What happens when Commonwealth Stadium hosts 31,757 football fans for a CFL game?
Well, you get one of the best environments for football in all of Canada. The crowd was loud, the football was quality and memories were made at the Edmonton Elks vs Saskatchewan Roughriders game. Saturday Night featured the biggest game of the week with the Roughriders coming to Edmonton for a battle in the CFL West Division. For the first time in many years, it felt like true Double E Football had returned to the Concrete Cathedral that is Commonwealth Stadium for a game not dubbed "The Battle Of Alberta", in part to the reopening of the Upper Bowl for this game. It's a shame a team had to lose this game but alas, a team did lose and we'll talk about it below.
TAILGATE TALK
Between nerves, anticipation and all-around excitement, Saturday's Tailgate Party was as festive as we've ever seen. The vibes surrounding the day were more than just your annual hype game in the Labour Day Rematch, this game felt different for fans of the Green and Gold and maybe for the Green and White fans too. Folks were excited, happy, confident and enjoying the Tailgate Party on a larger scale. Global News and other media companies were scrambling to gather footage of CFL Fans serving food and fraternising as game time approached. At Stall 182 we continued the Herdy's International theme with Chicken Alfredo, over 50 servings from our hands to the fans. We ran out in record time too, eats only lasting an hour and a half before we shut down the grill. As we walked to our entry gate we could see the Upper South East Side seats occupied by a few fans, a sight that's been missed at Commonwealth since 2023.
GAME RECAP
3 THOUGHTS
1. Brutal penalties at brutal times. DL Noah Taylor was ejected for 2 unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and another major foul sealed the deal for Edmonton's fate near the end of the game. The players seemed to be playing with too much emotion at times, ultimately contributing to their defeat. 10 penalties were committed for 92 yards.
2. Why are we running Rankin right up the middle on most rushing plays? The Edmonton Elks offensive unit is still struggling on the rush, and the holes simply haven't been there for Justin Rankin. We did see a swing play and some creativity but most plays saw Rankin trying to barrel his way through a defensive line that is anticipating him. The Elks offensive line hasn't looked top-tier as of late and this could be another indicator.
3. 6-2 is still a great record. Going undefeated is an unreasonable expectation and at 6-2 the Elks are still sitting on the top of the CFL West. The Elks have lost their cushion in the standings but they will be fine for this week as 6-2 is the second-best record in the CFL as of right now.
THE POINT AFTER
Winnable game was not won. Fans commenting on The Elks Herd socials were quick to point out that the Green and Gold struggled to find the endzone from the red zone, only scoring twice on 5 attempts. Credit to Saskatchewan for their defensive play but the Elks seem to have this issue often.
QB Cody Fajardo could not replicate last week's performance but it wouldn't be fair to expect another 500-yard passing game. Fajardo threw 28 passes, connecting on 22 for 286 yards and 1 TD. Addiontally, he carried the ball 3 times for 15 yards rushing. RB Justin Rankin was limited by the opposition for yet another week, carrying the ball 8 times for 28 yards and 1 TD but some impact was also from receptions, catching the ball twice for 48 yards. Health on the offensive line may grant him more opportunities in the future but you'd think he's due for a great game soon. WR Austin Mack topped the reciever board with 4 receptions for 77 yards, and WR TJ Luther caught the only passing TD.
On the defensive side of the ball, rookie LB Dariel Djabome continued a great campaign with 8 tackles and a sack. LB Kenny Logan Jr. and DL Jared Brinkman supplied 1 sack each of their own and DB Tyrell Ford caught Edmonton's lone interception.
K Vincent Blanchard was perfect on point duties, going 4 for 4 on field goals and 2 extra points. Blanchard also averaged 76.3 yards per kickoff, 229 yards from 3 big boots. RB Javon Leake found success returning kickoffs, averaging 24.8 yards from 3 returns amassing 124 yards. Punt returns were a different story, only 33 yards from 5 returns. P Jake Julien had a great night, punting 6 times for 358 yards and 1 ball within the 10-yard line. His current average on the season is 50.2 and if he wants to challenge his 54-yard average from 2024 he'll need more performances like Saturday night's.
THE FAN SIDE
The feelings surrounding Saturday night's game were familiar for some but brand new for others. The 6-1 record imitated the "Eskimos" teams of the past yet the current brand and Elks moniker is making it happen. At long last, there is pride in the modern Double E and the buzz surrounding Edmonton was, and still is, undeniable, hype that we haven't heard since one of the playoff runs in the last 11 years. From tailgate to concourse, Section A to Section X, everything seemed as busy and buzzing as the same team 10 years ago. It feels like Edmonton as a city cares again, and even with a multitude of Saskatchewan Roughriders fans in the building the atmosphere was incredible in the Stadium on Satuday Night. Now the result wasn't what we wanted, obviously. We figured this would be a close battle and it was, but this was a winnable game for the Double E. Penalties and failures in the red zone plagued the team in the second game of the series, many missed opportunities and mishaps throughout the game.
However, EE fans are still walking away with a good taste in their mouths as the Elks are truly a competitive team again after so many years of futility, a 6-2 record that most would not have been able to predict. Additionally, the Riders vs Elks rivalry seems to have been restored as thousands of fans representing both teams filled Commonwealth Stadium for it's biggest attendance numbers of the season.
The Elks now look towards a 7th win but the foe in front of them is yet another team at the top of a division, so mistakes such as the ones witnessed on Saturday will need to be fixed, and fast.
NEXT UP: EDMONTON ELKS @ MONTREAL ALOUETTES AUGUST 8TH 2026
The Edmonton Elks will fly to the coop in McGill Stadium to visit their long-time Grey Cup rival, the Montréal Alouettes, for what will be dubbed as another Major League Matchup. The Alouettes boast a record of 7-1 to sit atop the CFL standings while the Edmonton Elks, now at 6-2, will do their best to prevent a 6-3 record in a rematch that can go either way. Expect exciting football as these two teams square off for the second time this season, the first match going the way of the Elks for Montréal's only loss of the season so far. The action starts at 1PM Mountain live from Quebec!
Buckle Up!