On a mid-September day at Commonwealth Stadium you could feel the excitement in the air as a crisp breeze rolled through Edmonton, signaling the start of what we know as "Fall Football". This time of year has much meaning for the Canadian Football League, as teams scramble and fight to earn points, and with the postseason looming less than 2 months away the Edmonton Elks needed a home win against the Blue Bombers in order to retain their high chances of making the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Elks found the opposite.

TAILGATE REPORT

The Edmonton Elks Tailgate always wins on Game Day, and this game was no different. With fans from both teams coming together to pre-game and socialize, the 3-hour event saw a great amount of foot traffic, good times and great food. We handed out smoked just under 50 chicken drumsticks for our second-last Herdy's Pop-Up of the 2024 Regular Season. No truck to smash, no contests, just pure organic fun with fellow fans.

GAME RECAP

I think it's easy to say that this game was tough to watch, despite a great atmosphere in the home stadium. The first half of the game was basically a battle for field position, with both teams giving up yardage at inopportune times. After a Winnipeg field goal to open the game, Tre Ford's first start in 5 games started with a fumble on his first drive, a sign of things to come for the returning quarterback. From there, both defences would put on a show for fans by forcing fumbles, stopping eachother's offenses and intercepting passes. Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo almost had the lead doubled, if not for the wind causing his field goals attempt to hit the post. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers would finish the half with the lead at 3-0, Elks running back Kevin Brown getting benched in the process for committing a fumble late in the 2nd quarter.

The 3rd Quarter was where the game got interesting. Winnipeg would charge down the field with the legs of Brady Oliveira, the arm of Zach Collaros and the hands of Ontaria Wilson, and at long last the Blue Bombers had scored the first touchdown of the game, 10-0 the score. The Elks would use their own formula, consisting of Justin Rankin, Tre Ford and Eugene Lewis to score a touchdown of their own not long after to cut the lead to 3, 10-7 the score. After a second Castillo field goal attempt off the goal post, the Elks answered right back with a field goal made off the foot of Boris Bede to tie the game at 10-10, Rankin's rushing plays setting up the field goal.

The game was competitive until the very last quarter, 11 minutes left on the clock, when Tre Ford would throw the ball and essentially, the game to Winnipeg. Michael Ayers intercepted Ford's pass and with the sudden swing of momentum, the Blue Bombers made the Elks pay with a touchdown on the ensuing drive, all but ending hope for the Elks faithful in attendance. McLeod Bethel-Thompson came in relief for Tre Ford, but the damage was already done. The Elks would try to claw their way back in but time was against their side, only scoring 4 points more in what would be a 27-14 defeat.

THE FAN SIDE

With so much meaning and expectations high, it was extremely disappointing to see the Elks lose, especially with high hopes for Tre Ford. As pundits have pointed out, Ford hasn't had to play against a defence of Winnipeg's caliber, a fact that was evident on Saturday night. Despite the Elks defense and special teams doing their job, the offense seemed to struggle in the air but they did fantastic in rushing the ball down the turf. The Elks had 23 rushing attempts for 195 yards, a wild stat until you consider the 27 passing attempts for 179 yards, which proves that the Elks struggled to find momentum or great gains via aerial attack. The most glaring stat line for the Elks would be the 6 turnovers committed, 2 each by way of fumble, interception and on downs. For a game that ran away from the Double E in 4th Quarter, the team still played competitively for most of the contest.
It also didn't help that the Elks committed 6 penalties of the costly variety, giving up 93 yards and one player picking up an ejection in the process.

Maybe Tre Ford had a bad game, maybe Winnipeg's defence is just that good, or maybe the Elks struggle after a bye week, whatever the reason may be for their performance, this loss didn't help their playoff chances and it certainly didn't look like the same team that we've seen for the previous 2 games.

ON A POSITIVE NOTE...

Many players had good performances. Justin Rankin ran down the field for 157 yards, and Eugene Lewis caught only 2 balls for 44 yards but one of those catches were for a touchdown. On the other side of the ball, Derrick Moncrief made 8 tackles for 1 sack, and Darious Bratton had 5 tackles as well as the EE's lone interception. Punter Jake Julien also had a great game, punting 4 balls for 247 yards, getting back to his performing.

As a whole the Edmonton Elks held their own against the Blue Bombers until the 4th quarter, a feat on its own considering the fact that the team started the season on a 0-7 slide. Since the game on Saturday, the Elks have benched Tre Ford in exchange for MBT, along with releasing Leon O'Neal Jr. in an effort to hold individuals accountable, and rightfully so.

NEXT UP: EDMONTON ELKS @ WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

The Edmonton Elks face the Blue Bombers once again, this time in Winnipeg on Friday night. The Double E have their work cut out for them as the Bombers look to finish the sweep on their home turf, and while the chances of an Elks win may seem slim, this season has already proven that anything is possible in Elks Nation.

Antler Up!