EDMONTON — The longest CFL playoff drought in Edmonton football history has finally come to an end. Joe Robustelli caught a pair of touchdown passes as the Edmonton Elks clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2019 with a 53-16 rout over the rival Calgary Stampeders in the Labour Day rematch on Saturday. Edmonton, which won its fourth straight game to improve to 10-3, snapped a five-year run of post-season futility which was the team’s worst since the 1960s. “That felt really good, a three-phase win,” said Elks head coach Mark Kilam. “This place was rocking, too. What we’re trying to build this place into, it’s going to be a hard place to come play in the playoffs. “I’m really proud of the team for focusing on the task at hand.” It was the fifth time in team history that Edmonton has scored 50 or more against Calgary, the last being in 1991. “It was big,” said Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo. “Phase 1 to any Grey Cup run, you’ve got to clinch (a spot) first. We’ve done that, but it’s just Phase 1 of a four-step plan that we’ve got to take care of. It was a very good team win. We were battling. A lot of guys went down and we were shuffling the deck.” Fajardo passed for 232 yards and three TDs, increasing his seasonal total to 23, five better than his career high of 18. The Stampeders, who allowed the Elks to score 24 fourth-quarter points last week en route to a 38-28 victory in the Labour Day Classic in Calgary, have lost two straight to remain last in the West at 5-8. “We just got beat,” said Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson. “They outplayed us, were the better team, had a better plan, everything. They took it to us, and we have to be honest about that and move forward.” Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was picked off on his team’s second possession by Nick Anderson, allowing the Elks to take a 3-0 lead on a 32-yard Vincent Blanchard field goal. Aided by a long pass interference call, the Stampeders surged ahead on a 13-yard pass into the end zone from Adams to Erik Brooks. A long interception return by Tyrell Ford led to Edmonton clawing back with a 42-yard Blanchard field goal. Edmonton took a 13-7 lead with just over three minutes to play in the second quarter as a big passing play from Fajardo to rookie ShunDerrick Powell set up a one-yard TD plunge by third-string QB Cole Snyder. The Elks expanded their lead to 12 points with one minute to play in the second frame as Robustelli reeled in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Fajardo. The convert failed. Calgary kicker Rene Paredes nailed a 38-yard field goal to end the half with Edmonton up 19-10. Unfortunately for the Elks, running back Justin Rankin left the game with a first-half injury and didn’t return. Edmonton came out flying in the third as they capped off a solid drive with an impressive 35-yard TD catch by Joshua Cephus. Blanchard added a 26-yarder on their next possession. Paredes responded with a 41-yard field goal. The Elks got a huge play late in the third as Silas Hubert blocked a punt in the end zone and picked it up himself for the defensive TD and a 36-13 lead. Calgary promptly fumbled the ball away on its own 46, eventually leading to an 18-yard TD pass from Fajardo to Robustelli. Edmonton continued the beating midway through the final quarter as backup QB Taylor Powell hit Zach Mathis for a 15-yard TD strike. Paredes kicked a 45-yarder with four minutes left. Blanchard responded with a field goal from the 46. “We’re in a lull right now,” said Calgary linebacker Marquel Lee. “We’ve got to look in the mirror this week and fix the mistakes and come back better and execute a whole better.” Notes Paredes, who made his CFL debut in 2011, played in his 250th career regular-season game … Stamps receiver Reggie Begelton returned from a lengthy leg injury, suiting up for the first time since June 14, 2025 … The announced attendance was 31,531. Up next Stampeders: Host the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday, Sept. 19. Elks: Visit the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday, Sept. 19. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2026. Shane Jones, The Canadian Press
