Another Edmonton Elks’ season has come to a close. As was the case in 2022, the Elks finished on a losing streak with a 4-14 record.
The last contest found the Green and Gold falling 45-25 to the West Division-leading Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Here are my thoughts on the game.
Horrible Start
Last week, it was the final seven minutes of the first half that did not go well for Edmonton. This week, it was right from the start of the game. Winnipeg took the opening kickoff and marched down the field with a four-and-a-half-minute drive for a touchdown.
There was a high-profile blunder as well, as Chris Jones tried to challenge a Darius Bratton defensive pass interference call but threw the challenge flag milliseconds too late. A great angle by TSN showed the challenge flag coming out right after the ball was snapped for the touchdown play. Another look at that penalty would have been good, although I am not certain the call would have been overturned anyway.
In what seemed to be a mirror moment from last week’s loss, the very next offensive play for the Elks turned into a strip sack and was returned for a touchdown by Adam Bighill. Being down 14 points just over five minutes into the game was not a recipe for success.
“89 percent of the time that a defence scores a touchdown, that team wins the game. So it’s kind of tough when you start that way,” head coach Chris Jones acknowledged after the game.
Manny Show
There was some fight from the Elks, even after the tough start, to try and get back on even terms. Manny Arceneaux caught his biggest play of the year mid-way through the first quarter when Tre Ford found him wide open for a 15-yard pass and he ran for 62 more, taking Edmonton down to the Winnipeg five-yard line. I was really hoping that Manny would finish that play off with a touchdown in what could be the final game of his career, but Taylor Cornelius was the beneficiary three plays later.
It was the spark that got the Elks back on track and they went into the half only seven points down. As has been the case this season, that was as close as they would get.
Defensive Bust
The Achilles heel of the Elks’ defence has been stopping the run. They have been at the bottom of the league in average rushing yards surrendered for the majority of the season. This game was no exception, as they surrendered 155 yards along the ground with the bulk of those going to the league’s leading rusher, Brady Oliveira.
When Winnipeg did choose to throw it, Edmonton could not get pressure and were held without a sack. Defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy also dropped a sure pick-six in the third quarter. Although the overall net offensive numbers looked comparable between both teams, the Elks gained most of theirs in garbage time. A tough outing when auditioning for next year.
Nyles Morgan had a nice return to the lineup after missing two games due to injury. He recorded 10 tackles, putting him over the century mark for the season. That many tackles, especially with games missed, is quite an accomplishment but it means the defence is on the field too much. I’d take a smaller tackle number with more stops, as I’m sure Morgan would as well.
Costly Sacks
Speaking of sacks, Winnipeg rounded up five in the game. That brings the Elks’ total to 52 sacks allowed in the season. Not the worst in the league, but a concern nonetheless.
I have laid a lot of that blame on the offensive line but I will change my tune a bit this week. Some of it has to be attributed to the amount of time Tre Ford held onto the ball.
In the first four games that Ford played, there were a lot of run-pass option plays to open up the field. Edmonton found a lot of success on those play calls. In the last four games, against the upper echelon of CFL teams, there have been a lot more dropback passes called. Even when there was decent protection, the pressure would get to Ford as he held on looking for his reads. By my count, three of the five sacks were due to him not finding a target in time.
Ford ran the ball twice in this game and that is almost criminal. I understand they were down early, but why go away from the strength of your offence? A total of nine rushing attempts will not get this team to the next level.
It Finally Happened
It has been eight very long years since fans in Edmonton have seen the Green and Gold return any kind of kick for a touchdown. Chris Jones was in his first stint as head coach and the returner was Kendial Lawrence. That streak of futility is finally over.
Early in the fourth quarter, rookie Deontez Alexander caught the kickoff just on his own 12-yard line, broke right and took off for the 98-yard touchdown. His 4.4 speed was on full display as soon as he chose his lane. It was another positive step for a team needing to end a long drought.
“We did have the one bright spot with the kickoff return, which was nice to see 81 get out there and show his speed,” Jones said. “That group of special teams guys, I’m really proud of them. Lots of first and second-year guys across the board. They played pretty solid football.”
Geno on Display
The connection between Ford and Geno Lewis is starting to come to fruition. Lewis had seven receptions on eleven targets for 158 yards in this game, with a couple of those catches being in the ‘wow’ category. In the last two games, Lewis has caught 14 passes for 219 yards. By his standards, this has been a disappointing season and it will be key to get the ball to Geno more next season.
Tsk Tsk
Penalties snuck back into the Elks’ game with nine for 115 yards on Saturday. After having two clean weeks of just five and then three penalties, against Toronto and Montreal respectively, this was a sharp incline back to bad habits. The tone will need to be set early in training camp to keep these mistakes at a reasonable level in 2024.
Let the Offseason Begin
Even with the same record as 2022, the steps taken in the second half of this year show promise for a better on-field product for next year. The young secondary will have another year of growth. Jarious Jackson will have a full offseason to put together his own offence to install. Tre Ford will have plenty of film to review and grow as a quarterback. There are lots of things to look forward to.
In my opinion, the top on-field priorities are:
- Get Ford an extension that keeps him here beyond next year. He is a player you can build marketing around and he is young enough to grow into a star in the league.
- Evaluate the O-line and upgrade where you can to give Ford the time he needs to succeed.
- Find players to fit the front seven on defence that can help to stop the run.
It will be another interesting off-season. Thank you for following along and here’s to 2024.
