The Edmonton Elks should have made the switch at halftime but there wasn’t another whole defence available, as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers scored early and often in a 55-27 domination on Friday night.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Return of the Elksplosions
The Elks’ secondary struggled to keep any of the Winnipeg receivers in check in this game, with six plays going for 30-plus yards. Zach Collaros had a field day throwing for 432 yards and six touchdowns. It was 34-6 at halftime. The defence did not have answers.
Halfback Darius Bratton sat out this game due to injury and Marcus Lewis, who was coming off the six-game injured list, moved from his regular cornerback spot to cover the half. It made sense with rookie Devodric Bynum playing so well recently on that field-side corner but both halfbacks, Lewis and Kordell Jackson, were left to the wolves against a superior Bomber receiving corps. Replays showed a lot of them chasing as another touchdown got counted. I had just praised the secondary last week for their improved play and this was a very big step back.
Adding to that frustration was the defensive line getting no pressure on Collaros throughout the game. The lone sack, from Nyles Morgan, came with less than three minutes in the game against the Bombers’ backup quarterback Terry Wilson. Collaros had time to go through his progressions, read a book, catch up on Netflix, and still find an open receiver. The return of AC Leonard during the bye week has yet to make an impact on quarterback pressure. He will need to get up to speed for the remaining three games.
Offence no better
For all the grief I can lay at the feet of the defence, the offence was equally anemic for a lot of the game. Interim head coach Jarious Jackson went back to the veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson for the start and I could see his logic, as Tre Ford struggled against the Bombers’ defensive pressure last week. The issue turned out to be that MBT couldn’t get around that defence either. In the first quarter, the net yards were 207-27 in favour of the Bombers. Not exactly the confidence builder needed for this important game.
MBT finished the night with a respectable 223 yards and three touchdowns. That would be fine if the opponent didn’t almost double your yardage with twice as many touchdowns. A 56 percent completion rate doesn’t exactly suggest there was command of the game. There was a bounce back in the second half but Winnipeg matched every score.
I was shocked there was not a switch at halftime to Tre Ford. Jackson is not a fan of a two-quarterback system and has already confirmed that Bethel-Thompson will start next week, but it is time to give the youngster time against good defences. If Edmonton hopes to keep Ford in green and gold, they need him to get those reps in. This game was basically out of reach — give him a chance to provide a spark and get some valuable experience.
Crowded backfield
Javon Leake was out for another game due to a thigh injury and rookie Justin Rankin earned his first start at running back after providing close to nine yards a carry in the previous two games. Ball security also had Rankin jumping over incumbent back Kevin Brown on the depth chart.
A slow start showed that Winnipeg was ready for the speedy back. In a strange backward dump pass, Rankin missed the catch and it turned into a fumble that TyJuan Garbutt picked up and rumbled in for the 62-yard score. It seemed like Rankin wasn’t about to repeat his recent success.
Two plays later, the Ohio-born back broke a 47-yard run. He finished the night with 109 yards and a 7.7-yard average. That’s not a horrible stat line but it wasn’t particularly helpful down by so much. Kevin Brown did see action in the fourth and was able to pick up 44 yards on five carries.
For the first time since 1968, a CFL team has three running backs over 500 yards each. Leake, Brown and Rankin are a three-headed monster that scares a lot of teams. I think they are better as rotational backs, keeping them as fresh as possible to increase each of their production. As Leake gets healthy, it will be interesting to see how the Elks use each player.
Early turning point
Two and a half minutes into the game, Kenny Lawler caught a pass, was hit hard by Marcus Lewis and the ball popped free. Loucheiz Purifoy snagged the fumble and ran to the endzone for the called touchdown. On the review, it was ruled that Lawler was down by contact, erasing the turnover. It was a very close call that even the announcers were surprised was overturned. Three plays later, Nick Demski was waltzing into the endzone and Winnipeg never relinquished the lead.
If there is one thing that I really wish was different about CFL broadcasts, it is that I want to hear how the call was made. A wide-angle shot of the command center and what looks like serious conversation isn’t enough. Let us hear those discussions and how they come to the conclusions they do — anything to help make these closer calls make more sense. My two cents is that this was the right call, but I’d like to know if I saw the same thing they did.
Receiver moments
Geno Lewis ended up as the top receiver for Edmonton with 72 yards and a touchdown. I really appreciate that he did not celebrate the touchdown given that Edmonton was still so far behind. Celebrate when you’re up or getting closer, otherwise, just act like you’ve been there before. The seven-year vet topped off his game with a beautiful one-handed catch as only Geno can do.
Dillon Mitchell had a decent night returning kicks with a 24.6-yard average on kickoffs and a total of 223 return yards. The Memphis native has had a bit of an up-and-down season, but this was a good outing. On the final play of the game, Mitchell went up and over Tyrell Ford for the circus 37-yard touchdown catch. It was flashes of what drew him into the Elks’ long-term plans back in 2022.
Zach Mathis, who was picked up in the supplemental draft for a 2025 first-round draft pick, got his first start at receiver. Targeted five times, he was only able to pick up one catch for seven yards. I expect to see more of him in the coming weeks as he works towards a regular spot. The North Dakota State product has a giant wingspan and will become a force on red zone plays.
Up Next
Edmonton is back home to meet the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday. Somehow, after a 0-7 start, there is still a small chance the Elks squeak into the playoffs but the back-to-back losses definitely put those thoughts on life support.
MBT will start again, much to the ire of the fans in the stands. Javon Leake may also be back in the lineup. All the weapons and every phase will need to be at the top of their game to keep the lifeline going.
