The Edmonton Elks will face their heated rivals, the Calgary Stampeders, in a return match of the post Labour Day Classic. Unfortunately for Edmonton, they encounter another tough task in attempting to defeat one of the CFL’s best in Calgary.
Game Details
Date: Saturday, September 6th, 2025
Location: Commonwealth Stadium / Edmonton, Alberta
Kickoff time: 7:00 PM EST
Channel: TSN
Stream: CFL +
Weather forecast at kickoff: Cloudy. 12 °C. It will feel like 11 °C.
Wind gust: 26 kilometres per hour in a south direction.
Possibility of precipitation: 10%
Odds
Spread: Calgary Stampeders (-6.5) – 122 / Edmonton Elks (+6.5) + 100
Moneyline: Calgary Stampeders – 310 / Edmonton Elks + 245
Over / Under: Over 50.5 (-110) / Under 50.5 (-110)
Via FanDuel Sportsbook
Edmonton Elks Depth Chart
Calgary Stampeders Depth Chart
Edmonton Elks Injury Report
Edmonton will have to dig deep. DL Jake Ceresna (Knee) and LB Nyles Morgan (Leg) will be out in this game vs. Calgary.
Calgary Stampeders Injury Report
Calgary has the following list of players who are listed as “out”: LB Morice Blackwell (Knee), OL D’Antne Demery (Hamstring), DL Anthony Federico (Ankle), DB Adian Greene (Lower leg), DB Anton Haie (Shoulder), WR Malik Henry (Knee), LB Justin Herdman-Reed (Hamstring) and DL Jason Janvier-Messier (Shoulder).
Players to watch: Edmonton Elks
WR – Kurleigh Gittens Jr.
He is listed as “available” on the recent Edmonton injury report due to leg cramps. Hopefully, he is good enough to play. He has been a consistent wide receiver in the CFL. Kurleigh Gittens Jr. currently sits with 500 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
RB – Justin Rankin
Justin Rankin is the engine behind the Edmonton offence. If the Edmonton offence hits a roadblock, Justin Rankin has shown this season that he can be the remedy to turn things around. He is as good a running back as he is a receiver. Rankin had surpassed the 1,000-yard mark this season with a current total of 1,017 yards and 6 touchdowns in both rushing and receiving.
DL – Noah Taylor
With Jake Ceresna out for this game, Noah Taylor needs to be a force in this game. He has already proved that he can shut down a drive when Edmonton was looking for an emotional spark on the defence. He brings a certain energy to Edmonton that rubs off on many players. If the Elks cause an upset in this game, Noah Taylor could be the reason why this happened.
Players to watch: Calgary Stampeders
QB – Vernon Adams Jr.
He is one of the toughest quarterbacks to take down in the CFL. Part of it is how good the Calgary offensive line is, along with his ability to counter the pass rush from a defence. Vernon Adams Jr. has one of the best instincts in the CFL when a broken play is in progress. His feet, his arm strength, and his vision for the field are simply hard to keep under control.
WR – Dominique Rhymes
Dominique Rhymes has been a key part of a team’s offence with his days in Ottawa and BC before joining Calgary. He is one of the most respected players in the CFL. His talent speaks for itself. He currently has 62 receptions, with 584 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns.
LB – Micah Teitz
He may not be the most talked-about linebacker in the CFL. With that said, what you get in Micah Teitz is just a solid and smart linebacker. The Calgary-born and University of Calgary alumnus currently has 39 tackles and 7 tackles on special teams.
Keys to an Edmonton Victory:
The offensive line needs to stand tall.
The Edmonton offensive line was exposed too much last week in Calgary, and needs to improve in this department. We are not saying that Edmonton needs to win every snap of the ball of their offensive series in the trenches. Edmonton needs to be more aggressive and push back the Calgary front seven to have a possible bounce-back game.
Establish the running game.
If the running game is struggling due to Calgary making plays, or the Edmonton offensive line is experiencing challenges, they cannot afford to switch solely to the passing game. Struggles will occur. This is football. Edmonton is playing a spectacular team. Find creative ways and formations to counter Calagay’s defence.
Defence needs to be more impactful.
Calgary has been the turnaround story in 2025. Edmonton cannot let Vernon Adams Jr. simply pick apart the Edmonton defence at will. If the Edmonton secondary can contribute to creating coverage sacks to help out the defensive line, it would be a positive impact.
Special needs a strong showing.
Edmonton has improved this season on its special teams, both in its coverage and its return game. However, they had a difficult time last week with their coverage of Calgary. It might not be perfect, but Edmonton has to be close to matching what Calgary will do in this game. If Edmonton can win this battle overall, they will be in a good spot to win this game.
Prediction
Expect Edmonton to display a much better performance than it did last week. They will have an overall better performance on the field. However, trying to stop Vernon Adams Jr. for a full sixty minutes will be too much to handle.
Final score:
Calgary Stampeders: 27
Edmonton Elks: 23
Edmonton puts up a big fight, but Calgary uses the clock to their advantage in the 2nd half and scores some key points to seal a victory in Edmonton.
