Kickoff: September 7, 2024 at 5:00 PM MT/7:00 PM ET
Where: Commonwealth Stadium
Watch: TSN
Listen: CISN-FM
Coming off a solid win on Labour Day, the Edmonton Elks return home this weekend for a rematch against the Calgary Stampeders.
Saddling with confidence
The Elks are riding with confidence as they look to maintain their status as playoff contenders, something the team didn’t believe at the start of the season.
Since taking over as head coach, Jarious Jackson has a win-loss record of 4-3. The team has emerged from the league’s basement to within three points of the last playoff spot and only four behind Winnipeg for the top spot in the western division.
Elks offence needs to continue the downpour
The very efficient Elks’ offence proved their mettle at the Labour Day Classic as they poured on the Stampeders’ defence with a season-best 586 total yards.
Heading to the weekend, Edmonton remains in the top three of the league’s most major offensive categories, specifically in points-per-game (29.0 – 1st), net offence (373.9 – 2nd), and rushing (109.3 – 3rd).
Since reprising his role as starting quarterback, McLeod Bethel-Thompson has been a stable presence behind the centre. Bethel-Thompson is among the league leaders in passing yards (2,879 – 3rd) and touchdowns (17 – 2nd).
Switching Kickers
On the week of the Labour Day Classic, the Elks demoted veteran kicker Boris Bede for Dean Faithfull. The move came as no surprise to anyone since Bede had been inconsistent throughout the season, ranked next to last in the CFL with 92 points scored and a 74.1 field goal percentage.
In last week’s game, Faithfull connected from 41 yards and was perfect on all four extra-point conversions. The Elks’ kicking game needs to improve as they continue to rise in the standings.