The Edmonton Elks (10-3) hosted the Calgary Stampeders (5-8) on Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium in their second and final meeting of the season.
In the first quarter, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.’s pass intended for Jalen Philpot was intercepted by Nick Anderson at the 31-yard line. Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the 24-yard line before kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 31-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 6:38 left.
Late in the first quarter, Calgary had the ball on the 40-yard line. Wide receiver Jalen Philpot rushed for seven yards and caught a 46-yard pass to the 13-yard line. Two plays later, Adams Jr. threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Erik Brooks to give the Stampeders a 7-3 lead to end the first quarter on a six-play drive for 70 yards. Calgary’s offense had 95 yards, and Edmonton’s offense had 39 yards.
In the second quarter, Edmonton defensive back Tyrell Ford picked off Vernon Adams Jr. for a 66-yard return to the 38-yard line. Calgary’s offense took a beating by losing running back Dedrick Mills and wide receiver Dejon Brissett. Kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 42-yard field goal. It was now 7-6 with 8:15 left.
Calgary went two-and-out, giving the ball back to Edmonton on the 44-yard line. Two plays in, Cody Fajardo threw a 33-yard pass to Joshua Cephus to the 33-yard line. The Elks continued to move the ball to the one-yard line, where quarterback Cole Snyder scored the touchdown for a 13-7 lead with 3:01 left on a six-play drive for 66 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw a 22-yard pass to Joe Robustelli. Kicker Vincent Blanchard missed the extra point. It was now 19-7 with a minute left on a four-play drive for 49 yards. In the final seconds, Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 38-yard field goal. The Elks led the Stampeders 19-10 at halftime.
Edmonton’s offense had 150 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo went 9 of 14 for 133 yards, one touchdown, and three carries for 13 yards. Running back Justin Rankin had one carry for five yards before an injury knocked him out of the game. Wide receiver Joshua Cephus made three catches for 51 yards, and Joe Robustelli made two catches for 33 yards and one touchdown.
Calgary’s offense had 170 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. went 10 of 17 for 142 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Running back Dedrick Mills had three carries for 20 yards, and Tyreik McAllister had three carries for 10 yards. Wide receiver Jalen Philpot made two catches for 55 yards, and Erik Brooks made four catches for 37 yards and one touchdown.
In the third quarter, Cody Fajardo threw a 35-yard touchdown to Joshua Cephus for a 26-10 lead with 12:02 left on a five-play drive for 70 yards. Later, Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 26-yard field goal for a 26-10 lead with 7:44 left.
Late in the third quarter, Calgary moved the ball to the 34-yard line before kicker Rene Paredes made a 41-yard field goal. It was now 29-13 with 4:26 left. After Edmonton’s offense went two-and-out, Calgary had the ball on the 23-yard line. Two plays later, Edmonton linebacker Noah Taylor sacked Adams Jr. for a six-yard loss, plus an unnecessary roughness penalty backed them up to the five-yard line on third down. Calgary punter Mark Vassett had his punt blocked by Silas Hubert, and he recovered it for the touchdown. It was now 36-13 with 45 seconds left.
Edmonton’s defense would get the ball back when Kordell Jackson stripped Jalen Philpot and recovered the ball on the 42-yard line. Edmonton running back ShunDerrick Powell rushed for 25 yards to the 21-yard line to end the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Cody Fajardo threw a short pass to Joe Robustelli, who broke two tackles to score an 18-yard touchdown for a 43-13 lead with 14:12 left on a three-play drive for 46 yards. That would be for the majority of Edmonton’s starters as the backups went out on their next drive.
Four plays in, Edmonton quarterback Taylor Powell threw a 15-yard pass to Brendan O’Leary-Orange to the 51-yard line. They continued to move the ball to the 15-yard line, where Taylor Powell threw a touchdown pass to Zach Mathis for a 50-13 lead with 6:33 left on a 10-play drive for 80 yards.
Late in the game, Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 45-yard field goal. It was now 50-16 with 3:43 left. Edmonton would get those points back when Vincent Blanchard made a 46-yard field goal for a 53-16 lead with 2:06 left. After Calgary failed to get a third down, Edmonton took the ball to kill more time. The Elks beat the Stampeders 53-16 to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2019 and sweep the season series.
Edmonton’s offense had 428 yards (299 passing yards, 142 rushing yards, 13 yards lost), 22 first downs, 3 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 12 times for 125 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 14 of 21 passes (66%) for 232 yards, three touchdowns, and five carries for 20 yards, while Taylor Powell completed 5 of 5 passes (100%) for 67 yards and one touchdown. Running back ShunDerrick Powell had 14 carries for 97 yards and one catch for 21 yards.
Wide receiver Joshua Cephus made six catches for 119 yards and one touchdown, while Joe Robustelli made five catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made 32 tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
Calgary’s offense had 245 yards (160 passing yards, 111 rushing yards, 26 yards lost), 13 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 11 times for 111 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 10 of 19 passes 52.6%) for 142 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and two carries for 15 yards. Running back Ludovick Choquette had nine carries for 62 yards.
Wide receiver Jalen Philpot made three catches for 64 yards, while Erik Brooks made four catches for 37 yards and one touchdown. Reggie Begelton in his return made two catches for 25 yards. The defense made 43 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two sacks.
Next Saturday, the Edmonton Elks visit the Toronto Argonauts at 3 pm on TSN and CFL+, followed up by the Calgary Stampeders hosting the Ottawa Redblacks at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+.
