Playoffs disappear for Elks in loss to Riders (& six other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Walter Tychnowicz/CFL.ca

Another disappointing season will end in an all too familiar way for the Edmonton Elks, as losing 28-24 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders sealed their fate and put them outside of the playoffs.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

Uncomplementary football

When Edmonton went on its five-of-six winning streak, each phase of the team complemented the others. The defence would get a stop and the offence would score. Special teams would change the field position and the defence would get the ball back. The support of each phase led to an increase in confidence throughout the team. Starting with the game against Winnipeg three weeks ago, that support has disappeared and it never seems like all three phases can get in sync.

Saturday’s game highlighted a number of “out of sync” moments. After Edmonton had an eight-minute, 82-yard drive ending in a touchdown, it took all of 23 seconds and one play for the Riders to tie the game. The Elks pushed back with another touchdown only to have Saskatchewan score back in less than two minutes. The defence held their opponent to just a field goal off a turnover late in the first half, to then watch as the offence turned the ball over again in the first drive of the second half. It seems only one phase can operate at any one time and it always puts the other in poor positions. That’s not a recipe for any kind of success.

Even within each phase, there seem to be issues. In the fourth quarter, and only down 28-21, Elliott Brown had a huge sack pushing Trevor Harris back 11 yards and causing a fumble that Saskatchewan recovered. While the players were all celebrating, Harris got to the line and set up the next play. Confusion for the Elks ensued and a too-many-men penalty was called wiping out the yardage from the sack. Coaching plays a role, but guys need to know where to be this late in the season.

Geno highs and lows

Geno Lewis continues to show us why he refers to any jump ball as a 90/10 ball in his favour. McLeod Bethel-Thompson launched a 22-yard pass up to the sidelines with Lewis in tight coverage from Rolan Milligan Jr. The grab came up over Milligan and Geno somehow brought his two feet down in bounds, making a brilliant catch that brought the crowd to their feet.

He had the crowd talking at halftime too, but not for the same reason. With just 34 seconds left in the half, MBT threw a short out route to Geno that went off his hands. When he lunged for the bobbled ball, it looked as though he knocked it right into the awaiting arms of Adam Auclair. Counted as an interception for MBT, the attempted recovery seemed to be what turned the ball over.

It was the only miss for Geno on the night, as a late touchdown brought him back to the positives.

Costly Penalties 

I thought that penalties were less of a problem during the winning streak. Penalties were a crux in this game and Edmonton had 11 for 93 yards. Many of them landed in crucial moments or found a way to offset a Rider penalty. Much like the too-many-men penalty mentioned earlier, there were plenty of calls that should have been avoided this late in the season.

After the first touchdown, both Martez Ivey and Jakub Szott got misconduct penalties backing up the kickoff. The play after that kick was an 88-yard touchdown pass to Sam Emilus. Leading 15-7 and backed up to their own seven-yard line, AC Leonard lines up offside and Nick Anderson takes another objectionable conduct. Next play, you guessed it, touchdown Riders. Shortly after, Harris was sacked for a five-yard loss. An offside penalty was called on Nyles Morgan, though this one was offset by a hold against Trevor Reid. The drive still ended, yet again, with seven points for the Green and White.

It’s not all on the defence. In the fourth quarter, MBT threw a pass to Dillon Mitchell and got the pass interference call. That was offset by a holding call against Szott. The drive ended in only a field goal when the team needed a touchdown to take the late lead. Thirty more yards in penalties went a long way to produce that outcome.

Bounceback offence

Some will say it was only 24 points, so how can I label that as a bounceback? MBT improved from 55 percent to 80 percent on his passing, threw for 379 yards and two touchdowns. Kurleigh Gittens Jr. finished with 122 yards receiving. Dillon Mitchell caught four of his five targets, with one of those being a spectacular vertical grab for a touchdown. The excitement was there for moments, as compared to the two games against Winnipeg.

Zach Mathis, who was taken in the supplemental draft earlier this year, had a breakout game with six of seven targets caught for 74 yards. Four of those catches came on second-down plays. The six-foot-seven North Dakota State product is starting to show why he was worth that first-round pick in 2025. He has a massive wingspan and I expect to see him even more in the final two games.

There was a lot of good to see. Unfortunately, the running game could not get going. Even with the return of Javon Leake, Edmonton could only muster 30 yards rushing. On top of the bounce off of Geno, Gittens Jr. had a late-game fumble when Edmonton needed ball security to get close in this game. A bounceback, yes, but not good enough to win.

Which defence is it?

The Green and Gold defence matched the offence in good and bad moments. The Elks-plosions returned with three more passes allowed for 30 or more yards. Edmonton has allowed the most in the league with 32 deep busts this season. The secondary had moments of brilliance with two interceptions but seemed to leave the deep middle of the field open. When they cover that area, the ball goes long and you see a lot of chase positions. There are many young players in that secondary but it has to hold down the bigger plays.

I have talked a lot about Devodric Bynum and his play at corner this year. He did have a chance on the KeeSean Johnson touchdown but the tall receiver just made an excellent play. It did not show up on the stats sheet but the rookie made the tackle to drop Shea Patterson for a loss on a short yardage play in the final frame. Shawn Oakman got the initial pressure but the kid from Dallas got the final hit. It says a lot when quarterbacks are throwing toward the outstanding rookie from last year, Kai Grey, instead of your way.

We also need to recognize Nick Anderson for another outstanding performance, leading the team with eight tackles including a punishing sack. J-Min Pelley cleared a path up the middle that Anderson took full advantage of. I think he will be the Elks nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie.

Play out the string

The Elks now travel to Calgary to take on the other West team to not be in the playoffs. For the first time in CFL history, neither of the Alberta teams will be in the postseason. I will be curious how interim head coach Jarious Jackson approaches these final two games. Will it be a developmental time to see what young players can do? Will he stick with the guys already on the field and try to win back some pride? He was non-committal on who may see the field next week. My opinion is to put Ford in to run the final games, hoping that he may want to be a part of the team going forward.

It has been 20 years since Edmonton has swept their provincial rivals for a season. They only played twice that year. The last time they swept three games in a season was 2002. Maybe that will add some motivation and a positive spin on another season ending early.

Andrew Hoskins
Andrew Hoskins is a lifelong Edmonton resident and the host of the Turf District Podcast.