EDMONTON — Another week, another nail-biter for the Edmonton Elks, who edged the Toronto Argonauts 28-20 at Commonwealth Stadium on Friday night.

Chaos in the late stages had fans on edge, but the Elks — buoyed by a dominant outing from Justin Rankin — held on to improve to 3-6.

Nick Arbuckle’s career-high passing numbers weren’t enough to lift the Argos, who fell to 2-8.

CFL.ca brings you three key stats from the Edmonton Elks’ win over the Toronto Argonauts.

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179 – JUSTIN RANKIN TOTAL YARDS

 

The Elks went to Rankin early and leaned on him throughout. From his first touch — a 24-yard reception that sparked an opening-drive score — the dynamic back showed a gear the Argos’ defence couldn’t match. For a third straight week, he led his side in receiving yards with 87, adding to his league lead among running backs, and also rushed for 92 yards on 13 carries. His 179-yard total marks a season high and the third time he’s surpassed 100 yards in a game this year.

After being held to zero rushing yards against the Montreal Alouettes in Week 10, Rankin’s bounce-back effort was key to keeping the Elks in the win column.

0 – EDMONTON SACKS ALLOWED

The Elks’ Week 10 comeback over the Alouettes came with lessons, chief among them: protecting quarterback Cody Fajardo, who was sacked five times in Montreal. While protection wasn’t perfect on Friday, the Elks stayed clean with quick passes and a reliable run game, keeping standout pass rusher Andrew Chatfield Jr. — who has six sacks this season — out of the action.

That stout presence in the trenches gave Fajardo the confidence to stand tall in the pocket, finishing 25-of-31 for 273 yards and a touchdown.

1 – TORONTO RED ZONE TOUCHDOWN

Entering Week 11, no quarterback had more success inside their opponent’s 20-yard line than Arbuckle, completing 25 of 31 attempts for 206 yards, 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. But of the Argos’ five trips to the red zone on Friday, they were only able to punch it in once, marking a dramatic turnaround for an Elks defence that had been allowing touchdowns at a 22.9 per cent clip, red zone or not.

Though Arbuckle racked up a career high of 382 passing yards, the Elks’ front made him work for it when it mattered most, holding him to two-for-six with 22 yards, a touchdown, a lost fumble and a drive-killing intentional grounding call in the red zone.