EDMONTON — The Edmonton Elks secured the West Division’s top playoff position with a 35–27 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Commonwealth Stadium on Friday, October 16.

Edmonton improved to 13–4 and will host the division final on November 7, against an opponent still to be determined. It is the club’s first first-place finish since 2015.

Ground game helps overturn halftime deficit

Cody Fajardo contributed two rushing touchdowns and two touchdown passes. Justin Rankin carried 23 times for 133 yards, giving Edmonton a productive rushing option even when passing opportunities were limited.

The Elks trailed 21–17 at halftime. A late second-quarter touchdown pass to Austin Mack had narrowed the gap after Winnipeg built an 11-point advantage.

Edmonton moved ahead on its opening possession after the break, with Fajardo scoring on a short run. The Elks later used a lengthy fourth-quarter possession to reduce Winnipeg’s remaining opportunities, ending that drive with Fajardo’s second rushing touchdown.

Winnipeg’s playoff place remains unresolved

Zach Collaros completed 28 of 33 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns for the Blue Bombers, but Edmonton intercepted him twice. Kenny Logan Jr.’s interception helped set up an Elks touchdown; Nick Anderson’s stopped a Winnipeg drive in the fourth quarter.

The loss left Winnipeg at 8–9. The team report says a Calgary loss to B.C. on Saturday, October 17, would still clinch a playoff berth for the Bombers. Friday’s defeat did not itself eliminate them.

Edmonton finishes its regular season in Saskatchewan on October 24. Winnipeg hosts B.C. on October 23.

A new milestone, not the earlier home-game guarantee

The division title goes beyond the home playoff game Edmonton secured in its October 9 win over Hamilton. The latest result fixes the Elks in first place and guarantees their place in the division final.

Sources: CFL game recap, October 16; Edmonton team report, October 17; CFL statistical report, October 16.

Commonwealth Stadium in a June 14, 2022 file photograph by Urban Versis 32 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; resized. Not a photograph of the October 16 game.