Edmonton Elks get devoured by Lions — again — in elimination loss (& six other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Jeff Vinnick/B.C. Lions

The Edmonton Elks met the B.C. Lions three times this season, and Friday’s 37-24 loss was the closest they’ve come to keeping the score respectable. That’s little consolation, as the loss puts the Green and Gold on the outside of the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

Defence starts hot

I could see the improvement in J.C. Sherritt’s defence when watching the first half of this game. Six drives in for B.C., and they had punted on five of them, with the last being a fumble turnover. Three of those were two-and-out drives from the hottest offence in the league. It was a brilliant start for a defence rising to the occasion.

J.J. Ross continues to impress at the cornerback position, showing his speed and awareness of the game as a rookie. The Western Illinois product ran down Lions’ receiver Justin McInnis, stripped the ball, and recovered the fumble on the second drive of the game. The hustle play snuffed out a promising drive at the Edmonton nine-yard line.

Tyrell Ford and Kordell Jackson both had knockdowns in the first 29 minutes of shutout ball. Brock Mogenson and Joel Dublanko were stopping the run with their speed. The growth in the secondary through 17 games, whether it be through injuries or inserting young guys, has really been fun to watch. This group will be able to grow together in the Sherritt system.

The problem was, they got no support…

All the time, no points

At halftime, the Green and Gold had more than double the time of possession in the game, with over 20 minutes of ball control. All of that time turned into a 10-10 tie at the half. Edmonton squandered a massive opportunity to give themselves life in this game and the playoff picture.

A missed field goal on the first drive. Giving up a safety after Ross’ big strip. Two times going two-and-out, including once with just over two minutes left in the half. I don’t think we need to review how troublesome it is for this team to give the ball back to the opponent with little time in a half.

B.C.’s defence has also vastly improved throughout this year. I don’t want to diminish the good work they did against the Elks in this situation. The pressure applied from that front seven contributed to Edmonton not being able to capitalize. But when a team has more than double the time of possession, there should be more to show for it.

The Elks did finally get a major on the board early in the second quarter and followed it up with a field goal drive. Opportunity knocking was already left unanswered. A brilliant one-minute drive from Nathan Rourke left the score tied at half. The Lions got back to their usual ways in the second half.

Do or die effect

Desperation can make for some interesting decisions. Cody Fajardo has been excellent all year at protecting the ball. In the 11 previous games he has started this year, the California native has only thrown three interceptions. Over 70 percent accuracy has been the norm for him. I have to wonder if the pressure of the game forced some throws he would not usually make.

Three interceptions, including a pick-six and two on the final three drives of the game, really turned the tide against the Green and Gold. The connection with Kurleigh Gittens Jr. was there early, but B.C. caught on and feasted as those attempts continued. Twelve targets resulted in only six catches for KGJ, and one miss was due to a hellacious hit from Robert Carter Jr., which I thought would surely knock Kurleigh out of the game. It was shoulder to chest, but was very close to shoulder to chin. Gittens did come back, but the next interception looked like he was supposed to cut in and went out instead. I can’t imagine there weren’t some effects from that hit still lingering.

Another call that felt like playing “on tilt” was going for it on a third-and-12 early in the third quarter on the Lions’ 47-yard line right after the pick-six. Now down seven points, I can see how wanting to get that big play to take back some momentum would be tempting. Just last week, the Elks ran a third-and-two from their own side and got a touchdown from Justin Rankin, so maybe that pushed this call.

I have been pushing for aggressiveness from the team, but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind. Less than six yards to go, I might have said it was worth the shot. Needing 12, B.C. had all the momentum, and the turnover on downs gave the Lions even more. The resulting drive for BC was a field goal, and the rout was on.

Rankin in check

Kudos to the Lions for doing what many teams could not this year by keeping Justin Rankin to less than 100 yards from scrimmage. Rankin was leading the league in scrimmage yards going into this game. A total of 71 yards now seems like a pedestrian night for the sophomore back.

As I mentioned earlier, the Lions’ front seven did an excellent job of shutting down options for their Western rivals. Rankin did not even have the longest run on the night, as Fajardo found one five yards longer. Not every game will be enormous for the young star, but Edmonton needed some of the Tank, and the Lions knew it.

Part of that needs to fall on the offensive line. I have seen holes opened this year, but not a lot of vertical displacement at the line of scrimmage. It improved a bit when Carter O’Donnell was inserted and got into the flow with the line, as the former Golden Bear did bring a nastiness to the line. He was knocked out early in this game due to a head injury, and Gregor MacKellar came in. The safety given up by Edmonton was on the very next play, right in MacKellar’s spot.

Some work will need to be put into the O-line this offseason. They have some great pieces, but the consistency, depth, and physicality need to improve.

Bounce-back lineman

Is Jared Brinkman Edmonton’s version of Kenny from South Park? Every game, he goes down with what looks to be a big injury and then, three plays later, there he is again.

There is no doubt that Brinkman is playing injured for most games. The Northern Iowa product just has no give-up button. He did miss one game, but, much like Kenny, showed up at the next game ready to be part of the group. The determination is great to see, and the fourth-year lineman does make an impact when he is out there.

I’m excited to see what he will be like when he is healthy for a longer stretch. I would love to see a trend of fans yelling “You hurt Brinkman! You bastard!” though.

Another season on the outside

For the fifth straight season, the Elks will be viewers for the CFL playoffs. Don’t let anyone tell you that games in July don’t mean anything. Starting the season 1-6 was too big of a hole to climb out of. Back-to-back walk-off field goals in games where the lead was in hand resulted in a heavy price.

It seems less doom and gloom this year than in years past, though. The growth of the team under this coaching staff was obvious. Edmonton was not the “easy out” they had been before. There are areas to work on, as there will be with any team missing the dance, but belief is starting to return. This was year one of building something bigger, and I believe the top pieces in place are the ones to get it done.

The final game of the season comes on Friday against the rival Stampeders. Ending with a win will send the fans home happy and hopeful for next year’s success.