Calgary Stampeders embarrassed in Edmonton, stay rooted in West Division cellar (& other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Edmonton Elks

For those of you who have read my columns this season, you know that I have tried my best to whittle Stampeders games down to five impact plays that, in my never-humble opinion, decided the outcome.

However, following Saturday’s 53-16 beatdown at the hands of the Edmonton Elks — the team’s worst margin of defeat in nearly 20 years — I realized I couldn’t possibly narrow the list down.

For example, if I limited the list to only turnovers, it would take up all five entries, as starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw two interceptions in the first half, Mark Vassett saw a punt blocked in the end zone that was recovered by Edmonton for a touchdown, Jalen Philpot fumbled the next offensive play from scrimmage, and a final turnover on downs came in the fourth quarter.

Speaking of punts, the Stampeders racked up more than a full list of those, too. The team kicked seven punts on the day, six of those punctuating two-and-out drives.

Want to look at just tackles for a loss? I have a full list of those, with three negative-yardage plays to go along with a trio of sacks on Adams, for six in that category.

Maybe I could get some variety if I only talked about Edmonton’s scoring? Five offensive touchdowns, full list. That’s not including the punt block either. I guess I can take some solace in knowing they only added four field goals to go with those.

I could write more than two columns’ worth of penalty descriptions, as the team collected 11 flags for 111 total penalty yards. At least that was one area that the team came close to matching Edmonton, who grabbed 12 for 142 yards of their own.

With this loss, the Stampeders have now fallen two games behind both Winnipeg and B.C. in the West Division standings and are at great risk of missing the playoffs entirely in a year where the team is hosting the Grey Cup.

In the first half of the season, it was easy to look at the little differences, the bounces that weren’t going the Stampeders’ way, and wonder what could have been.

Before Labour Day, the team hadn’t lost a game by more than a touchdown, with all six losses coming by a total of just 25 combined points. Even Labour Day was just a 10-point loss, punctuated by a late Edmonton comeback.

This game was over by halftime.

There was no punch, no grit, and it looked like the Stampeders were stuck in a rut that has persisted throughout the season, wandering out to post-game media week after week to talk about how the team just doesn’t know how they lost.

Head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson said that success can’t only come from the top down.

“I think the leaders need to take over here, I really do,” he said after the game. “I think the leadership committee has to…well, we all have to rally together, but it has to be player-led.”

As mentioned, the coaching staff didn’t escape without criticism.

“As coaches, we aren’t giving them enough to be successful. Change. Change things and give them enough to be successful.”

That lack of success was reflected in the benching of Vernon Adams Jr. in the fourth quarter, as he was replaced by Josh Love under centre.

None of this is to say the Stampeders didn’t face unforeseen adversity either.

Calgary lost Kyle Wilson, a standout linebacker, for the season with an injury in the Labour Day game, and due to the schedule only allowing a single practice, it may have been unfair to assume his replacement would play up to Wilson’s standard.

The Stampeders also saw both Dedrick Mills and Dejon Brissett leave the game with injuries in the first half, reducing the amount of weapons available on offence.

In those situations, teams can react two ways: rally together to compensate for those losses and elevate their level of play, or shrug and begin thinking about next week.

It seems pretty clear which path Calgary took.

Calgary had just two bright spots in the third game in the league’s quadruple-header.

The first saw defensive end Clarence Hicks add two more sacks to his league-leading total of 11.

The second was the return of Reggie Begelton to the lineup, who took the place of Ajou Ajou, who has been moved to the six-game injured list. Begelton would make two catches on five targets in his first game since June 18, 2025.

Not all is lost for the Stampeders as they head to the final stretch of their season.

With five games left, including two against currently winless Ottawa, and one each against Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, and B.C., it is not inconceivable that the Stampeders can still make the playoffs.

Winnipeg will face Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, and B.C. in their other games.

The Lions have the easier remaining games by record, with Saskatchewan, Toronto, Ottawa, and Winnipeg as their remaining non-Calgary slate.

Should the Stampeders do what everyone else in the league has done and come away with a pair of wins over the Redblacks, then win their respective head-to-head against Winnipeg and/or B.C., they’ll only need to be one game better than either of the other two West Division teams to sneak into the dance.

Fumble either of the two opportunities over the next two weeks and you might as well start talking about “playing for pride” or “looking to secure a job on next year’s team” because the road that would lead to a home Grey Cup appearance would be closed.