Slow start, sloppy special teams stymie Ottawa Redblacks in loss to Elks (& nine other thoughts)

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, it’s no wonder the Ottawa Redblacks are driving their fans crazy.

For the third game in a row, Bob Dyce’s squad sleepwalked its way to a double-digit deficit (this week by 17 points) before finally putting up any semblance of a fight. For the second game in a row, poor special teams proved costly. And yet again, the defence came up small when it mattered most.

Despite all the mistakes and self-inflicted wounds, like so many other games in recent seasons, late in the fourth quarter, this game was there for the taking. And like so many other games, the Redblacks let it slip away.

Here are all my thoughts on Ottawa falling 30-20 at TD Place to the visiting Edmonton Elks.

1) The most important news coming out of the game has nothing to do with the scoreboard or an individual performance. Instead, it was the post-game update provided by the team that Canadian defensive lineman Daniel Okpoko was responsive and had movement in his extremities.

Ottawa’s second-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft, Okpoko was involved in a tackle on Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo with 2:40 left in the game. Although he initially popped up after making the hit, seconds later, he collapsed on the turf. It was a scary scene, and full props to the medical staff who ensured he immediately had the care he needed.

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

The 25-year-old was released from the hospital on Saturday morning after all scans came back negative. Here’s hoping he’s back to feeling like his self in no time.

2) There are plenty of things that can be pointed to when dissecting the Redblacks’ eighth defeat of the season, but I’m going to start with an underperforming unit that has flown mostly under the radar this season.

Rick Campbell’s special teams have been anything but in 2025. It’s one thing if special teams aren’t winning you the game, but at the bare minimum, they shouldn’t be a detriment.

Edmonton beat Ottawa by 10, and 10 of their 30 points came as a result of special teams breakdowns. For the second week in a row, the Redblacks allowed a punt to be blocked. Like last week, the pressure came straight up the middle. That blocked punt gave Edmonton great field position, and the ensuing drive finished in a field goal.

Shortly after, the unit allowed an 80-yard punt return touchdown that featured a comedy of errors with multiple players missing opportunities to make the tackle on Javon Leake.

On top of their porous kick coverage, Ottawa’s return units had arguably their worst game of the season. On every return, multiple blocks were missed, which led to Kalil Pimpleton averaging just 8.5 yards per punt return and 14.5 on kickoffs.

As much as there might be systemic issues that are the fault of the coaching staff, some of this simply boils down to players not playing well. Heck, even long snapper Peter Adjey, who is typically reliable, had a couple of bad, low snaps.

Finally, something I will continue to rage at is the choice — because it is indeed something that someone, either Campbell or Dyce, is actively choosing to do — to use strongside linebacker Adarius Pickett as a punt returner. Pickett is an irreplaceable piece of Ottawa’s defence. Considering that as a whole, the Redblacks have been decimated by injury, it’s beyond comprehension why the team continues to risk him on kick returns.

Running back Canadian Daniel Adeboboye has proven capable, and there’s a bevy of receivers such as Andre Miller, Keelan White or Luther Hakunavanhu available. At this point, using Pickett as a returner isn’t just playing with fire; it’s coaching malpractice.

3) Quarterback Dustin Crum played well enough to win, but if Dru Brown misses more time, I think Ottawa should bench him in favour of Tyrie Adams. Those two statements seem at odds, but aren’t actually.

To start with, Crum deserves credit for completing 79 percent of his passes for 277 yards and a touchdown. He was safe with the ball and avoided any kind of mistake that would put his team in a hole. The problem is that safety meant there was a severe lack of aggression. Crum’s longest completion of the night was 28 yards, and he only attempted one other deep shot that landed incomplete but drew a defensive pass interference flag.

The lack of big plays through the air isn’t something new with Crum under centre. Yes, he is electric when he takes off to run. Against Edmonton, he scrambled ten times for 59 yards, and three of those runs resulted in first downs. But when it comes to the passing game, Crum simply doesn’t stretch the field or put any kind of fear in opposing defences.

