine more than second-place Hamilton.) The Lions’ tenacious defence also leads the CFL in sacks and forced fumbles. The Elks, meanwhile, are fair-to-middling in most categories, including these.

None of that fazes Fajardo, though, who points out the Elks started the season with a 1-6 record and have won six of their last nine games, including the recent win over the Blue Bombers – the West’s representative at the Grey Cup the last five seasons – and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (12-4), currently the league’s top team that will finish first in the division this year.

“To be playing meaningful football with two weeks less left in the season speaks character to the guys in that locker room, to the coaches that coach us,” he said. “Nobody gave up. We’ve just continued to fight.”

And continuing that against the host Lions on Friday will mean the Elks will need to continue playing physically, something head coach Mark Kilam said he has seen more and more of as the season progresses.

“We want to have a level of commitment in that area of the game,” he said Wednesday. “It’s something that we believe in, (which) bodes well for winning football. We have to have a level of physicality that matches that mindset. It’s a credit to the guys because you have to be all in to beat to play like that, and that’s what they’re doing.”