Last week’s nightmare continued for the Edmonton Elks, as another late lead turned on its head. On Saturday, it was Hamilton’s turn to kick the winning field goal with no time left, and leave the Elks’ playoff hopes dangling by a thread.
The 29-27 loss is Edmonton’s fourth by four points or less this season. That could be the difference between playing in November or not. Here are my thoughts on the game.
Missing killer instinct
In a game that featured 10 lead changes, there comes a time when a field goal is just not good enough. Toronto’s walk-off field goal win last week had the Elks kicking for three from 31 yards with 1:18 left in the game. This week, they found themselves at the five-yard line with five minutes left. There had already been eight lead changes, and the Green and Gold were down by two.
A pass to O.J. Hiliare in the endzone was knocked out by Stavros Katsantonis, which left a decision to be made. This is where the lessons from last week should have shone through. Taking the field goal there instead of going for the touchdown set up the possibility of the same result as the week before. Some aggression there, after already being so close, forces the Ticats into an uncomfortable place.
If successful, Edmonton is up by six — possibly seven if the two-point try is converted, but let’s not get crazy. If unsuccessful, you ask your defence to prevent a 105-yard drive, with plenty of time left to score more points, even if that was successful. Hindsight is, of course, 20/20, but that’s two weeks in a row where Edmonton needed touchdowns and settled for field goals. They paid the price both weeks.
Final drive
Even with the field goal in place, there was time to find more points. Hamilton drove to the Edmonton 50-yard line and gifted the ball back via a turnover on downs. It was a strange decision by Bo Levi Mitchell, who could have easily run for the first down. Instead, he threw a short pass to Brendan O’Leary-Orange, which was dropped. There were just under three minutes to go.
The ensuing drive for the Elks was a quick two-and-out, with a run for four yards by Justin Rankin and a four-yard pass to Kaion Julien-Grant. On third-and-two, this could have been another moment to be aggressive, but I can accept that they had the lead and could pin Hamilton deep. Only running one minute off the clock might have been the bigger issue.
The defence gave up a conversion on third-and-four but was still holding on Hamilton’s side of the field. The Ticats were at their own 39-yard line with 37 ticks on the clock. Then, when Elks’ defensive lineman Jordan Williams finally came through with a chance to sack Mitchell, he did not hit the strike zone. His helmet made contact and brought about a 15-yard roughing the passer call. It took a replay centre review, but they did get it right. Three eight-yard passes later, Hamilton was more than in field goal range. See the above paragraph for why it was all they needed.
Not on the defence
Don’t get me wrong in thinking this game was lost on the defensive side of the ball. I think they have taken some big steps forward as this season has gone on. This game was another one. With all of the injuries they have had to starters, guys have stepped up to fill spots they aren’t used to playing and still found decent results. They haven’t been given the same run support late in games that has made the difference.
Joel Dublanko continues to show why he was picked first overall in 2024. The Canadian linebacker was all over the field with eleven tackles, including the Elks’ only sack. The Cincinnati product’s run-to-the-ball mentality finds him around every play. With both Nyles Morgan and Nick Anderson out, the Dublanko has filled the role nicely.
Kordell Jackson had his first start at the safety position with the injury to Royce Metchie. Six tackles is maybe more than you want from a safety, but he is punishing from that spot. The Birmingham native hit a receiver hard enough to prevent the catch twice in the game. Jackson has now played strong-side linebacker, boundary halfback, and safety in his sophomore season. The versatility and leadership are really showing for the 26-year-old.
Newcomer Jaylin Williams was picked on a lot by Mitchell, which was expected. His seven tackles showed that he was up to the task, though. The Indiana product spent time with the Minnesota Vikings on the practice roster until 2024 and joined the Elks in July. For a first CFL game, he was able to adapt fairly well.
Rookie Brock Mogensen was also pushed into playing time with the injuries at linebacker. The Farmington native — yes, that’s a real place — put up eight tackles in this game and showed some great lateral movement at the line. This is a young defence that held in for most of the game with the top East team.
Rankin with another big play
I have talked about Justin Rankin and his ability to find a big play all season. Saturday was no exception. Facing second-and-23, the Northwest Missouri State product took the screen pass and turned on the jets for a 72-yard touchdown. An excellent block from Carter O’Donnell sprung the speedy back into the secondary. Four Hamilton players had a shot, but there was no catching Rankin.
The Ohio native finished with 118 yards from scrimmage. Better than last week, but still not the numbers he has been putting up regularly. Teams have keyed in on him, and he was only able to put 46 yards on the board outside of that big play.
The offensive line play overall was better than last week. The communication seemed to be there and gave Cody Fajardo more time to read the field. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much for him to find on a lot of occasions. Three sacks were given up in this game, but all three were a result of Cody hanging on to the ball too long. The veteran QB corrected that in the second half and used the time provided to him.
Where the Elks need to improve is in run blocking. The holes are not opening up the same for Rankin. Some of that is opponents stacking the box, but some is not finding that push needed to open an inside hole. It could be a scheme, issue or it could be that the line hasn’t quite found that sweet spot for who is doing what yet after the recent changes.
Special Teams Consistency
Vincent Blanchard continues to improve in his sophomore season and had another perfect day on field goals, going four-for-four. I do wish he had more converts than field goals, but that may relate back to my original point.
One thing that may be getting overlooked, though, is the Laval product’s kickoffs. He averaged 72 yards on kickoffs Saturday, with a long of 81, and was sitting second in the league entering the week, trailing only Sergio Castillo by 0.1 yard. It is not much, but when we start to point at things that have helped the Green and Gold back to being competitive, field position is a part of it, and Blanchard has given them great starts.
The cover teams also had a nice game, with the longest return for the Ticats being 24 yards. A couple of weeks of working with Jake Julien has produced an increased ability to make stops downfield. There were only two punts for Jake this game, but a total of 12 return yards on those kicks.
As has been the case, DK Bonhomme, a.k.a Predator, led the way in special teams tackles with two. He is up to 13 on the year — yet another sophomore who is showing growth in year two.
The road does not get easier for the Green and Gold. Next Saturday is a showdown with the wrong shade of green at Play Alberta field at Commonwealth Stadium. Every game is a must-win now, and it’s time to get aggressive with the season nearing the end.