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

Through 18 career starts, Crum has attempted 552 passes. Just 13 of those have resulted in big plays (meaning gains of 30+ yards). That means one in every 42 passes he attempts is a big play. He’s also never had a 300-yard passing game.

I’m not trying to bury the guy, as I legitimately do believe he was efficient against Edmonton. For example, I thought he did an excellent job of making pre-snap adjustments by faking the hard count to see how the defence would react and checking in and out of plays, but I do think that, given the weapons Ottawa has at their disposal, playing a quarterback who doesn’t stretch the field puts the team at a disadvantage.

The reason I suggest Ottawa should go to Adams is that with the season slipping away, it’s essential they see what they have in the 28-year-old. He’s flashed potential, but has had so little playing time through his four seasons with the team. Veteran Matthew Shiltz is what he is, and clearly, the team hasn’t felt like going back to him since his disastrous Week 2 performance. Why not see if Adams can elevate Ottawa’s passing game until Brown returns?  Crum’s 18 career starts have resulted in exactly four wins through three seasons, so what’s really the downside?

4) It’s one thing to admit there’s a problem and acknowledge that you need to fix it. It’s another to actually do the fixing. Offensive coordinator Tommy Condell’s offence isn’t just starting slow; it’s forgetting to wake up until the team is already so far behind that fans have already mentally checked out.

After spending the week talking about the need to start quickly, the Redblacks came out of the gate with exactly 0 points and 36 yards through the game’s opening 15 minutes. Through 11 games this season, Ottawa has only managed 21 first-quarter points. That lack of production is crippling when trying to build any kind of momentum or game flow.

For the third week in a row, Ottawa was down by double digits before they even got onto the board. Expecting to recover and come back from three-score deficits week in and week out is simply not sustainable, which is what we’re seeing.

Obviously, not having Dru Brown under centre requires Condell to change things up, but that’s what coaches are supposed to do. You change the plan of attack depending on who you have at your disposal and tailor your system to their strengths.

Against Edmonton, Condell did an excellent job of allowing his offence to run no/quick huddles and gave Crum the freedom to check in and out of plays. There was a good amount of play-action, which typically led to positive plays. What would’ve been nice to see was more rollouts and misdirection to take advantage of Crum’s mobility. There weren’t many RPOs, but when Ottawa called them, they found success.

The Redblacks finished with 371 yards of offence and converted 59 percent of their second-down opportunities. What looms large in a 10-point loss is going 50 percent (two-for-four) in the red zone.

Even without his starting quarterback at his disposal, it feels like Condell is underutilizing some of his best players. Justin Hardy had two catches on the game’s opening drive, then didn’t see another target until the third quarter, and didn’t make another catch. Eugene Lewis has made a career out of making big catches down the field, yet he rarely runs routes that stretch it. Speaking of which, does anyone remember the last time speedster Kalil Pimpleton took the top off a defence? Ottawa’s entire strategy with him seems to be to throw him a hitch and hope he makes a handful of people miss.

On defence, you could make the case that with the number of injuries Ottawa is dealing with, the drop in the standard of play is a reflection of the fact that many on the field are typically backups or playing out of position. On offence, that simply isn’t the case. The players suiting up are extremely talented, but the way they are being used is questionable.

5) Coming into the game, priority number one for defensive coordinator William Fields was containing Elks’ running back Justin Rankin. In a sense, it was mission accomplished as Rankin managed just 2.6 yards per carry, but he still found a way to gouge Ottawa by catching five passes for 58 yards.

As has been the case all season long, a litany of injuries meant Fields’ unit shuffled a handful of players around. Jovan Santos-Knox flipped from middle linebacker to weak-side, which meant “Ace” Eley started in the middle. Deandre Lamont started at safety as Bennett Williams and Justin Howell both moved to the six-game injured list. Gavin Heslop flipped from cornerback to halfback, and Canadian rookie King Ambers started at halfback.

