The Edmonton Elks (3-0) visited Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday night to kick off Week 4 of the CFL season against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-2). The Blue Bombers were coming off a bye last week, while the Elks had five days off after beating Montreal last Saturday.
Winnipeg got off to a rough start in the first quarter. On the first play, quarterback Zach Collaros was sacked by Joel Dublanko for an eight-yard loss. Winnipeg would end up punting the ball. Edmonton returner Javon Leake had a 57-yard return wiped away after an illegal blocking penalty on them placed the ball on the 10-yard line.
Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo began the drive by throwing a 21-yard pass to Austin Mack, followed by a 29-yard run from Justin Rankin to the 50-yard line. Fajardo threw the next two passes for 26 yards, and Rankin added four more yards to the 20-yard line. On the next play, Fajardo threw a 15-yard pass to Javon Leake to the five-yard line. Then, Justin Rankin made a nice cutback to score the touchdown, giving the Elks a 7-0 lead with 9:15 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 100 yards.
Winnipeg had the ball on the 44-yard line. They moved the ball to the 13-yard line. On the next play, running back Brady Oliveira got creamed by Jordan Williams, causing a fumble, and it was recovered by Brock Mogensen. He ran with the ball before tossing it to Tyrell Ford, who ran with it before getting tackled at the three-yard line. Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 15-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 4:04 left.
Late in the first quarter, Winnipeg moved the ball to the 41-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Sergio Castillo missed a 49-yard field goal wide right. Edmonton returner Javon Leake returned it for 57 yards to the 47-yard line. However, a holding penalty on Edmonton wiped away that run, and the ball was placed on the five-yard line. Cody Fajardo threw a 16-yard pass to Kaion Julien-Grant, and Justin Rankin rushed for four yards to the 23-yard line to end the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Edmonton moved the ball to the three-yard line. On third down, Fajardo threw the ball to T.J. Luther, but he was short of the endzone, and Winnipeg took over. Quarterback Zach Collaros threw a screen pass to Dante Daniels. As he was running with the football, Daniels attempted to leap over Kordell Jackson, who punched the ball out, and it was recovered by Joel Dublanko at the 30-yard line. Winnipeg had issues with ball security in the first half.
Edmonton moved the ball to the one-yard line, where third-string quarterback Cole Snyder scored the touchdown for a 17-0 lead with 6:25 left. Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo missed a 50-yard field goal. They would get another shot with 1:23 to put points on the board. The Blue Bombers moved the ball to the 26-yard line. On the next play, Zach Collaros threw a touchdown pass to a wide-open Tim White. The Blue Bombers trailed the Elks 17-7 at halftime to conclude a 10-play drive for 80 yards.
Edmonton’s offense had 262 yards. Cody Fajardo went 13 of 16 for 164 yards and one carry for two yards. Justin Rankin had a solid first half with 11 carries for 95 yards and one rushing touchdown. Winnipeg’s offense had 202 yards. Zach Collaros went 10 of 15 for 157 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for three yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had eight carries for 48 yards.
On the opening kickoff to start the third quarter, Edmonton returner Isaiah Knight muffed the ball as it rolled into the endzone, and Knight conceded a single point. It was now 17-8.
Edmonton was held scoreless in the third quarter. On the other side, their defense forced another turnover when Noah Taylor sacked Collaros, causing a fumble, and it was recovered by Malik Carney. Late in the third quarter, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 53-yard field goal. The Blue Bombers trailed the Elks 17-11 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Edmonton’s defense would get its fourth sack of the night by Jordan Williams for a nine-yard loss. However, Winnipeg marched on its next drive. They had the ball on the 41-yard line when Zach Collaros threw three passes for 35 yards to the 34-yard line.
Quarterback Bryce Perkins rushed for 20 yards to the 14-yard line. On the next play, Collaros threw the ball to Brady Oliveira, who avoided a couple of tackles before diving into the endzone for the touchdown. The Blue Bombers took an 18-17 lead with 8:13 left to cap off a nine-play drive for 69 yards.
Late in the game, Edmonton took its time moving the ball and killing the clock. Cody Fajardo led the offense to the eight-yard line. On the next play, Fajardo threw a touchdown pass to T.J. Luther. They went for a two-point conversion, but Fajardo’s pass was behind Mack and incomplete. The Elks led 23-18 with 53 seconds left.
Winnipeg had the ball on the 48-yard line. Zach Collaros threw two passes for 12 yards before he was sacked on the next play by Malik Carney, causing a fumble, but Winnipeg recovered it on the 47-yard line. The Blue Bombers reached the 33-yard line. On the final play of the game, Collaros threw a 22-yard pass to Demski, who was tackled at the 11-yard line with no time left. The Elks defeated the Blue Bombers 23-18 to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2017.
Edmonton’s offense had 388 yards (267 passing yards, 121 rushing yards), 25 first downs, 3 for 6 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 41 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 25 of 35 passes (71.4%) for 267 yards, one touchdown, and five carries for 12 yards. Running back Justin Rankin had 15 carries for 106 yards, one rushing touchdown, and three catches for nine yards. It is his third straight 100-yard-plus game.
Wide receiver Kaion Julien-Grant made six catches for 84 yards, while Austin Mack made five catches for 58 yards, and T.J. Luther made three catches for 28 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 43 tackles, three sacks, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.
Winnipeg’s offense had 369 yards (290 passing yards, 106 rushing yards, 27 yards lost), 21 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 15 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 24 of 33 passes (72%) for 290 yards, two touchdowns, and three carries for three yards. Running back Brady Oliviera had 13 carries for 77 yards, six catches for 45 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Nic Demski made six catches for 92 yards, while Tim White made five catches for 55 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 45 tackles, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Next Saturday, the Edmonton Elks visit the B.C. Lions at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 7 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network.
