The Edmonton Elks face a daunting task as they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, July 22. Not only are the Elks facing the only undefeated team in the league, they might be facing one of the greatest CFL teams of all time. It’s been over a 1000 days since the Elks/Esks franchise has won a home game. That’s not a misprint. That’s close to three years ago.

If the Elks should pull off an upset against the heavily favoured Bombers, the team and the fans deserve a special celebration. One thing is for certain, the Elks need a home win to put the last three years behind them. If it can’t come in the form of an upset over Winnipeg, you have to look ahead to Saturday, August 13 when the Elks host the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The 2022 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Look A lot Like the Green and Gold of the 70s and 80s

Led by Head Coach Mike O’Shea, who has a calm Hugh Campbell look to him on the sidelines, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are steamrolling through the 2022 CFL season. They’re looking poised and ready to win their 3rd Grey Cup in a row this November, and it’s not even looking close.

Led by Quarterback Zach Collaros, Defensive Lineman Jackson Jeffcoat and Willie Jefferson, and young rookie Receivers Dalton Schoen and Donald Rutledge Jr., the Bombers have not skipped a beat since winning the Grey Cup back on December 12, 2021. This Bomber team is looking a lot like the 1978-82 Edmonton Eskimos led by Quarterbacks Tom Wilkinson and Warren Moon, Middle Linebacker Dan Kepley, and a long list of CFL Hall of Famers. It seems fitting that the same week the Elks are poised to host the Bombers, they announced that three greats from the five-in-a-row Grey Cup champion Green and Gold in 1978-1982 will be added to Elks Wall of Honour on August 13th: Running back Jim Germany and defensive backs Joe Hollimon and Ed Jones.

Can the Elks Pull of An Upset Against the Bombers?

Considering how well Quarterback Taylor Cornelius played in the Elks comeback victory over the Montreal Alouettes in Week 6, the Elks may have a chance against the Bombers. Expect veteran receiver Kenny Lawler to have a big game against his former team. Lawler has been a true bright spot in the Elks season so far, and you can bet he’ll want to play well against his old friends in the Bomber locker room.

Elks Ramping Up for the CFL’s Second Half

Even though the Elks are 2-4 on the season, they seem to be improving and could do a lot of damage in the second half of the season. Coach and gm Chis Jones has the team trending up, and he’s not done tweaking the line up.

The Elks could get a boost of talent in late August once final cuts are announced in the NFL. Jones seems to have his ear on the ground in terms of talent, and this could make for an exciting final three months of the season for the Elks.

Stay with CFL News Hub for the 2022 season.