Resurgent Elks adding to muddy playoff picture in West Division
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After consecutive wins under new head coach Jarious Jackson, the once-downtrodden Edmonton Elks sit just two games out of a playoff spot in what has become a very tight playoff picture in the CFL's West Division.
Edmonton fired head coach and general manager Chris Jones on July 15 after an 0-5 start to the year, and Jackson has begun to right the ship with consecutive victories over the top two teams in the West, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and BC Lions.
“The guys are ecstatic right now,” said Jackson after their win over the Lions on Sunday. “The locker room is crazy ... You can definitely feel the momentum growing. These guys worked their tails off to get to where we are. It’s two wins in a row and they came against the top two teams in the West.”
Surprisingly, this current winning streak is actually the longest winning streak in the division heading into Week 11, as the teams they're trying to catch have faced difficulties of their own in recent weeks.
The Lions (5-4) have dropped three straight to fall out of the top spot in the division, and the offence has sputtered without Most Outstanding Player candidate quarterback Vernon Adams, who is dealing with a knee injury.
"We have hit a rough spot,” head coach Rick Campbell said after the loss to Edmonton. “I like our coaches, I like our players, but we are not playing well enough as a team right now. We have shown that we can be a good football team.”
In games which Adams played start to finish, BC is averaging 29.4 points per game this season, and never scored fewer than 24 in any single game. However, since Adams incurred his injury, they were shut out against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers two weeks ago, and put up only 16 points in the loss to Edmonton on Sunday.
Their next game is a rematch against the Blue Bombers (3-6) on August 18, where Adams may be able to make his return to the lineup to help energize the offence.
"Obviously, that’s a huge game," Adams said last week. “I’m all here for Jake [Dolegala, who started at QB against Edmonton] and Chase [Brice] and whatever they need. We take care of that and we’ll see how I feel next week and just go day by day.”
"We need to get back to putting our players in good positions so they can make plays and we can be on the right side of the scoreboard," Campbell added.
The Calgary Stampeders (4-5) currently hold the final playoff spot in the West Division.
Calgary, like every other team in the West except for the Elks, has been significantly better at home this season. They, and the Lions, are undefeated at home and hold losing records on the road - a factor that, if it holds up, could help some teams more than others.
The Stampeders are 4-0 at home and 0-5 on the road this season. They return home for a battle against the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday, and play four of their next five games at McMahon Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Lions have spent even more time on the road this season. They're perfect in their three games at BC Place, but 2-4 on the road. They host the Blue Bombers this week, and play four of their final five games this season at home.
The biggest question for the Blue Bombers, who are 3-2 at home but winless on the road, is whether two-time MOP Zach Collaros can play with consistency down the stretch.
After throwing for more than 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in each of his last two campaigns, the veteran has completed only four touchdown passes against eight interceptions this season, and his passing yardage total has dropped over 20 yards per game.
With the CFL officially on the back nine of the schedule, and a host of teams facing different issues, the chase for the playoffs is shaping up to be an exciting one.