Edmonton Elks’ playoff hopes left with questions after loss to Bombers

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So much for being on a roll, huh?

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You couldn’t find a hotter team in the Canadian Football League than the Edmonton Elks a week ago, winners of five of their previous six with a date with destiny coming up.

Make that a double date, coming off back-to-back wins over the rival Calgary Stampeders to sweep the annual Labour Day Series for the first time in 20 years to climb out of the basement of the West Division standings, in style, before facing none other than the division-leading Winnipeg Blue Bombers in similar home-and-away fashion.

And the Elks had an incredible runway to gain speed, with a bye week in between to make for 13 full days of rest leading up.

But instead of spreading their wings and soaring to heights not seen around here since before COVID-19 shut down the entire 2020 season, the Elks crashed and burned in a 27-14 letdown that may very well have knocked them off course in their painstakingly long-awaited playoff pursuits.

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Of course, the Bombers were no slouches themselves, coming in on a five-game win streak that they extended to six, with a chance to now make it seven in a row to match the same-but-opposite losing skid the Elks fumbled out of the gates with to start the season.

WIN(NIPEG) AND IN

Winnipeg would become the first team in the West Division to clinch a playoff spot with a win in front of the home crowd Friday (6 p.m., TSN, 630 CHED) at Princess Auto Stadium.

That would put them at the top of the five-team heap with a 9-6 record and three games remaining. The Montreal Alouettes (11-2-1) already punched their ticket in the other bracket and have a chance to clinch the East Division with a win over the Toronto Argonauts (7-7) or if the second-place Ottawa Redblacks (8-5-1) lose to the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-7-1).

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Ottawa, meanwhile, clinches a playoff berth win a win.

And speaking of Saskatchewan, the not-so mighty green machine managed to gain some valuable traction against Edmonton’s bid to make playoffs for the first time since 2019 (and in their own division since 2017) with a 37-29 win over the lowly Calgary Stampeders (4-9-1), whose last win came back in Week 9.

But the way things are going after last week’s demoralizing loss, the Elks might as well be looking behind them at Calgary as much as they are up at Saskatchewan in the third and final playoff spot, which sits two wins away at the bare minimum, right now.

As for a crossover possibility, things don’t look any easier for the Elks there, either. Sure, the Argos fell 33-31 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5-9), but Edmonton would have to finish with one more win than both those teams to usurp a post-season position. And that means at least three more wins the way things stand.

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A week ago, there was still a legitimate chance the Elks could have fought their way into a three-way tie and maybe even emerge first in the West. But now, their post-season hopes are hanging by the skin of their grass-munching teeth.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

A quick glance at the scoreboard shows the Elks didn’t show up on the offensive side of the ball, which is a bit of a head-scratcher considering they lead the league in points per game (28.1) and offensive touchdowns (43). They have a division-high 377 yards of net offence per game and lead the league in first downs and rushing yards per game (123).

Yet they only managed to put 14 points on the board, tying a season low from a 20-14 loss in Ottawa that represented rock bottom, falling to 0-7 on the season before rebounding with five wins in six, and now seven, games.

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As well as the Bombers are doing, they are nowhere near the same dominating force that saw them reach the Grey Cup final in each of the last four seasons. They are there for the taking this year, if anyone in the West is up for it.

You could blame the coaching in Edmonton, but offensive co-ordinator Jarious Jackson has been able to put up a winning record, five wins in nine games, since taking over head coaching duties from the ousted Chris Jones, who went 0-5 with what amounts to basically the same roster.

So, let’s take a look at quarterback …

QB OR NOT QB?

The unwritten rule in football is when times are tough for a franchise, the backup quarterback is everyone’s favourite player. After all, he didn’t do anything to get the team into this mess but sit idly by and witness the train wreck.

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But as is quite often the case, once Mr. Backup steps out onto the field, it can become a different story entirely. There is a reason, after all, he was the backup.

Tre Ford represents an interesting case study.

You could almost hear echoes reverberating along 111 Avenue from the disgruntled fan base calling for the former first-round Canadian draft pick to take to the field as the Elks’ continued failing miserably at the Taylor Cornelius experiment, again and again.

When he did get in, the fleet-footed Waterloo product brought a dash of excitement back into the otherwise dreary offence, using his legs to add a wildcard element to a tired Elks playbook.

And we actually saw some results follow. Of Edmonton’s 8-28 record in his two seasons since Jones drafted him eighth overall in 2022, Ford’s starts accounted for 5-8. That’s more than half their wins.

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This year, as Jones was shown the door to provide tabula rasa for incoming private ownership, we were told one of the big changes was Ford was going to get onto the field more.

More than zero, that is, which is what the 26-year-old native of Niagara Falls, Ont., had to show for those first five losses.

In his stead, veteran American pivot McLeod Bethel-Thompson — whom Jones won in a free-agent sweepstakes against multiple other suitors — was putting up passable if not impressive numbers, but not getting anything in the way of results.

So, Ford came in and gave them their first win of the season in his first start. And then, he followed up by getting injured in the very next game — and not for the first time in his career, either. But this time, he got credited with the win to sit 2-0 as a starter on the year.

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Bethel-Thompson then delivered back-to-back wins in starts over the Labour Day stretch to do something no Edmonton quarterback has been able to achieve in decades, before the conscious decision was made to go back to Ford coming out of the bye week.

No one is denying Ford’s capacity to come in as an incredible spark plug for this team. But to become the full-time starter? And on as big a stage as it gets in the regular season, like last week? With playoffs very much on the line?

Needless to say, he has left those questions up in the air.

MY WAY OR HIGHWAY

The Elks top brass sent the players in the locker-room a clear and concise message Monday: Anyone not rowing the oars in the same direction is going to find themselves walking the proverbial plank.

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And it will take every single one of them if this team hopes to make playoffs, for a change.

American coverage linebacker Leon O’Neal Jr. was handed a blindfold and sent for a long walk off a short pier, released after making 35 tackles and five starts.

The 25-year-old former member of the Roughriders was ejected from Saturday’s loss to the Bombers after getting caught on camera batting the helmet of Winnipeg linebacker Michael Ayers with an open hand following a kick return near the end of the third quarter.

Both players drew flags for unnecessary roughness, but the Elks defender wound up making his way back to the locker-room with the automatic game ejection. The next day, he was told to keep walking.

Elk droppings: The Elks are 2-5 at home and 3-4 on the road, while going 4-3 in their division and a league-worst 1-6 against East Division opponents … The Elks (384 yards per game) no longer give up the most net yards of offence in the league, thanks to the Stampeders (386), but still allow the most passing yards (301 yards per game) … The Elks no longer lead the league in turnover ratio, falling to third place from plus-16 to plus-11 … Edmonton’s 21 interceptions earned leads the league … No team has given up more points per game than the 28 by the Elks … Their field-goal conversion of 75.8 per cent is the worst in the CFL, as is their punt-return average of 9.3 yards … Their 69.9-yard kickoff average leads the league … Justin Rankin’s 7.8-yards per carry leads all CFL running backs, while Tevin Jones’ 24.9 yards per catch stands as a league high. He also has the two longest receptions of the year at 93 and 81 yards … Linebacker Nyles Morgan now trails league-leading tackler Darnell Sankey (89) of the Montreal Alouettes by two tackles … Jake Julien leads the league with a punt average of 54.7 yards and net punt average of 40.4 yards.

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E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

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