Justin Rankin records hat trick as Edmonton Elks blow out Ottawa RedBlacks (& seven other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Edmonton Elks.

For the first time since August 18, 2018 the Edmonton Elks put up 40 points in a CFL football game.

As much as that offensive firepower was impressive, the defence set a lot of the tone. Edmonton played complimentary football en route to getting a 40-17 win over the Ottawa RedBlacks and improve to 4-1.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

Defensive bakery

Going into this season, I had a strong belief that a second year in J.C. Sherritt’s system was going to pay dividends in turnovers. This secondary had played together for a year and had found interceptions late last season. After four games, there were more moments of the ball bouncing off defenders hands than there were interceptions. This game was the turning point: four total interceptions by the secondary. And it quite easily could have been six.

Tyrell Ford kicked off the interception festivities finding his first of 2026. After having at least three balls fall towards him, sometimes quite literally, the Canadian defensive back was poised to hang on to one. The floodgates opened after that. Kordell Jackson led the way with two picks. His first was a beautiful diving grab and he somehow found a way to get a foot down inbounds. Second year safety, Chelen Garnes added his name to the list in the fourth quarter.

Part of the result was definitely due to Jake Maier trying to push the ball downfield, and having an off game, but the defence has been waiting to capitalize on those kinds of mistakes. I could feel the energy shift once the first one came; they knew there were more to get.

“It’s good to get it going,” Jackson said. “We’ve been struggling, as far as DBs, getting the ball out of the air. T. Ford set the tone and everybody else followed. Anytime one comes, they come in bunches. We have to keep it going now.”

It wasn’t just turnovers the Elks were serving up either. Both Jared Brinkman and Robbie Smith tallied sacks for the green and gold. Unbelievably, that was Smith’s first sack since coming over in free agency in 2025. Maybe that starts another trend for the Canadian defensive lineman. The Wilfrid Laurier University product also got his hands up for a knockdown at the line. He was not alone in that department as Jackson had two knockdowns, and JJ Ross had a nice jump to get one in the second quarter.

An excellent defensive showing for the home fans.

Double attack

Over the last few weeks, Jordan Maksymic has started to incorporate Javon Leake into the offence in a two back format. It is hard to argue taking touches away from star running back Justin Rankin, but I have really liked this deployment.

In each of the last three games, we have seen a two back set that flares Leake out. That play has gained anywhere from 11 to 14 yards on a consistent basis. The threat of the league’s leading rusher keeps teams honest and that opens space for a speedy playmaker.

This week’s game saw more of the two-headed monster that we saw in 2024, with each back taking a turn as the lead with a combined 192 yards on the ground. Rankin had the hat trick of touchdowns and Leake had one taken off the board by a penalty. The former produced a 7.6 yards per carry average and the latter 8.5 yards on average.

As they find a way to work these two together, I only see an upside in giving each one a rest and keeping the defences guessing as to who goes next. Talk about opponents not wanting to have to pick their poison. What is clear is that both backs have a great deal of respect for one another and are happy to see the other succeed. What could be two, deservedly so, big egos have found a way to best help the team win.

“Rank is outstanding, so when he needs a break I will come in. I feel like it’s a great change of tempo for us. We’re the best two backs, combo-wise, in the league and we keep showing it. The more opportunities I get, I’m going to do the best I can with it,” Leake said post-game.

Quarterback bounce back

Cody Fajardo had an uncharacteristic game against B.C. last week. As he has done so many times though, he found a way to lead the team back. Even in the game there were ups and downs, but the resilience came through in the end. The 34-year-old posted a 79 percent completion rate, which is his highest of 2026. That could have even been higher if not for a few drops.

After three interceptions last week, Ottawa did not even sniff one. The Brea, California native logged 340 yards passing and two touchdowns. Even with the lull of no points in the third quarter, 24 in the final frame more than made up for it.

