Five days after a game that didn't meet their standard, the Edmonton Elks came out and hung 40 on the board. Quarterback Cody Fajardo, running back Javon Leake, defensive back Kordell Jackson and head coach Mark Kilam all pointed to the same thing after the win: a team that stalled out for most of the third quarter, then blew the game open once everyone found their rhythm.
Kilam didn't sugarcoat where the credit belongs. "This is our second 5-day week. Those players decided when we came back that we didn't play to our standard last week. They put the work in, in our walkthroughs and our one practices. This is a credit to their work," he said.
A Slow Third Quarter, Then a Blowout
The Elks didn't just cruise to 40 points. Kilam admitted the offense went ice cold for a stretch. "I'm proud of them for sticking with it because I mean, we stalled out big time in the third. I think I don't think we had a first down till like the last minute and a half of the third quarter or something like that," he said. "They just stayed with it. That's what good teams do. They're going to make some plays. You do have to give them credit, but then when we found our footing and we got going, then we could blow it open."
Fajardo said the game plan got scrambled early because the opponent didn't play the coverage Edmonton had prepared for. "The first half, they played a lot of man coverage. We had a ton of zone beaters. All the statistics said zone, zone, zone, and they came out and played a lot of man," Fajardo said. "At halftime, credit to Jordan, he came in, we got all of our man answers, and I think that's why you saw our offense do much better in the second half."
He was blunt about what it meant to finally put a game away instead of sweating out the final drive.
"I'm just happy that it didn't come down to a final second drive like it has the first, you know, three weeks. My heart can rest at least for a week," Fajardo said.
Leake Cashes In On More Touches
Leake got more run than usual out of Edmonton's two-back attack alongside Justin Rankin, and made the most of it. "Felt great, man. Got a couple of carries, got going a little bit," Leake said. "I feel like, you know, we're the best two backs, like combo-wise in the league. So, you know, we just keep showing it."
Fajardo backed that up, saying Leake has been dangerous in limited chances all year. "I'm curious about that guy's yard per touch. I feel like even the first 4 games, every time he's on the field and I threw him a flat route or something, he's taking it for 20," Fajardo said. "Everyone wants to talk about Rankin for good reason. And we got Leake who's just chomping at the bit to get 1 or 2 touches here or there."
Leake had a touchdown called back on a penalty, and he wasn't shy about collecting on it from the guilty party. "So does he have to buy you supper now?" Leake was asked. "Yeah, I told Jordan, yeah, you owe me something," he said. "He kept saying sorry. I was like, you owe me something. So that's my dog though. I know he'll block for me a thousand times."
Leake also credited the chemistry he's built with Rankin over three years for how the two backs manage snaps between run game and special teams. "It's just me and Rank communicating, just knowing each other pretty well, man," Leake said. "Having Rank, man, I've been with him 3 years. So we just got that connection and that communication is good."
Kilam said there's no hesitation about getting Leake more involved, it's just a numbers game with two good backs. "We got two really good players. I'm glad we got him going. We all know he's a good running back too, but he's taken a special teams role and that's kind of what it is. We've got a bunch of playmakers on offense and our job is to try to find ways to get them the football."
Jackson and the Secondary Take Over
While the offense searched for answers, the defense carried the load, and Jackson made the plays that kept Edmonton in front. "It's good to get going, man. We've been struggling as far as DBs and getting the ball out the air," Jackson said. "T4 set the tone and everybody else followed. You know, anytime one comes, it comes in bunches. So it's good to get it. We just got to keep it going now."
Jackson made clear he relished going against a quarterback who leans hard on his top targets.
"Every team definitely have their guys, their go-to guys in different situations. So anytime you know who you're lined up against, if they're the hot guy, you know you're hot," Jackson said. "I love those type of matchups because that's what the game is about, winning your one-on-ones, man. And we was able to win more than they were today, and that's all that matters."
Kilam said the defense basically kept Edmonton afloat during that stalled-out third quarter. "Basically in the third quarter they were carrying the football team, but good teams, that's what they do. They have each other's backs," Kilam said. "We try to be a three-phase football team, but if one of the other phases has to carry for a little while, then that's what they do."
Asked how much of the takeaway barrage came down to the secondary versus the pass rush, Kilam pointed to the whole unit. "They're always linked. You know, KJ probably could have had 4, I think, in this game. But again, just credit to them. They're playing team defense. And when they do that, we always have a chance."
Cleaning Up the Penalties
Edmonton ran into penalty trouble again in the first half, something Kilam says the team has to eliminate. "That whole drive started with a horrible penalty on special teams," Kilam said. "There's a difference between knowing what to do and knowing how to play. And that really gave them momentum, kind of extended that drive... We got to try to cut that out of our game."
Fajardo pointed to the receivers winning their one-on-ones as the difference once Edmonton adjusted to the man coverage looks. "That was the difference, right? They started going man coverage and the only way you beat man coverage is if your receivers beat DBs one-on-one. That's all it is," Fajardo said. "Austin Mack has been kind of my security blanket all year and what I knew he was going to be coming to this team."
Edmonton improves to 4-1 on the season, and both Jackson and Kilam made clear the goal now is keeping the momentum rolling at Commonwealth. "It's very important, man, because the most important thing that we want to do is get the fans out," Jackson said. "Anytime you winning at home and you get the fans excited, man, more and more people show up. And that's what we want. We want to get back to the glory days."
Watch the Full Videos
Edmonton Elks: POST GAME | QB Cody Fajardo | 07.09.26
Edmonton Elks: POST GAME | RB Javon Leake | 07.09.26
Edmonton Elks: POST GAME | DB Kordell Jackson | 07.09.26
Edmonton Elks: POST GAME | HC Mark Kilam | 07.09.26