Monday, September 6th, 2021, at 1:30 pm MST at McMahon Stadium
Following an unexpected bye week due to positive covid tests among Edmonton’s players and staff, the Edmonton Elks travel to Calgary in week 5 for what should be an exciting Labour Day matchup versus the Stampeders. The Elks are off to a 1-2 start, while the Stampeders have started with a 1-3 record on the year. Both teams are currently sitting at the bottom of the West Division and look to begin turning their season around with a win this week.
Both the Elks and Stampeders have gotten off to a rough start on the season, but despite only having only 1 win each, they both have highly talented rosters.
Calgary Stampeders
The Stampeders will be without quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell as he was placed on the 1-game injured reserve list. Head coach Dave Dickenson told media members that Mitchell will be the starter when he says he feels good enough to play. However, with the performance of quarterback Jake Maier last week against the Blue Bombers, the Stamps should feel quite confident in Mitchell’s backup.
In place of Mitchell, Maier completed 30/39 passes (76.9% comp) for 307 yards against the Bombers and set a franchise record of 17 consecutive completions. Additionally, running back Ka’Deem Carey took 8 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown. Carey currently has the 3rd most rushing yards in the CFL (251 yards) and is tied for 1st in rushing touchdowns (3 touchdowns).
If Calgary is to make a push for the playoffs, Monday’s matchup is a significant one.
Edmonton Elks
Following an outbreak of covid-19 that caused their week 4 game against the Argonauts to be rescheduled and a 10 day isolation period, the Elks returned to their facilities on Wednesday to prepare for their week 5 matchup versus Calgary. A handful of key offensive players are still in covid protocols and will miss the game, including wide receivers Armanti Edwards and Tevaun Smith, defensive back Aaron Grymes, Linebacker Keishawn Bierria, and defensive lineman Reggie Howard.
Despite the extra bye week, quarterback Trevor Harris has the 4th most passing yards in the league (862 yards), but finding the endzone has been an issue at times, having only thrown 2 touchdowns on the year so far. Additionally, running back James Wilder Jr is currently number 2 in the league in rushing yards (301 yards). The defense has also played exceptionally well over the first few games.
Edmonton is off to a rocky start on the year, and with a shortened schedule on top of now having a series of 3 games over 7 days to make up the Week 4 matchup against the Argo’s, every game from now onwards is a must-win if they are to make the playoffs.
