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Edmonton Elks Need A Victory at Home to End the Year

Just one win. One at home, that’s all Edmonton Elks fans are asking for. Break the streak and let’s all start looking forward to better days ahead. The Elks, who were officially eliminated from the playoffs by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 48-11 on Friday, October 8th, have only one thing to play for – a win at home but one BIG question remains: Can they win one of their two final home games?

The Elks host the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday, October 15 at 5pm, and then close out the season back at Commonwealth Stadium against the BC Lions on Friday, October 21 at 7:30pm. It’s been home field disadvantage for the team and fans, and the losses are getting tiring for everyone. The Elks set the record for the longest home losing streak in pro Football history at 15 losses in a row back on October 1 when they were defeated by the Montreal Alouettes 25-18.

Toronto Argonauts wide receiver Cam Phillips 89 tries to avoid a tackle against Edmonton Elks defensive back Aaron Grymes 36 during first half CFL football action in Toronto Tuesday Nov 16 2021 THE CANADIAN PRESSNathan Denette

The Green and Gold have gone almost two full seasons without a home win, that’s close to 1200 days-not that anybody’s counting.

Elks Need To Find a Way To Break Home Losing Streak

This team somehow has to dig deep and find a way to end the streak, and not go into the 2023 season with this albatross hanging over their heads. Losing begets losing. It’ll be tough as both Toronto and BC are having good seasons, and BC might have QB Nathan Rourke back by the time they play the Elks on October 21.

Nathan Rourke in action against Edmonton in the 2021 CFL Season

Even if you’re not a fan of the BC Lions, you have to respect Rourke and what he did earlier in the season before being injured on August 20th. It’ll be good for the CFL when the kid returns.

The Elks meanwhile may not have the playoffs to look forward to, but these next two games could be big in terms of which players will be staying with the team next season. It’s a shame that this once proud franchise has hit the lows it has. After dramatic changes in the front office, as well as with the coaching staff this past off season, fans had been hoping for more positives.

With QB Tre Ford showing promise as the franchise’s future QB, and impressive newcomers such as running back Kevin Brown showing bursts of talent in the backfield, there’s a glimpse of hope. But more changes will be needed going into next season. That probably sounds like a broken record for a weary fan base that has seen so many players go through the doors here this season but it’s the reality.

Elks Might Be Slightly Better Than Last Season…Slightly

One of the only positives about the team this season is that they have one more win than last year’s squad, and if they could win one or both of their remaining home games that would certainly help in terms of setting a tone for next season. It seems like nothing else matters now.

As Oakland Raider’s former Hall of Fame Owner & Coach Al Davis used to say, “Just Win Baby.” If you’re an Elks fan, it’s one of the only things you can look forward to. If the Elks do win at home to close out this season, maybe raise a glass to them and think about better days ahead.


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Dale Bochon Reporter
A fan of the CFL for over 4 decades, Dale Bochon's background is in marketing writing where he worked with the Edmonton Football Club, the Edmonton Oilers and the Edmonton Rush of the NLL.
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