The Edmonton Elks (0-9) play their week 11 scheduled game on the road at Tim Horton’s Field on Thursday, August 17th, 2023 and square off against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-5).

What appeared to be a promising game last week vs the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at home, resulted in another loss-making in nine losses in a row for the Edmonton Elks 2023 season. What hurt even more in that game, is how they lost after squandering a 22-0 lead. 

Edmonton fans can call it either way. A total collapse for the Edmonton Elks; or the fact that good teams simply find ways to win in that of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers who have been the benchmark since 2018.

The one positive to take away from that loss was that the offence finally found a groove. Especially in the first half. The Elks are a team that is still trying to find their identity. And simply put, it will come with a lot more growing pains before the identity comes to fruition.

There were a lot more shades of offensive greatness with the playcalling from Jarious Jackson, along with Tre Ford getting his first start as the signal caller for the Edmonton Elks. There was a much more positive production in moving the ball frequently, along with the Edmonton defence not being on the field in long droves with a short field due to two-and-out drives by the offence as it was noticeable weeks prior.

In the end, it was another loss for the Edmonton Elks as they would fall 38-29 in a game that they let slipway.

Game Details 

Date / Location: Thursday, August 17th, 2023 / Tim Horton’s Field / Hamilton, Ontario 

Kickoff Time: 7:30 PM EST 

Channel: TSN / TSN+ / CBS Sports Network 

Weather Forecast 

Temperature: 26 Degress Celsius. Will feel like 32 Degress Celsius. 

Wind Gust: 47 Kilometers per hour. 

Percentage of Precipitation: 30%  

Odds 

Spread: Hamilton Tiger-Cats -4.5 (-110), Edmonton Elks +4.5 (-112)

Moneyline: Hamilton Tiger-Cats (-200), Edmonton Elks (+160)

Over / Under: Over -106 / Under -108  

Edmonton Elks Week 11 Depth Chart vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Hamilton Tiger-Cats Week 11 Depth Chart vs Edmonton Elks

Injury Report: Edmonton Elks

The biggest blow for Edmonton is that they will be without the services of DB/LB Loucheiz Purifoy. He will be missed on the defence as he has been one of their best players thus far.

Players to Watch

James Butler:  Going into week 6, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats squared off against the Edmonton Elks. Prior to that, James Butler did not have that breakout game as we saw when he was with the Lions. It was in that game where he broke open the Hamilton running game and was a thorn in the Edmonton defence. He would complete the game with 14 carries, for 127 rushing yards, and 1 TD. When the game was winding down, he was able to kill off more time off the clock from the Edmonton Elks. He is an explosive north/south runner. Edmonton will have to do a lot in this game to contain him as much as possible.

Jameer Thurman:  He has been one of the best all-around linebackers in the game, and the Hamilton fans love him. He is a Steeltown Proud type of player. He is a player that can cover a lot of complex areas on the field during any play. In his 8 games played this season, Jameer Thurman has accumulated 48 tackles and 3 sacks. When opposing teams conduct their practices leading up to a game when Jameer Thurman plays, they look at him as a player that can be a game-changer.  

Eugene Lewis:  He could not have arrived at a better time for the Edmonton Elks. On the first play in the 2nd quarter vs Saskatchewan of the 2023 season for the Edmonton Elks, Geno Lewis was big in hauling in a 102-yard TD to get the first scoring major for the Elks. He brought fans to their feet where at the time, everything seemed to be on the right path for the Elks. Aside from the disastrous season that has plagued the team, Eugene Lewis will be that emotional spark that the Elks will need down the last remaining nine games. He will give QB Tre Ford a big play target to rely on in this game vs Hamilton. 

Tre Ford:  The Edmonton faithful have been waiting for this time to come, and they saw a glimpse of Tre Ford’s talent vs Winnipeg. He will make it difficult for Hamilton to defend the running game as he will absorb some of that load off of RB Kevin Brown. He does have the talent to extend drives which has been an issue all season prior to Tre Ford getting the nod as the current signal caller.

Prediction

This one will be a challenge for both respected teams. In one way, the Edmonton Elks are in the Hammer against a team that has had quite a few low-scoring productions during the 2023 season. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats had only two games this season where they scored 30 points or more in a game. This occurred in week 1 vs Winnipeg in a 42-31 loss and week 6 vs Edmonton in a 37-29 victory.

The Tiger-Cats have been inconsistent with their offence as is the case with Edmonton. Hamilton has only averaged 20 points per game with 8 games played thus far.

With Edmonton, the obvious is there. Lowest in the league in offensive production with an average of 14.9 points per game.

Something has got to give for Edmonton. This is a winnable game to create any positivity, and motivation wise moving forward.

For Tre Ford, it is a game that comes full circle in his brief career in the CFL. On July 1st, 2022, Tre Ford anchored the Edmonton Elks with a thrilling come-from-behind 29-25 victory in Hamilton. The win was bittersweet for Tre Ford as his family being from his native Niagara Falls, Ontario made the trek to support their local boy.

A day later he would be on the 6-game injury list in which Taylor Cornelius would take the reins of the offence.

Final Score

Edmonton Elks: 24

Hamilton Tiger-Cats: 19

The Edmonton Elks keep up with the pace of the game. There will be moments when both teams struggle to make a play, and or a miscue that will hurt continuing a drive.

Edmonton will not take this game for granted, and focus on attention to detail. It will be a grind-out game for the Elks’.

The fact that Eugene Lewis will be back will be a huge boost for the Edmonton offence. He was surely missed since week 3 against Toronto in which he was originally listed on the 6-game injured list.

This could also be the making of a comeback script for the Edmonton Elks part 2. Tre Ford will create needed plays with his dual-threat talents. The Elks will engineer a balanced offence with both RB Kevin Brown and RB Shannon Brooks shouldering the load in the ground attack.

There will not be a lot of pass attempts with Tre Ford. He will be something along the lines of going 19 for 26 on passes, 240 yards passing, 75 yards rushing, 2 TD passes, with 1 INT.

Stay in tune with CFL News Hub for the 2023 season. 

Be sure to join Alt Football Reddit and connect with CFL and alt-football fans. 

Subscribe to our CFL News Hub YouTube Channel. Get breaking news and the latest CFL news. Plus, the CFL Week in Review PodCast.