Quite possibly the worst 4th Quarter in Edmonton CFL franchise history did the Edmonton Elks in when they lost 25-18 to the Montreal Alouettes on October 1st at a sparsely populated Commonwealth Stadium.
The offense, led by Elks Quarterback Taylor Cornelius, had three glorious chances to punch the ball into the endzone and basically blew 21 possible points. The Elks have no one to blame but themselves for the loss. Having three opportunities gifted to them like that and to come away with zero points is devastating for a franchise that set a CFL record for consecutive home losses at 15.
The Green and Gold have not won a game at Commonwealth Stadium since Oct. 12, 2019. Well over 1,000 days ago. It’s like somehow the franchise is paying the price for winning 5 Cups in a row in the 70’s and 80’s, and for making the playoffs 34 consecutive years in a row. As a fan, it’s disheartening to see the low this once proud franchise has hit. Hopefully this is rock bottom.
Unbelievably The Elks Have Still an Outside Chance of Making the Playoffs
The Elks have three games left in the season and have a possible six points left on the table. They still have a mathematical chance of catching the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West or the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the crossover in the East.
Only one game remains on the road, Saturday October 8th against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, followed by two home dates against the Toronto Argonauts on October 15 and the BC Lions on Friday, October 21. Stranger things have happened in the CFL. And if the Elks were to somehow make the playoffs, it would be nothing short of miraculous.
Brighter Days Ahead?
As a fan, this season has been as tough to take as the previous season under the guidance of a different management and coaching team. Some of the skeptics of the franchise are using this season as a reason to kick the team while they’re down. Hopefully the Elks coaching staff and players use this negativity and skepticism as motivation to turn things around.
I’m still a Chris Jones fan, and believe he and Elks assistant general manager Geroy Simon can turn this thing around. This is the CFL after all, and you just never know what could happen until the final whistle is blown.
Stay with CFL News Hub for the 2022 season.
