The Edmonton Elks (1-0) visited TD Place Stadium on Saturday night to wrap up Week 1 of the CFL season against the Ottawa Redblacks (0-1). This was the 23rd meeting all-time between the two teams, with the Elks leading the series 13-10. Edmonton also won the last two meetings. On this night, they extended the winning streak.
Rain had moved into the area hours before the game began, which made it hard for both teams to move the ball. In the first quarter, Edmonton managed to have 58 yards on offense, while Ottawa had 33 yards on offense. Late in the first quarter, Edmonton moved the ball to the four-yard line before kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 12-yard field goal to give the Elks a 3-0 lead with 3:29 left.
Ottawa had the ball for the rest of the first quarter. Edmonton initially stopped Ottawa on second, but two penalties gave Ottawa a new set of downs. On the final play of the first quarter, Ottawa running back Daniel Adeboboye rushed for a yard to the 30-yard line.
In the second quarter, Ottawa went for it on third down, but Max Duggan did not get a good grip of the football and fumbled it. The ball was recovered by Edmonton defensive back Kordell Jackson at the 33-yard line. Edmonton gained 15 yards before punting the ball back to Ottawa.
Ottawa quarterback Jake Maier threw two passes for 23 yards, and Daniel Adeboboye rushed for a yard to the 53-yard line. On third and one, Edmonton’s defense tackled Adeboboye for a three-yard loss. On the second play, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw a 39-yard pass to T.J. Luther to the 10-yard line. On the next play, Fajardo threw a touchdown pass to Austin Mack, who extended his arms in the air to make the catch. The Elks led 10-0 to conclude a three-play drive for 50 yards.
Ottawa had the ball on the 35-yard line. On the first play of scrimmage, Jake Maier threw the ball to Elijah Collins, who had the ball punched out by Edmonton linebacker Joel Dublanko and recovered by Malik Carney at the 39-yard line. The Elks moved the ball to the 11-yard line before kicker Vincent Blanchard made an 18-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead with 5:26 left.
During Ottawa’s next drive, Edmonton’s defense committed three penalties, including two defensive pass interference penalties. Ottawa moved the ball to the one-yard line. On the next play, Ottawa running back Daniel Adeboboye scored the one-yard touchdown. The Redblacks trailed the Elks 13-7 with 2:23 left to conclude a nine-play drive for 70 yards.
On the final play of the second quarter, Ottawa kicker Brett Lauther made a 35-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Elks 13-10 at halftime.
Edmonton got the ball to start the third quarter. On the second play, running back Justin Rankin avoided getting tackled several times for a 63-yard run to the 28-yard line. Edmonton gained eight additional yards before Vincent Blanchard made a 27-yard field goal. However, a penalty on Ottawa gave Edmonton a first down. Edmonton moved the ball to the four-yard line before Blanchard made an 11-yard field goal for a 16-10 lead with 10:11 left.
Ottawa went two-and-out, and Edmonton had the ball on the 45-yard line. Quarterback Cody Fajardo threw a short pass to Kaion Julien-Grant for 25 yards to the 20-yard line. After Fajardo threw two incomplete passes, kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 27-yard field goal for a 19-10 lead with 7:14 left.
Late in the third quarter, Edmonton had the ball on the 27-yard line. Running back Jevon Leake rushed for six yards, and Fajardo threw a nine-yard pass to T.J. Luther to the 42-yard line. The Elks led 19-10 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Edmonton made it to the 41-yard line before punting the ball to Ottawa. When Edmonton got the ball back, running back Justin Rankin made several players miss a tackle on his way to scoring a 61-yard touchdown. The Elks led 26-10 with 10:22 left.
Ottawa’s offense started to chip away at Edmonton’s lead. First, they moved the ball to the 20-yard line before kicker Brett Lauther made a 34-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Elks 26-13. Edmonton would get those points back when Vincent Blanchard made a 44-yard field goal for a 29-13 lead.
With under four minutes left, Ottawa quarterback Jake Maier threw two passes for 43 yards, including a 40-yarder to Eugene Lewis to the 12-yard line. Two plays later, Maier threw a touchdown pass to Justin Hardy. They went for a two-point conversion and got it when Maier threw the ball to Keelen White. The Redblacks trialed the Elks 29-21 with 2:52 left.
Ottawa had two more chances to tie the game, but Edmonton’s defense shut them down. The Elks held on to beat the Redblacks 29-21.
Edmonton’s offense had 342 yards (266 passing yards, 122 rushing yards, 46 yards lost), 15 first downs, 1 for 12 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 14 times for 142 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 23 of 34 passes (67.6%) for 266 yards, one touchdown, and three carries for 11 yards. Running back Justin Rankin had a solid game with 13 carries for 102 yards, one rushing touchdown, and five catches for 94 yards.
Wide receiver T.J. Luther made five catches for 65 yards, while Austin Mack made three catches for 26 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 34 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
Ottawa’s offense had 297 yards (203 passing yards, 99 rushing yards, 5 yards lost), 18 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 10 times for 110 yards. Quarterback Jake Maier completed 22 of 37 passes (59.4%) for 203 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for seven yards. Running back Daniel Adeboboye had 12 carries for 87 yards, one rushing touchdown, and three catches for seven yards.
Wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt made four catches for 49 yards, Eugene Lewis made three catches for 47 yards, Justin Hardy made two catches for 20 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made 46 tackles, five tackles for loss, and one sack.
Both teams are off next week. In Week 3, the Ottawa Redblacks host the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at 1 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Edmonton Elks host the Montreal Alouettes at 4 pm on TSN and CFL+.
