The Edmonton Elks fell short last week with a 31-30 loss in Toronto. It was a back-and-forth game that saw the Elks come out strong in the 1st half, only to come flat at times in the 2nd half. It was a combination of too many mental mistakes, along with being unable to pounce on turnovers to transition them into points. It was a game Edmonton wished they had in the win column. Sitting at a 5-8 record, the Elks are in for a big fight with the following remaining games for the remainder of the 2025 season, including tomorrow night's game vs. the Hamilton Tiger-Cats:
Week 16 – at Hamilton
Week 17 – vs. Saskatchewan
Week 18 – Bye
Week 19 – vs. Winnipeg
Week 20 – at BC
Week 21 – vs. Calgary
At the bare minimum, along with some help from other teams in the standings, realistically, the Elks will need to achieve the 8-win mark. On the high end, Edmonton will have to shoot towards the 9-win mark. It’s going to be a struggle. That is why it was a lost opportunity last week in Toronto.
Game Details
Date: Saturday, September 20th, 2025
Location: Hamilton Stadium / Hamilton, Ontario
Kickoff time: 7:00 PM EST
Channel: TSN / RDS2
Stream: CFL +
Weather forecast at kickoff: 12 °C. Partly cloudy. It will feel like 11 °C.
Wind gust: 39 kilometres per hour in an east direction.
Possibility of precipitation: 20%
Odds
Spread: Hamilton Tiger-Cats (-5.5) – 114 / Edmonton Elks (+5.5) – 106
Moneyline: Hamilton Tiger-Cats – 245 / Edmonton Elks + 198
Over / Under: Over 56.5 (-115) / Under 56.5 (-105)
Via FanDuel Sportsbook
Game Notes
Edmonton has five receivers with 30-plus catches and four with 500-plus yards.
The Elks have allowed the fewest yards per carry (4.6).
Edmonton has the highest pass completion rate (74%) and the fewest turnovers made (17).
Cody Fajardo is a career 6-2 against Hamilton. He has not thrown an interception in his last 96 attempts.
Overall, Cody Fajardo is 4-2 in his last 6 games he has started.
The Elks QB recorded the second-best stretch of completions in CFL history with 22 consecutive completions last week in Toronto.
Hamilton’s offensive line has allowed two sacks in its past three games.
Bo Levi Mitchell is a career 17-4 against Edmonton with seven 300-plus passing yard games and 39 TD passes.
In the past two games, Greg Bell has 293 rushing yards on 42 carries, nine of which have been for 10-plus yards.
Game notes courtesy of the CFL.
Edmonton Elks Depth Chart
Hamilton Tiger-Cats Depth Chart
Edmonton Elks Injury Report
Hamilton Tiger-Cats Injury Report
Players to watch: Edmonton Elks
RB – Justin Rankin
If the Edmonton offensive line can win a good part of the battle of the trenches, Justin Rankin will have an easy job. He is a player who can change the momentum in many ways. If the Elks are going to have any success in this game, Justin Rankin will be a big part of it.
DB – Tyrell Ford
He does not have the statistical numbers from when he played in Winnipeg for the number of interceptions. But Tyrell Ford has made up for it with textbook tackles this season. If there is a game where Tyrell Ford could throw a wrench in Hamilton’s passing game, this is the game to do it.
QB – Cody Fajardo
Cody Fajardo has to play this game where he might have to carry his team on his back. If the running game is struggling or a non-factor, Cody will have to use his legs to counter the Hamilton pressure. He’s a smart quarterback. He’s been in moments like this. Expect Cody Fajardo to come up with big plays to keep drives going for Edmonton.
Players to watch: Hamilton Tiger-Cats
WR – Kenny Lawler
Kenny Lawler is simply one of the best, or the best in the CFL, among wide receivers. With 1,144 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, he is on pace to hit north of 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns. He is simply one of the hardest players to defend.
RB – Greg Bell
He’s an explosive running back who is difficult to put to a halt. If he gets going, as he has done for a good part of the season, Edmonton will be in big trouble.
DB – Stavros Katsantonis
What makes Stavros Katsantonis so special is his vision and anticipation of a play in motion. He has the football IQ to make big plays at the right time. Sometimes, he will sit and wait until a ball is caught, only to punish a player. It's Hamilton-style football.
Keys to an Edmonton victory
Run the ball.
Edmonton must play a balanced offence if they are going to have any chance of making the playoffs. Hamilton has given up many yards on the ground this season. Both Justin Rankin and Javon Leake will need to be the key players for the remaining games to achieve a long-shot playoff attempt.
Stay in the moment.
Edmonton cannot afford to be beaten mentally by Hamilton. To counter this, they must stay within a reasonable distance of the scoreboard and not let the game get out of hand.
Win the special teams’ battle.
Edmonton has, for the most part, experienced a good season when it comes to special teams. Whether they're pinning an opposing team deep in their own end, or on the receiving end of the punt or kickoff team, they have begun with good field position. Edmonton has to have a strong performance on special teams as a whole.
Get pressure in the backfield.
For this, we are not talking about the obvious of getting pressure on Bo Levi Mitchell. What we are saying here is that the Edmonton front seven has to penetrate the Hamilton offensive line to put pressure not only on the passing game, but also on the Hamilton running game.
Prediction
If there is any recent motivation for Edmonton, they should use the Montreal upset win over Saskatchewan last week. Edmonton has displayed signs of resilience in its 5 wins this season. Unfortunately, there were at least 3 games that could have been victories this season, which is why Edmonton will be fighting tooth and nail for victories at the moment.
Final score:
Hamilton Tiger-Cats: 38
Edmonton Elks: 29
It really depends on which Edmonton team will show up tomorrow night. Hamilton has been one of the best in the 4th quarter, either coming from behind or adding on to their lead and wearing down the opposition.