After having their first bye for the 2023 CFL season in week 9, the Edmonton Elks (0-8) have made changes in two areas entering week 10 with their tilt against the mighty Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-2).
Out as offensive coordinator is Steven McAdoo. In comes quarterbacks coach Jarious Jackson to shake things up offensively for a struggling Edmonton Elks team that has only averaged 13.12 points per game. While Steven McAdoo will still be with the Elks on the defensive side of the ball, the changes did not stop there.
On Friday, August 4th, 2023, Jarious Jackson announced that Tre Ford will be the starting quarterback vs the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
It was only a matter of time when changes were going to be made as it was inevitable when examining the subpar play that the Edmonton offense was executing this season.
The inconsistent offence and point production was one thing, along with the overall quarterback play was simply not up to par this season for the Edmonton Elks. The team simply needs a shot in the arm going forward for the 2nd half of the remaining games of the 2023 CFL schedule.
Not only do you get an offensive coordinator that gives you a quarterback’s perspective, but you will also start a quarterback that will give you a dual-threat dynamic approach going into this game vs the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The offence has simply lacked an abundance of creativity this season. This could be a time when maybe there will be more creativity with the offence moving forward for the remainder of the season.
Because as of now, the Edmonton Elks are looking for any positives to build any momentum to salvage any wins down the stretch.
Game Details
Date / Location: Thursday, August 10th, 2023 / Commonwealth Stadium / Edmonton, Alberta
Kickoff Time: 9:00 PM EST
Channel: TSN / TSN+ / CBS Sports Network
Weather Forecast
Temperature: 21 Degrees Celsius. Will feel like 22 Degrees Celsius.
Wind Gust: 42 Kilometres per hour.
Percentage of Precipitation: 20%
Odds
Spread: Winnipeg Blue Bombers -12.5 (-115), Edmonton Elks +12.5 (-105)
Moneyline: Winnipeg Blue Bombers (-750), Edmonton Elks (+550)
Over / Under: Over 44.5 (-115), Under (-105)
Edmonton Elks Week 10 Depth Chart vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers Week 10 Depth Chart vs. Edmonton Elks
Injury Report:
Winnipeg Blue Bombers:
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers listed only the following on their current injury report
Jamal Parker / DB / Not injury related.
Edmonton Elks:
The Edmonton Elks unveiled the following list on their current injury report.
Tanner Green / FB / Hamstring / Listed as out vs Winnipeg.
Eugene Lewis / WR / Knee / Listed as out vs Winnipeg.
Players to Watch
Dalton Schoen: He is without a doubt one of the most talented and electrifying receivers in the CFL. He has the instinct and ability to create a lot of separation from defenders in making things easy for Zach Collaros to find an open target. He will be a go-to target for Zach Collaros in engineering Winnipeg’s explosive offence.
Kenny Lawler: With only two games under his belt for the 2023 CFL season after joining the Blue Bombers late due to passport issues, it appears that he has not missed a beat. In 2 games played, he has already accumulated 293 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 14 receptions, and a staggering 146.5 yards per game that looks like a video game stat.
Dillon Mitchell: He has not been put to use as much as he was a frequent target last season. However, in the three games played vs Winnipeg during his career. Dillion Mitchell has performed well vs the Blue Bombers’ defence. In two of the three games played vs Winnipeg, Dillon Michell has experienced 100-plus yard games. On October 8th, 2022, Mitchell collected 6 receptions, 107 yards, and 1 touchdown. On July 20th, 2023, Dillion Michell accumulated 4 receptions, 115 yards, and 1 touchdown.
Nyles Morgan: He is a very reliable linebacker on the Edmonton defence in which he is versatile in dropping back into coverage. He will be a key figure tomorrow in trying to halt as many Winnipeg drives as possible and put the ball back into the hands of Tre Ford for the offence to take over. He is a player that is a monster on the defence and is a superior tacking machine. He currently leads the Elks’ defence in tackles with 43 and is 6th in the CFL amongst league leaders.
Prediction
Trying to snag a win away from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be a daunting task to overcome for the Edmonton Elks. Barring any miracle for that matter where everything goes Edmonton’s way, and they place close to an error-free game, along with an offence that makes the most of their opportunities; then we can say that they might have a chance.
But we’re going with the realist point of view here.
This Winnipeg Blue Bombers team is simply a well-oiled machine. It is going to be a lot to ask for the Edmonton defence to try and halt the offensive production of QB Zach Collaros, WR Dalton Schoen, WR Nick Demski, WR Drew Wolitarsky, WR Kenny Lawler, RB Bradley Oliveira, and WR Rasheed Bailey to name a few. It will be complex for Edmonton to interrupt Winnipeg’s potent offense say the least. This is an offensive squad that scores a lot of points on average with 30 points per game. And then there is the Swaggerville Defense can get the job done as well.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers attack an opposing offence with a lot of blitz packages and formations. If anything, they are a team that executes this plan constantly and the results come to fruition in the takeaway department.
Final Score
Winnipeg Blue Bombers: 38
Edmonton Elks: 22
Tre Ford does make the most of his opportunity against the class of the Western Division. He creates a spark for the Edmonton offence that has not been displayed as of yet during the 2023 Edmonton Elks season. Although he will make some mistakes, fans will be joyful as he creates an all-around offence from the use of his arm, along with his ability to carry his team on his back through the running game with his dual-threat talents.
In the end, the more talented Winnipeg Blue Bombers walk away from Commonwealth Stadium with another win under their belt. It is a big learning curve for Tre Ford, and he gets to keep the number one starting role heading into week 11 with a positive upside.
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