It's officially a new era for Edmonton's professional football team.

On Thursday night in front of a sellout crowd at Princess Auto Stadium, the Edmonton Elks faced the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for what would be an exciting Western Division matchup. With plenty on the line the Elks pulled off the unthinkable; A victory in one of the loudest buildings in the CFL.

GAME RECAP

3 THOUGHTS

1. Defense balled out. Blue Bombers QB Zach Collaros faced pressure throughout the entire game due to Edmonton's defensive line, their linebackers and the play calling by Defensive Coordinator JC Sherritt. Holding the Blue Bombers to 18 points is no easy feat, at least in recent history, but the Elks defense found a way to stifle Collaros and the Bombers offense enroute to a victory.

2. Offense looked shaky in the 2nd half but did what was necessary. The first half of the game saw the Elks score 17 points but only 6 points were posted by the EE in the second half. We witnessed plenty of missed opportunities in the 3rd and 4th quarters but despite the offensive woes the Elks scored points when it mattered the most, QB Cody Fajardo finding WR TJ Luther in the endzone to regain the lead with 53 seconds remaining on the clock.

3. Our hearts hurt after that 4th. The final quarter of play was a battle of field position for the most part, but the Winnipeg Blue Bombers seemed to have momentum after scoring a touchdown near the 8-minute mark. The Elks took the lead back with under a minute left, betting on the defense to shut down Winnipeg's final drive. Stressful, yet successful.

THE POINT AFTER

Another game, another 3-phase win for the Edmonton Elks and their fans. While this game wasn't the cleanest or without flaws, the Elks saw meaningful contributions from the offense, defense and special teams in Thursday night's affair. Fajardo completed 25 passes on 35 attempts for 267 yards and 1 game-winning touchdown, his clutch rating on display for a second week in-a-row. RB Justin Rankin continued to shine on the ground with 106 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown, though Winnipeg did find ways to stifle his recieving game with only 9 yards on 3 receptions. WR Kaion Julien-Grant was a reliable target on Thursday, catching 6 passes on 7 targets for 84 yards. WR TJ Luther scored Edmonton's only passing touchdown, one of 3 receptions to record 28 yards on the day.

The defense performed well throughout the entire 60 minutes of play, providing sacks, forcing fumbles and preventing Winnipeg from scoring more than 18 points. LB Joel Dublanko was named Player Of The Game for achieving 6 tackles, 1 sack and 1 fumble recovery against the Bombers. LB Brock Mogenson started this game and thrived at MLB with LB Nick Anderson on the 1-Game injury list, Mogenson posting 6 tackles and 1 fumble recovery of his own. Edmonton's defensive line terrorized Collaros and the Winnipeg offensive line, DL Jordan Williams and DL Noah Taylor each securing 1 quarterback sack and 1 forced fumble in Thursday's tilt. DB Kordell Jackson and DL Malik Carney also forced 1 fumble each in this game, Carney recovering the football immediately after slamming into Collaros.

Special teams had great moments in this game as well, RB Javon Leake proving his prowess with steady returns. Leake returned 5 punts for 62 yards, a 21-yard rush making for his longest punt return of the game. He only had 1 kickoff return for 23 yards but his lone reception for 15 yards in the 1st Quarter confirmed that the versatility we are used to seeing is still intact. K Vincent Blanchard was near-perfect on the night, successfully scoring on his only field goal attempt, a short 15-yard boot, and converting 2 extra points after touchdowns. Blanchard also had 4 kickoffs for 291 yards, a 77-yard kick being his longest. P Jake Julien was steady and reliable, punting 7 times for 314 yards, his longest punt coming from a 51-yard play. DL DK Bonhomme topped the Special Teams Tackles leaderboard with 3 tackles, followed by LB Justin Pace with 2.

THE FAN SIDE

For the first time since 2017, the Green and Gold have started the season with 3 wins in-a-row to notch a 3-0 record. You may be asking questions such as, "How did we get here?" and "What year is it?"

The year is 2026 and the Elks have battled 3 tough opponents in the Ottawa REDBLACKS, the Montréal Alouettes and the ever-contending Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Good teams find a way to win and the Elks have seemingly flipped the script by winning games that they may have lost in the past. The Elks were heavily scrutinized last year for losing games by one or two plays, but this year the team is securing victories by one or two plays. While a number of CFL fans are quick to point out that 3 games may not be a big enough sample size to properly judge the team, the Elks have shown that they have bought in and believe in the plan that GM Ed Hervey and HC Mark Kilam have put in place.

The Edmonton Elks still have many flaws that need to be addressed in order to maintain a winning record this season, without question. Ball security is still a point of concern, touchdown attempts in the red zone fail more often than not, and at moments the offensive line did struggle to prevent quarterback pressure against Winnipeg, but overall the team has improved greatly from what we've seen in years previous. These 3-straight victories to start the season have been made possible by total team efforts and the Elks will need much of the same as injuries become a factor heading into Week 5 of the CFL Regular Season.

NEXT UP: EDMONTON ELKS @ BC LIONS SATURDAY JULY 4TH 2026

The Edmonton Elks will visit the BC Lions in Kelowna for the second-ever CFL game in the Okanagan region, the Lions claiming the Apple Bowl for 2 games as their temporary home in British Columbia while their home stadium, BC Place in Vancouver, hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Elks have experience with remote stadiums after playing 2 Preseason Games in similar circumstances, but Lions QB Nathan Rourke has experience in defeating the Elks, sweeping the EE last year in Regular Season matchups. We will find out if the Elks have what it takes to defeat the Lions next Saturday at 5PM Mountain.

Buckle Up!