The Elks had their third straight disastrous start to the season at 1-6 before winning six of nine games to stay in the playoff hunt. That ended with their 37-24 loss to the B.C. Lions last Friday.

“From where we were to where we are now, we could really put a stamp on this season and feel really good about the way we finished,” said quarterback Cody Fajardo. “We started 1-6 and were able to take it to two weeks left in the season with playoff implications.

“You’re always playing for something, whether it’s a cheque, whether it’s your family, whether it’s the organization, whether it’s the fans … there are a lot of guys going into this game playing for contracts as well. I’m on a one-year deal so I don’t know what my future holds.”

The Elks lost four games by four points or less, including mid-season losses to Toronto Argonauts by one point and Hamilton Tiger Cats by two points, that ultimately determined their fate.

“There were too many games we just left slip away, the Toronto game, the Hamilton game,” said linebacker Tyrell Ford. “Even the first time we played (Saskatchewan Roughriders) I felt that game was winnable. We had a lot of winnable games that we ended up coming up short.”

Now, Ford added, their incentive Friday evening is “it’s going to be our last game of the season with all the guys so go out and play for them.

“Every time you win it’s a good week so you definitely don’t want to go into the off-season on a loss. Try to get that win, brighten up the season a little bit so the off-season won’t be as painful. It will be painful watching playoff games, but a little less with a win at the end of the season.”

There’s also a four-game home winning streak the Elks want to extend. Offensive lineman David Beard said another win in front of home fans would help to” bury some of the disappointment” of missing the playoffs for a fifth straight year.

“It’s a great kind of momentum shift going into the off-season,” Beard said. “We want to go into the off-season feeling good about we’ve accomplished. Regardless of the score Friday night, we’re going to be proud of where we’ve come from, but we want to make sure we put an extra stamp on that Friday night.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23 2025.

John Korobanik, The Canadian Press