Receivers need to do their part to get those kinds of numbers. Austin Mack continues to be Fajardo’s main target and was the top pass catcher with six receptions for 94 yards. If not for a last minute shove, Mack would have caught all seven of his targets and added a touchdown. That chemistry from their Montreal days is coming to fruition. Kaion Julien-Grant is also continuing his connection to his QB with another three catches and a touchdown.

TJ Luther continues to grow in his rookie year, all four balls thrown his way were catches for 67 yards. Brendan O’Leary-Orange got into the fray with a 90-yard scamper down the east sidelines with his one catch.

There is one receiver that can get lost in the shuffle a bit, but has been excellent so far. Skyler Griffith lines up as a tight end blocker on most plays and he usually records one of the first catches of the game. The 2025 third-round CFL draft pick has shown that he can block and catch. This could be another weapon for the green and gold. With a lot of blocking comes the assumption that is what he will mostly do. However, the University of British Columbia product could just as easily be a release valve for a screen and bull his way down the field.

Rookie learns

Dariel Djabome learned some great lessons in a short week. The third overall pick in this year’s draft took over the middle linebacker spot last week due to injuries to Nick Anderson and Brock Mogensen. He had some great moments in game one with his pressure in the backfield and an interception. What the Rutgers University product may not have been ready for was the fast run up the middle, especially from a great back like James Butler.

Starting alongside his Canadian linebacker counterpart Joel Dublanko, the two nationals limited Greg Bell to 19 yards on the ground. Djabome had seven tackles and added a special teams tackle for good measure. I was very impressed with how he balanced his rushes at the line and stayed home to take care of the run. Even more so with only one day of practice this week.

Injuries are a part of football and Djabome is showing how he can be the next man up.

Trifecta

I cannot get through an article without talking about how fun it is to watch Justin Rankin — the man is a cheat code.

Three touchdowns in this game, two on the run and one receiving from a short pass.

Five games in the books and he has more than half his yards rushing from all last season. If the third-year back finds a way to continue this pace, he will put up over 1,800 yards on the ground and just over 1,000 through the air.

The cut back and bounce moves he displays to get around the line are a thing of video games. I know we have had a ‘Pinball’ in the league before so maybe we call him ‘Arcade’ as the newer version.

Rankin gives you a reason to watch every Elks game.

Et Voila

Vincent Blanchard continues to be perfect on the season with 13 field goals in 13 attempts. He kicked his longest of 2026 in this game at 50 yards. I admit I was worried through training camp and the preseason that he was not finding his groove early on. Coming off a 78 percent success rate last year, the Laval University product seems to have found his stride in year three.

The 2024 draftee has also found some real distance in his kickoffs, as he produced another game with an average over 70 yards from the kickoff tee. A long of 78 yards this week only adds to his league-leading kickoff average. All of this and only being 28 years old, I’d say that is a quality fourth-round pick.

Injuries continue

Edmonton has been bit by the injury bug early in this season.

There are two more players to add to the current list of 12. Centre David Beard went down with what looked to be a lower left leg issue and defensive tackle Jordan Williams was sporting a sling for his shoulder.

Beard is the leader of the offensive line. Lucky enough, the Elks have Mark Korte who was the centre before who can just step in. There were a few miscommunications with the change that saw Ottawa get three sacks, but that will clean up as more time is found in practice.

Williams has been a nightmare for most teams this season in pushing up the middle. Tomari Fox will likely step in as the main replacement in this spot.

The good news is that free agent acquisition Joe Robustelli looks to be close to returning.

Depth is being tested in and seems to be stepping up for Edmonton.

Next test

After having two short weeks in this young season, and coming up with wins in both, Edmonton has a full week to prepare for the visiting B.C. Lions. The Lions, with Nathan Rourke at the helm, have been kryptonite for the Elks. Building on a big win like this is the next step for the team to take. Edmonton remains unbeaten at home and the next challenge is to find that complimentary football again against B.C.

Andrew Hoskins is a lifelong Edmonton resident and the host of the Turf District Podcast.