Another game at Commonwealth, another loss for the Edmonton Elks. The latest of 20 consecutive losses at home finished 37-29 for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Home-Field Disadvantage
It was not that long ago that the Edmonton Football Team set the pro sports record for consecutive trips to the playoffs at 34 years. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Commonwealth Stadium, which once invoked fear in visiting teams, is now tied as the site of the pro sports record for consecutive home losses. The next home game is July 29 with the B.C. Lions visiting and the turnaround would need to be gigantic to not set the new all-time mark.
On top of matching that record, the Elks have dropped to 0-6 for the first time in the team’s 74-year history. As a long-time fan, it is frustrating and disheartening to watch your team find creative new ways to continue both losing streaks. The feeling of “here we go again” is palpable in the stadium, seemingly for both fans and players.
“Deja vu,” head coach Chris Jones lamented after the game. “Tough first half. We keep it close and play some really good football in the first quarter. Just too many errors, too many penalties, and too many turnovers in the second half.”
Is it Taylor Jekyll or Taylor Hyde?
Many fans are struggling to understand Taylor Cornelius and this game was a perfect example of why. Early in the game, we saw decisive runs for first downs and some strikes down the middle to Steven Dunbar and Dillon Mitchell. In between those flashes of good came the throws at the knees and behind receivers.
Every time there was a good play, you had to brace for the bad play to come. Four completed passes to move from the Edmonton 20-yard line to the Hamilton 27 was followed by a short drop and a sack that almost pushed them out of field goal range. Kevin Brown busts out a 50-yard run to get to the Hamilton 13-yard line, only for the next ball to be thrown behind Dunbar and into the waiting hands of the Ticats’ Javien Elliott.
The second quarter started with promise, as Cornelius hit Kyran Moore for a 54-yard touchdown. On the next series, on his own 30-yard line and with the score now 17-13 for Hamilton, he inexplicably tried a left-handed throw under pressure that was intercepted by Stavros Katsantonis for a Hamilton TD. It was the dagger in the game and the call by Dustin Nielson on TSN was a classic.
“In trouble, trying to get away and… What is he doing? What is he doing? He throws it away! It is picked up by Katsantonis and a Hamilton touchdown!”
Thanks, Dusty, for saying what we all were feeling.
“He stubbed his toe tonight and his buddies didn’t help him,” Jones said of his QB. “We had a drop early and the drop at the three-yard line, which all those are points. Then we turn around and throw the ball behind Dunbar and it results in a turnover in the red zone. Taylor’s got to take care of the football. Those turnovers were huge.”
Mercifully, Cornelius was pulled at the end of the third quarter. Jarret Doege had a decent fourth quarter, albeit against a much softer zone defence. He did connect some very nice passes for a total of 201 yards and a touchdown.
Jones was non-committal on his starter for next week but was complimentary of his backup.
“Doege did a real nice job coming in down three scores.”
O-Line Improvement
For as much as I have talked about the offensive line’s struggles this year, they were a better unit on Thursday.
I thought right tackle Brett Boyko did admirably in his first start for Edmonton. The pass protection did break down at times, but it gave their quarterback a fair amount of time for most of the game. The run blocking still needs some work to open bigger holes but the Elks were still able to rush for over 100 yards. I would say they have gone from a rating of D to a solid C+.
More Of Moore
Veteran receiver Kyran Moore had his best showing in green and gold, hauling in four catches for 101 yards. This was more of the “Swerve” we expected to see, as a majority of his yards were after the catch.
The five-foot-10 receiver was dashing through coverages and finding space in small areas all night, including on a spectacular touchdown.
“We’re just trying to show the young guys the way. It starts with us, the vets,” he said after the game.
Tsk Tsk
Over the last few games, Edmonton had limited penalties to an average of eight per game. That was not the case on this night. The Elks committed 13 penalties for a total of 179 yards — 35 of which came on one play. Linebacker Nyles Morgan was shown to the showers after taking both unnecessary roughness and rough play penalties in the final minute.
“Discipline was horrible tonight,” Jones said. “I’d like to apologize to everyone that’s listening to this. 13 penalties for 179, that results in around 12-13 points. Can’t have it.”
Shiltz Hurt
Hamilton quarterback Matt Shiltz went down on the field with just under two minutes to go in the third quarter. He needed to be helped to the sideline with an apparent lower-body injury. Between Ottawa and Hamilton, the injuries to quarterbacks have been devastating. My thoughts are with Shiltz for a speedy recovery.
Rookie Taylor Powell came in and did admirably in relief. He threw for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Faith In The Kicking
Dean Faithfull had a nice bounceback game after last week’s misses. He went three-for-three on field goals, including a 45-yard score late in the game. The Elks also recovered two onside kicks off of Faithfull’s clever drops just over the 10-yard minimum. He did miss one convert but it was an excellent showing overall from the 36-year-old rookie.
Reinforcements Inbound
We have reached the six-game mark of the season and that means the first round of players on the six-game injured list could be ready to return.
It looks as though halfback Aaron Grymes could play his first regular season game since 2021 and would be a welcome veteran addition to the Edmonton secondary. Promising DB from training camp, Marloshawn Franklin, could also find his way into the lineup. The depth chart next week will be interesting.
The road does not get any easier for the Elks in the coming weeks; Winnipeg twice with B.C. in the middle. They travel to IG Field next week for a date with the Bombers on Thursday night. There is lots of work to be done before that game.
