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Scott Milanovich never saw this coming.

Only somebody with a functioning crystal ball could have predicted the devastating ankle injury to Bo Levi Mitchell, which derailed the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ 2026 season. However, even after his franchise quarterback had been carted off the field, the team’s head coach felt his group would remain on track to compete for a Grey Cup.

Now on the brink of formal playoff elimination, he’s willing to admit that he didn’t anticipate this outcome.

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“Pretty surprised,” Milanovich told the media this week. “Even after Bo went down, I thought we’d win some of those close games that we haven’t, and we’d still be in a better place relative to the playoffs.”

The Ticats entered this season as arguably the favourites to win the East Division and showed flashes of dominance in the early weeks. The squad from Steeltown was 2-1 when they hosted Winnipeg in Week 5, then Mitchell got his left foot caught under defensive lineman Jake Ceresna during a sack and had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. He underwent surgery soon after, which the organization recently confirmed was season-ending.

Including that game, Hamilton has gone 2-9 without Mitchell leading them. Three different starting quarterbacks have contributed in his absence, but none of Jake Dolegala, Tre Ford, or Harrison Frost have generated consistent results.

Should the Ticats fall against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, they will need outside help to remain in playoff contention. If the Calgary Stampeders win earlier in the day, they will be mathematically eliminated. The same is true if both the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and B.C. Lions prevail on Friday.

Still, Milanovich doesn’t believe his team’s performances have matched their record until recently.

“If you take the last two games out, even after Bo got hurt, we’ve been in every single game. We’ve played reasonably well at times, not well at other times,” he said.

“The last two games, I didn’t think we put our best foot forward. Last week, I told you that I thought the score flattered us, so I would like us to come out early, play well, and be in a game. Play with a lead — we haven’t done that in a little while — and then close it out. It’s all those things. Let’s not get behind the eight ball early like we did last week. We’ve got to stop trying to come from behind. Let’s play with the lead.”

Just three of the Ticats’ losses without Mitchell have come by less than a touchdown, including the game in which he got hurt. Their past two defeats have come by 12 and 15 points respectively, part of an active four-game losing streak, though a Week 16 drubbing at the hands of the Montreal Alouettes was softened by garbage-time scoring.

However, Milanovich insists that while the situation is difficult, his team has not fallen into despair.

“You wouldn’t know by the atmosphere or the intensity level of the players (at practice) that we only have four wins at this point, so I want to say I’m proud of them for that,” he said. “But as I said after the game, that should be the expectation. I’m just pleased that they’re at least continuing to do everything they can do and fight.”

“I really think it comes down to the character of the people you have in your locker room and in your building, and if you have bad guys or selfish guys, guys that are only concerned about their stats. If we have receivers that are only concerned about their yards — that’s the one thing I appreciate so much about Kenny (Lawler). I’m sure he wants to have 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns, but more than that, he wants to win. I hear him on the sideline, and I hear him in the locker room, and we’ve got a lot of guys that way. That makes it easier. If you’ve got bad guys, then yeah, at this point, you’re getting rid of guys.”

Regardless of Saturday’s result, it doesn’t appear that any such changes will be on the horizon. The 53-year-old offensive guru still likes his group and knows they’ll continue to battle against long odds.

“We’re all paid to do a job, and we’re getting to do something that very few people have the opportunity to do,” Milanovich said. “Most guys that get to this level, whether it be a coach or a player or a GM or whatever, they get here because they’re so competitive that they just hate the bad taste in their mouth. I think that kind of takes over.”

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-10) will visit the Edmonton Elks (10-4) on Saturday, September 26, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Tabbies lost to the Montreal Alouettes last week, while the Elks narrowly lost to the Toronto Argonauts.

The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton or 880 CHED in Edmonton.

J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league’s Global initiative.