CFL interception co-leader Tyrell Ford waiting for ‘bad decision’ from Chad Kelly

Photo courtesy: Edmonton Elks

Edmonton Elks defensive back Tyrell Ford is hoping to add to his interception total when the Toronto Argonauts come to town on Saturday.

“(Chad Kelly)’s a good quarterback, he’s got a big arm. I’ll be out there, though. I’ll be waiting on something, a bad decision,” Ford told the media on Tuesday.

“For all the quarterbacks, I’m always open, so they can throw it to me. I won’t be mad.”

Kelly has thrown a league-high 13 interceptions this season, including four in last week’s win over the Calgary Stampeders.

Through eight games, the veteran passer has surpassed his previous season-high of 12 interceptions, which he threw in 2023 when he was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player.

The Elks lead the CFL with 14 interceptions despite a slow start to the season.

The team didn’t record its first pick until Week 5, when Nathan Rourke was intercepted twice. Edmonton has since recorded two four-interception games courtesy of Jake Maier and Chase Brice.

Ford, who is tied with Ben Labrosse for the league lead in interceptions with five, credited the turnaround to his teammates finishing plays.

“We just dropped a whole bunch early in the season. We probably should have way more,” he said. “We’re catching them now, that’s it.”

Turnovers aside, Kelly has still had a strong season with the Argonauts. The 32-year-old has completed 70.3 percent of his passes for 2,672 yards and 18 touchdowns, and rushed 21 times for 136 yards and two scores.

After allowing a season-high 48 points against the Montreal Alouettes last week, Edmonton understands that its defence is in for another challenge.

“Toronto’s got a great offence. They’re putting the ball down the field, (Kelly)’s ripping it all over the field,” said head coach Mark Kilam.

“They’ve hit a couple of big runs lately, so we’re going to have our hands full. We have to play team defence and play to the standard that we’re used to.”

“It’s hard to win when you give up a bunch of explosive plays, so definitely that’s part of our plan.”

Riding a two-game losing skid, the Elks are under some pressure to get a win this week and keep pace with the first-place Saskatchewan Roughriders.

An interception or two from Tyrell Ford would certainly boost their chances of getting the victory.

The Edmonton Elks (6-3) will host the Toronto Argonauts (4-4) at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, August 15 with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m. EDT. The Argonauts narrowly beat the Calgary Stampeders last week, while the Elks lost 48-30 against the Montreal Alouettes.

The weather forecast in Edmonton calls for 22 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN and CTV in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1050 in Toronto or 880 CHED in Edmonton.

John Hodge is a longtime Canadian football reporter, insider, and podcaster for 3DownNation. Based in Winnipeg, Hodge is also a freelance television and radio broadcaster and curling reporter for Rock Channel.