Roughriders look to sweep season series with Elks on TSN

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-7), who are trying to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, host the Edmonton Elks (3-10) - who face official playoff elimination with a defeat. 

You can catch Roughriders vs. Elks LIVE on Friday at 9:30pm et/ 6:30pm pt on TSN1, TSN.ca and the TSN App.

Saskatchewan will sweep the three-game season series with a victory. The Roughriders are currently working on a seven-game win streak against the Edmonton - the last time Edmonton defeated Saskatchewan was on Aug 2, 2018. 

Most importantly for the Elks, they'd be eliminated from post-season contention with a fourth straight loss. Canadian quarterback Tre Ford returns and will back up Taylor Cornelius for the Alberta squad, which is 3-4 on the road, but 0-9 versus West Division rivals.

But on the road is where the Elks have been most comfortable the past few seasons. Their struggles at home have been well-documented: their last home victory came on Oct 12, 2019 against the BC Lions. They are 0-14 at home since then, but 6-9 on the road in the same span. 

The Riders are coming off consecutive defeats to Winnipeg. Cody Fajardo has thrown for 377 yards, two TDs and an interception versus Edmonton, but did run for two TDs in a 34-23 win on Aug. 13.

Fajardo has averaged under 200 passing yards per game with 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in what has proven to be a bit of an up-and-down season for the sixth-year signal caller, but he has recently received a bit more motivation in the form of a newborn son on Wednesday.

"I watched so many parents, so many dads over the [years] put their kids in the Grey Cup, that was my goal going into the year and now it's like here, just extremely excited about that and now I have something, a little guy to play for," said Fajardo in a sit down with TSN.

On the other side, Edmonton recently signed their quarterback Cornelius to a contract extension, and also received some good news in the return of backup QB Ford from an injury sustained at the beginning of the season. 

In one start against the Roughriders on Aug 13, Cornelius completed 13-of-23 passes for 209 yards and an interception, but added 86 rushing yards on seven carries with two rushing touchdowns. 

Derrick Moncrief, the Roughriders linebacker, played college football with Cornelius and spoke to TSN about his former teammate ahead of their matchup: "that guy is a dynamic thrower, he can run, he can do everything, his leadership skills are above the norm... I see his progression throughout the years and I'm proud of him," said Moncrief.

As of week 15, the Roughriders have the number-two ranked rushing offence in the CFL, averaging over 108 yards per game - the Elks have the worst run defence in the CFL this season, allowing a whopping 117.8 yards per game. 

Overall, this game features the two least productive offences in the league by yards gained, so one area to watch for a the majority of damage to be done is the ground game for the Roughriders.