The Edmonton Elks enter week 2 with a road game in Vancouver, British Columbia as they face off against the BC Lions tonight.
The Edmonton Elks suffered an opening week 1 loss at the hands of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a game where both teams’ defences flexed their muscles. Both offences appeared to have some good moments throughout the game. However, the Edmonton Elks fell short when it mattered most when the Saskatchewan defence stood tall on a goal-line stand in preventing the Elks from taking a lead in the 4th quarter with 6:08 remaining in the game. The Elks’ would get stuffed on three occasions which became the turning point of the game. Saskatchewan would grind out a 17-13 victory handing Edmonton an opening-day loss.
BC Lions (1-0): started their season with a bang. They would go on to defeat the Calgary Stampeders 25-15.
Game Details
Date/Location: Saturday, June 17th, 2023 / BC Place Stadium.
Kickoff Time: 7:00pm EST
Chanel: TSN, TSN+
Odds
Spread: BC -7.5 (-104), Edmonton +7.5 (-118)
Moneyline: BC -263, Edmonton+210
Over/Under: 45.5 (Under – 108, Over -106)
Keys to the Game
For the Edmonton Elks, it will be simple. Play a consistent game. The offence has got to be a lot better moving forward. Most noticeable, is the offensive line. The Elk’s defence displayed a lot of good things in week 1 vs Saskatchewan and will have to be today vs the BC Lions. Taylor Cornelius will be busy vs the BC Lion’s defence and he cannot afford to have a bad game.
Players to Watch
Dominique Rhymes: BC Lions slotback is a game changer and makes things a lot easier for quarterback Vernon Adams to look for a go-to target. Look for Rhymes to have a big vs. the Edmonton Elks.
Mathieu Betts: The BC Lion’s defensive end has been a cornerstone anchoring the defensive line for the Leos. The Edmonton Elks offensive line will have their hands full in keeping Mathieu Betts in check and trying and preventing him from wreaking havoc in the Edmonton backfield.
Kevin Brown: He is an absolute gem to have in your offence. The Edmonton running back will need to have a big game in BC Place Stadium which will be a loud environment. His natural skill set is capable of slowing down the BC defence, and keeping them on the field with long drives. When needed, RB2 Shannon Brooks can shoulder some of the load off of Kevin Brown. Edmonton does have two reliable running backs in 2023, and this will only benefit the offence moving forward.
Jake Ceresna: The heart and soul of the Green and Gold defence. Jake’s ability to disrupt plays at the line of scrimmage has been a great site to see. Jake will have to continue to showcase his talents against a stingy BC offensive line.
Injury List BC Lions
The most notable name on this list is BC Lion’s great receiver, Lucky Whitehead. He will be inactive for week 2 vs the Edmonton Elks.
Injury List Edmonton Elks
Score Prediction
The Edmonton Elks will make this game close. It will be a seesaw battle for the majority of the game. However, if we’re going on head-to-head on quarterbacks, Vernon Adams will win the battle. At least for the time being. Mistakes will be made with both quarterbacks. With that said the Elks are not going to get pushed around as they did last season in which they were absolutely humiliated in a 59-15 BC victory in week 1 of the 2022 season.
Final Score:
BC Lions: 27
Edmonton Elks: 22
The more experienced BC Lions will be consistent in all three phases of the game. Edmonton puts up a great fight and shows a lot of character in this game. The Edmonton Elks however don’t capitalize on a couple of occasions to put points on the board which will be costly.
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