While Ottawa’s defence wasn’t terrible, it also wasn’t overly effective. The unit gave up 5.1 yards per rush and 9.6 yards per pass. Edmonton converted 57 percent of their second-down opportunities and went two-for-two in the red zone.

The real issue for the Redblacks is that whenever they put themselves into a situation where they truly needed a stop, they came up short. There were a number of moments where Ottawa’s defence could’ve made a clutch play, but didn’t.

Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo repeatedly made them pay with his legs, scrambling for 57 yards. Every time he escaped the pocket, he moved the chains. In addition to hurting Ottawa with his legs, he also completed 79 percent of his passes for 270 yards. Yes, Ottawa picked him off once, but they seemingly had no answer for Fajardo’s patience.

In terms of stats, Eley led the way with seven tackles and Ottawa’s lone turnover.

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

As R-Nation has come to expect, Adarius Pickett continued to play with his hair on fire. He was only credited with four tackles, including one for a loss, but was extremely effective blitzing off the edge. In fact, the only times Ottawa had any kind of decent pressure on Fajardo were when they sent Pickett.

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

Defensive backs Gavin Heslop and Shakur Brown both finished with four tackles, and each made one for loss. Defensive lineman Michael Wakefield also had four tackles and notched a sack. Canadian defensive lineman Aidan John made a pair of tackles, and both were for a loss.

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

6) It absolutely sucked seeing offensive lineman Dariusz Bladek pounding the ground in frustration after hurting his leg in the third quarter. It was Bladek’s 100th career game, and he’s been an excellent, steady presence since joining the Redblacks in 2024, suiting up for 28 of a possible 29 games.

Following his exit from the game, versatile veteran Jacob Ruby filled in. Overall, Ottawa’s offensive line was decent, although they did allow three sacks. That said, a couple of those were as a result of Crum failing to get rid of the ball in a timely manner. Only one sack came directly because of a lineman (Parker Moorer) being cleanly beaten.

In terms of the ground game, they managed to open some decent lanes for William Stanback, as evidenced by his 5.3 yards per carry. It would’ve been nice to see the big men up front given more of an opportunity to impose their will and wear out the Elks’ front seven, but Stanback was only given nine carries.

Despite not being listed as a starter, Canadian rookie Keelan White led the way with a team-high 68 yards on five catches. Most impressive was that three of his catches moved the sticks on second down. He was also inches away from scoring his second touchdown of the season.

8) Shoutout to the 17,469 members of R-Nation who came out to the game last night. Given that it used to be normal to see TD Place packed and sold out, it’s dispiriting to see so many empty seats in every section of the stadium any time TSN zooms out or shows a crowd shot. Those who continue to show up and make plenty of noise deserve full credit.

9) With the loss, the Redblacks drop to 3-8 on the year, fail (yet again) to take advantage of a Montreal loss, and now trail every Western team in a potential crossover situation.

It’s hard to say where Ottawa goes from here. The Redblacks need to win at least five of their remaining seven games to have any hope of a playoff spot, and even then, it wouldn’t be a guarantee. Of their remaining seven games, four will be played at TD Place, but only three come against Eastern foes. Given that the franchise publicly stated before the season that the goal was to improve on last year’s return to the playoffs, nobody will be throwing in the towel. But the question remains of how to move forward.

With the team heading into their second bye week, it’s another opportunity for a reset, but what does that reset look like? Head coach Bob Dyce just signed an extension in April and has a deal that runs through the 2026 season. Changing offensive or defensive coordinators mid-season almost never works, plus it’s not like there are a bunch of qualified candidates sitting at home waiting for a phone call. It’s also not as if there’s a marquee player that could be traded for or signed that would suddenly turn things around either.  It’s far from a satisfying outcome, but it’s likely the team sits pat, prays they get healthy during the bye and that things suddenly start clicking.

The trick becomes how the organization manages fan expectations going forward. Doing nothing won’t be an easy sell, but with the hole the team has dug itself, there aren’t any easy answers to be had. Ottawa fans are die-hard, but if OSEG isn’t careful, anger will turn to apathy, and that can take years to reverse.