With losing streaks behind them, could the Elks make the playoffs?

After the Elks ended their winless season in Week 11 and snapped their historic home losing skid this past weekend, the playoffs may no longer be out of reach in Edmonton.

At 2-9, the Elks still face an uphill battle to reach the postseason for the first time since 2019, but with Canadian quarterback Tre Ford now leading the offence, the possibility can't be ruled out.

“Tre's given us a spark, he played some really good football," Elks head coach Chris Jones said after the team's 30-20 win over the Ottawa Redblacks on Sunday. "He accounted for nearly 400 yards of offence, he's taken care of the football, didn't have turnovers. That's probably one of the biggest indicators that the offensive line is playing at a high level right now."

Edmonton remains three wins behind the Saskatchewan Roughriders – who have a game in hand – for the final playoff spot in the West Division, but could move into a tie for fourth with a win over the Calgary Stampeders in Monday's Labour Day matchup.

Taking the crossover into the East Division could be on the table for the Elks, but the team would have to finish with a better record than the East’s third-place team – currently the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 4-6. 

The Elks defeated the Tiger-Cats 24-10 on Aug. 17 to pick up their first win of 2023 before taking down the Redblacks on Sunday. Unfortunately for Edmonton, the team has no games remaining against either of the East's bottom two teams.

If the Elks are going to enter the playoff race, the next three weeks will be crucial. 

Following Monday's game against the Stampeders, the Elks will host Calgary again just five days later before going on the road again to face the Roughriders on Sept. 15.

The schedule then gets a lot tougher.

The final four games of the Elks' 2023 campaign will come against the BC Lions, Toronto Argonauts, Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the league's top four teams this season. 

Likely a longshot to reach the postseason this year after their poor start, Ford has at least given the Elks hope for the future. 

Ending their home losing streak at a North American professional sports record of 22 games was a key step in that process. 

“Yeah, that's definitely been a long time, it was definitely overdue,” Ford said of the team's first win in Edmonton since Oct. 12, 2019. “It was pretty good, I thought we executed offensively. Lots of running around for me, not a ton of stuff on timing, but sometimes it turns out like that.

"I mean, a win's a win."

After posting three wins in 2021 and four last year, the Elks have seven games left to post their best record since taking the crossover at 8-10 in 2019.