Elks Lions Western final
Football fans arrive for the CFL Western Final between the Edmonton Elks and B.C. Lions at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton Saturday Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
Elks Lions Western final
Edmonton Elks' fans line up to get a Larry Thompson EE Firetruck souvenir, ahead of the CFL Western Final against the B.C. Lions at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton Saturday Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
Elks Lions Western final
Edmonton Elks' fans arrive for the CFL Western Final against the B.C. Lions at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton Saturday Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
Elks Lions Western final
Edmonton Elks' fans pose for a photo as they arrive for the CFL Western Final against the B.C. Lions at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton Saturday Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
Elks Lions Western final
Edmonton Elks' fan dressed as a gorilla high-fives other fans ahead of the CFL Western Final against the B.C. Lions at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton Saturday Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
Elks Lions Western final
An Edmonton Elks' fan dressed as a gorilla arrives for the CFL Western Final against the B.C. Lions at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton Saturday Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
Elks Lions Western final
The Edmonton Elks' Cody Fajardo (7) makes a pass against the B.C. Lions during first half CFL Western Final action at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton Saturday Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
Elks Lions Western final
The B.C. Lions' Nathan Rourke (12) makes a pass against the The Edmonton Elks during first half CFL Western Final action at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton Saturday Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
Elks Lions Western final
B.C. Lions' Jevon Cottoy (86) celebrates a reception during first half CFL Western Final action against the Edmonton Elks' at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton Saturday Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
Elks Lions Western final
The Edmonton Elks' Justin Rankin (5) battles the B.C. Lions' Adam Konar (31) during first half CFL Western Final action at Commonwealth Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
Elks Lions Western final
The B.C. Lions' Nathan Rourke (12) is sacked by the Edmonton Elks' Noah Taylor (42) and Joel Dublanko (50) during first half CFL Western Final action at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton Saturday Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
Elks Lions Western final
The Edmonton Elks' Joel Dublanko (50) celebrates a play during first half CFL Western Final action against the B.C. Lions at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton Saturday Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
Elks Lions Western final
The B.C. Lions' Nathan Rourke (12) makes a pass while under pressure from the Edmonton Elks' Noah Taylor (42) during first half CFL Western Final action at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton Saturday Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
Elks Lions Western final
The Edmonton Elks' JJ Ross (29) tackles the B.C. Lions' Jermaine Jackson (84) during first half CFL Western Final action at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton Saturday Nov. 7, 2026. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
edmonton elks
The Edmonton Elks' Cody Fajardo celebrates the team's win over the B.C. Lions during the CFL Western Final, on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. The Elks won 28 to 16. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia
And that’s a long, long way from where this Edmonton Elks club was last year at this time, watching the Canadian Football League playoffs on TV from their couches.
And the year before that.
And the one before that.
And that, and that.
Playing in their first post-season game since 2019, the Elks won 28-16 over the B.C. Lions in the West Division final on Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium, amid chants of, “We want the Cup,” earning a berth in next week’s Grey Cup.
They will face the Montreal Alouettes at McMahon Stadium.
Being one of the last two teams standing at the finish line is a far cry from continually being one of the first three teams out. And the Elks got there in front of an announced crowd of 40,182.
On the way to a 13-5-0 regular season to finish first in the West for the first time since 2015, the Elks fell 36-24 to the Lions in Kelowna, B.C., in Week 5, and won 19-17 at home in Week 7, while the Lions finished second at 10-8.
The scoring
A lot of people turned up to buckle in for a field-goal clinic that made up the entire first half.
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The Elks stalled in the red zone on their opening drive, settling for a 21-yard field goal off the foot of Vincent Blanchard, who then sent through a 48-yard field goal, before Lions kicker Sean Whyte fell short from the 50-yard line as the Elks led 6-0 after 15 minutes.
The second quarter opened with Whyte kicking a red-zone field goal of his own to cut the lead in half, 6-3. He then tied it 6-6 with a 21-yard field goal, and hit from 42 to take a 9-6 lead to close out the half.
The defensive battle continued as Blanchard tied the game 9-9 with a 35-yard field goal, before reaching the red zone on a drive aided by an unnecessary-roughness call, when Lions defensive end Mathieu Betts hit a diving Cody Fajardo late on 2nd-and17.
It led to a five-yard sweep into the end zone by the Elks quarterback for the first touchdown of the game and a 16-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter, capping a seven-play, 54-yard drive.
The Lions answered right back with a trip to the end zone of their own, as Rourke ran it up the middle for eight yards and a 16-16 tie.
Fajardo took another late hit, this time sliding, compliments of B.C. defensive back Deontai Williams, to set up a 46-yard field goal for a 19-16 Elks lead.
A 23-yard strike to Austin Mack in the end zone capped a six-play, 83-yard drive for a 25-16 lead, after Blanchard missed the point after.
A fumble recovery and2-yard 6return into the red zone by Elks defensive back J.J. Ross was the nail in the coffin, setting up a 27-yard field goal to push the lead to 28-16 in the final three-and-a-half minutes.
Edmonton Elks B.C. Lions
The Edmonton Elks’ head coach Mark Kilam celebrates the team’s win over the B.C. Lions during the CFL Western Final action, on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026.
Loud and proud
The crowd wasn’t just big. It was loud.
Bigger than the 2015 West Division final (34,414), and the 2004 West Division semi-final (37,359)
And loud enough to make a difference this time around, helping set the pace by cheering the Lions to a 2-and-out on their opening drive.
Then with a little over three minutes left in the opening quarter, the Elks enjoyed the benefit of a crowd they hadn’t received in a long time, as the boisterous bunch forced the Lions offence to take a five-yard penalty for illegal procedure, when left tackle Korey Woodruff jumped the count.
And you can believe it was a factor for the visitors throughout the game, including into the crucial final three minutes, which isn’t something that’s been said around here for quite a while.
The stats
Fajardo completed 25 of 30 attempts for 274 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions, while also rushing 10 times for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Mack caught six of his seven targets for 85 yards and a touchdown.
Nathan Rourke threw 23 of 39 for 328 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions, while also carrying five times for 32 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Lions middle linebacker Darnell Sankey led the way with 11 tackles and two sacks.
The bottom line
The Elks defensive line got pressure early and often on Rourke, hurrying up his throws while the noisy environment also helped take the edge off B.C.’s biggest weapon, its passing game. Edmonton’s offence, meanwhile, took the first-half-plus to warm up before hitting high gear, as it’s done all season long. The home field was an advantage.
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
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