The Edmonton Elks did exactly what they needed to in Week 14.<\/p>\n
With Saturday\u2019s impressive 31-19 win over Calgary, the Elks responded well after a frustrating loss to their provincial rivals one week prior in the Labour Day Classic. Edmonton now has wins in four of their last five games, which has put their season back on course after a tough start. And now things out of their control are starting to fall favourably, too.<\/p>\n
Week 14 also saw losses for BC and Winnipeg, which has brought the Elks right back into the thick of this playoff race. That\u2019s what can happen when you start taking care of your own business. As a result, Edmonton\u2019s door is wide open as they enter the final third of their season with six games to go.<\/p>\n
RELATED \u00a0<\/p>\n While the Elks don\u2019t have an easy slate down the stretch, their schedule allows them decent control of their own destiny. Three of Edmonton\u2019s remaining six games are against teams they\u2019re directly battling for a playoff spot: Toronto, Winnipeg, and BC. Whie it\u2019s still on them to take care of business, it\u2019s an energizing spot for the Elks.<\/p>\n It\u2019s even more exciting for fans in Edmonton when you consider recent trends.<\/p>\n Start with tailback Justin Rankin, who torched the Stamps Saturday for 204 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. But that\u2019s not a one-off for Rankin, as he\u2019s averaged more than 132 offensive yards over his last five outings. Rankin also has four touchdowns during that stretch and leads all running backs this season by averaging 5.9 yards per carry.<\/p>\n Rankin\u2019s roll coincides with the Elks solidifying things at quarterback. With Saturday\u2019s win, Edmonton is 4-3 since installing Cody Fajardo<\/a> as starter. During those seven starts, Fajardo has completed more than 75 per cent of his passes for 1,843 yards, seven touchdowns, and just two interceptions. It\u2019s exactly the type of stability this offence needed.<\/p>\n The big question will be how Edmonton handles a couple tough pieces of injury news on defence. Both defensive lineman Jake Ceresna<\/a> and linebacker Nyles Morgan<\/a> were placed on the six-game injured list last week and missed Saturday\u2019s win over the Stamps. It\u2019s not an ideal situation, as both Morgan and Ceresna are key defensive pieces for the Elks.<\/p>\n Encouragingly, rookie Brock Mogensen recorded four tackles stepping in for Morgan over the weekend. Fellow rookie Tyreek Johnson<\/a>, jumping in for Ceresna, had a pair of tackles himself. And Nick Anderson, out since late July, has been a limited participant in practice recently and was upgraded to doubtful ahead of Saturday\u2019s win.<\/p>\n The Elks can take another big step this weekend when they visit Toronto with a chance to put them two games in their rearview mirror. With the Argos currently third in the East, an Edmonton win would put them two games clear in a possible crossover situation. And that would be on top of maintaining their gap to BC and Winnipeg, if not closing.<\/p>\n By no means is anything guaranteed for the Elks, even with big opportunities down the stretch in front of them. What is true: Edmonton has everything to play for in the final third. I\u2019m not sure how many had that on their bingo card after a frustrating 1-6 start.<\/p>\n All the credit to them.<\/p>\n QUICK HITS<\/p>\n The Elks aren\u2019t the only team to recently re-enter the playoff picture. With Friday\u2019s crazy 34-33 comeback win over BC, the Ottawa REDBLACKS have moved into a tie with Toronto for third in the division at 4-8. With the crossover very much in play, there\u2019s that much more incentive when Ottawa takes on the Lions again this weekend.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n It was nice to see the Tiger-Cats snap their losing skid at three games Saturday. And it was encouraging to see Hamilton\u2019s offence paced by their run game as opposed to the passing attack. Greg Bell<\/a> had his best game of the season rushing for 156 yards and a touchdown as the Ticats beat Montreal 26-9.<\/p>\n
\u00bb\u00a03 stats that defined Edmonton\u2019s Week 14 win over Calgary<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a03 stats that defined Saskatchewan\u2019s Week 14 win over Winnipeg<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a03 stats that defined Hamilton\u2019s Week 14 win over Montreal<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a03 stats that defined Ottawa\u2019s Week 14 win over BC<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n