Elks playing for pride, passion in their final game of season

The Edmonton Elks were eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend but are focussing on strengthening their home game to finish the season.

They came up short and will finish last in their division, but the Edmonton Elks are choosing to look at the positives of their regular season and look past the sting of missing the playoffs for the fifth year in a row.

The Elks’ 37-24 loss on Friday to the B.C. Lions sealed their fate, dropping their record to 7-10 with a game left in the 2025 Canadian Football League campaign and leaving them too far behind the four teams above them in the West Division standings for a chance at a post-season berth.

But just the fact the Elks made it this far before finally running out of playoff options is a feather in their caps, quarterback Cody Fajardo told media after Monday’s practice, pointing out his team started the season with a 1-6 record before they started to win more games and keep themselves in the post-season conversation.

“The thing about it is we scratched, clawed and fought for so much momentum,” said the 33-year-old signal-caller, who took over the starting QB job from Tre Ford in late July with the team’s record at 1-5.

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Fajardo said they still have pride to play for, both for their improvement in the last half of the season and for provincial pride: Friday’s opponent is the Alberta rival Calgary Stampeders, whose standings destiny isn’t yet set.

The Stampeders (10-7) need to beat the Elks on Friday and the Saskatchewan Roughriders to defeat the B.C. Lions (10-7) the following day for them to secure second in the West Division and host the division semifinal on Nov. 1.

B.C. holds the tiebreaker after winning both regular-season games over Calgary.

“The wind is out of our sails after (Friday’s) tough loss to B.C. and a game we feel like we didn’t play our best football, but from where we were to where we are now, we can really put a stamp on this season and feel really good about the way we finished this season, particularly the last two months, by beating a team that needs to win a football game,” Fajardo said.

“They need to win for playoff implications, so we’re going to get their best.”

Elks head coach Mark Kilam echoed Fajardo’s sentiment, saying his players have plenty to play for on Friday at Commonwealth Stadium

“We’re playing our provincial rival. We’re playing a football team that is going to the playoffs and still competing for a home playoff game. We’re playing a team that is trying to get a rushing title,” said Kilam, a first-year head coach after spending 20 years on the Stampeders’ coaching staff.

“We’re playing in front of our home fans, which is incredibly important to me and the rest of the football team. We want to put a good product out on the field. And it’s professional football: We get paid to show up and to prepare each and every week.”

The Roughriders (12-5) will host the West final Nov. 8 with the victor advancing to the Grey Cup on Nov. 16.

The post-season will feature a West Division team crossing over to the East Division. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-8) are also playoff-bound.

Adding to the final-week intrigue, Calgary holds the tiebreaker over Winnipeg, but the B.C. Lions don’t.

The Elks haven’t made the CFL playoffs since 2019, when they crossed over to the East Division post-season slate. They won the semifinal over the Montreal Alouettes but lost the East final to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Elks offensive lineman David Beard said the loss to the Lions and the upcoming clash with the Stampeders game are gauges for how the team stacks up against rivals that have good shots at advancing to the Grey Cup final.

“We always want to look to the cream of the league to measure up against and see where you’re at, and find your errors and shortcomings,” said Beard, 32, a 10-year CFL veteran and a native of Sherwood Park.

“It’s great in that sense. We never want to lose, but the nature of the game is you don’t win every single time, so we’re going to use (Friday’s loss to B.C.) and use it as a bit of ammunition and a bit of a resource going into the off season. Apart from that, we’re moving on to Calgary ...

“We want to go into offseason feeling good about what we’ve accomplished, and regardless of the score on Friday night, we’re gonna be proud of where we’ve come from.”

With files from The Canadian Press