Five days after blowing an 18-point lead to Edmonton, Calgary gets an immediate shot at revenge in the same building where the Elks stole their season away.
Game Details
- Matchup: Calgary Stampeders at Edmonton Elks
- When: Saturday, September 12 at 7:00 PM ET
- Where: Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Edmonton Elks -2
- Moneyline: Calgary Stampeders +155, Edmonton Elks -190
- Over/Under: 62
Calgary sits 4-7-1 against the spread this season with nine overs hit in 12 tries. Edmonton is 6-5 ATS but the under has cashed in seven of their 11 games, which makes this total an interesting split given how these two teams just combined for 66 points five days ago.
Overview
This is about as fast a rematch as the CFL schedule allows. Last Sunday at McMahon, Calgary built a 25-7 lead and looked ready to snap a two-game skid, only to watch Edmonton erase it with a brutal 24-3 fourth quarter en route to a 38-28 win. Now the Stampeders have to turn around and face the same Elks team, in Edmonton this time, with the sting of that collapse still fresh. Head coach Dave Dickenson didn't mince words afterward, pointing to blown tackles and mental errors down the stretch as the difference. Fix those, and this game looks completely different.
The standings tell two very different stories. Edmonton has won three straight and sits at 9-3, firmly in second place in the West and building real Grey Cup buzz. Calgary, at 5-7, is fighting just to stay in the playoff conversation, and a season sweep at the hands of their provincial rival would be a brutal way to head into the stretch run. The head-to-head series is historically dead even — this LDC rematch matchup sits at 18-18 all-time — but Edmonton has swept the season series six times, most recently in 2024, and a win Saturday would make it seven.
Calgary actually leads the entire league in scoring at 36.2 points per game, and their defense has held opponents to a league-low 65.4 completion percentage — numbers that don't scream "5-7 team." The issue has been closing games out, and that was on full display last week. Edmonton, meanwhile, hasn't won four straight in a single season since 2017 and is 0-for-2 in chances to do it this year, so there's a mental hurdle for them here too. Given Calgary's offensive firepower and Vernon Adams Jr.'s track record against this opponent, we lean toward the Stampeders finding a way to make this one a shootout, even if the Elks ultimately have the edge with everything trending their way right now.
Key Players
- Vernon Adams Jr. (Calgary Stampeders, QB) — Career 8-3 against Edmonton and just seven touchdown passes away from a new career best, he's the guy who has to matchup this Elks defense.
- Dedrick Mills (Calgary Stampeders, RB) — Second in the CFL with 923 rushing yards and 25 carries of 10-plus yards, he's chasing a second straight 1,000-yard season and needs to control tempo against a defense that just gave up a huge Justin Rankin run.
- Cody Fajardo (Edmonton Elks, QB) — Sitting at 6-6-1 for his career versus Calgary and needing just 45 yards to hit 25,000 for his career, a milestone he should clear early in this one.
- Austin Mack (Edmonton Elks, REC) — Needs 75 yards for his second 1,000-yard season and has already set a career-high with eight touchdown grabs, making him the top matchup problem for Calgary's secondary.
- Justin Rankin (Edmonton Elks, RB) — His 50-yard burst last week broke the game open and earned him the "human joystick" nickname from Fajardo postgame; Calgary's front seven has to contain him early.
Keys to the Game
- Calgary can't let a big lead slip away again — the tackling and discipline issues from Week 14 have to get cleaned up in the fourth quarter.
- Vernon Adams Jr. needs to keep pushing the ball downfield and take advantage of his strong history against this Edmonton defense.
- The Stampeders defense, which leads the league in limiting completion percentage, has to find a way to slow down Rankin and Mack without giving up the explosive plays that buried them last time.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bradley Ashmore | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
| Reggie Begelton | Calgary Stampeders | Questionable |
| Ajou Ajou | Calgary Stampeders | Questionable |
| Zy Alexander | Calgary Stampeders | Questionable |
| Bailey Devine-Scott | Calgary Stampeders | Out |
| Daniel Joseph | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
| Anton Haie | Calgary Stampeders | Available |
| Eric Rascoe | Calgary Stampeders | Out |
| Kyle Wilson | Calgary Stampeders | Out |
Depth Chart
Calgary Stampeders starters by position, built from the official current-week depth chart. This is a projected chart and may not reflect any late-week changes.
| Position | Calgary Stampeders |
|---|---|
| QB | Vernon Adams Jr. (Josh Love, Quincy Vaughn) |
| RB | Dedrick Mills (Ludovick Choquette, Tyreik McAllister) |
| WR | Clark Barnes, Erik Brooks/Damien Alford |
| SB | Jalen Philpot, Reggie Begelton, Dejon Brissett/Jesulayomi Ojutalayo |
| OL | LT D'Antne Demery, LG Zack Williams, C Chris Fortin, RG Christy Nkanu, RT Bakyne Coly |
| DE | Kelon Thomas, George Idoko, Clarence Hicks / Savio Frazier, Miles Brown |
| DT | Collin Kornelson, Jaylon Hutchings / Khairi Manns, Folarin Orimolade |
| LB | Terrence Ganyi (WLB), Micah Teitz/Marquel Lee (MLB), Derrick Moncrief (SAM) |
| DB | Anthony Johnson (CB), Godfrey Onyeka/BoPete Keyes (HB), Damon Webb (S), Anton Haie/Jaydon Grant (HB), Adrian Greene/Ben Labrosse (CB) |
| K | Rene Paredes |
| P | Mark Vassett |
| LS | Jason MacGougan |
Score Prediction
Calgary Stampeders 30 - Edmonton Elks 32. This one plays out just like last week's track meet, with Adams and Fajardo trading haymakers, but Edmonton's fourth-quarter execution and a hot Justin Rankin give the Elks just enough to escape at home and complete the sweep.
CFL Standings | Full Schedule | League Leaders
Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.