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EDMONTON — Edmonton’s second-half turnaround turned a 16-point deficit into a walk-off victory, with the Elks finding answers on both sides of the ball to defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 22-19 on Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium.
A more balanced offensive attack and a defence that consistently made life difficult for Winnipeg helped Edmonton rally to 8-3 and complete a memorable win.
CFL.ca brings you three key stats from the Edmonton Elks’ win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 12.
FROM STATS TO IMPACT
» Elks rally past Bombers on Blanchard’s walk-off field goal
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141 – JUSTIN RANKIN TOTAL YARDS
Edmonton’s offence had little going early, but Justin Rankin and the Elks found their footing before halftime. Rankin finished with 93 rushing yards and 48 through the air, recording his first game with more than 65 rushing yards since Week 6 and tallying a season-high 19 carries. He was particularly effective coming out of the break, helping Edmonton sustain drives with runs of 14, 11 and 15 yards before contributing again on the game-winning possession.
The Elks stayed committed to Rankin and the run game even after Winnipeg built a 16-point lead. That balance helped keep Winnipeg’s lethal pass rushing duo of Jake Ceresna and Willie Jefferson from teeing off on Cody Fajardo, and gave Edmonton a more consistent offensive rhythm as it chipped away at the deficit.
2 – WINNIPEG SECOND-HALF FIRST DOWNS
It was all Winnipeg to start, even if the Bombers could only turn Edmonton’s early mistakes into field goals rather than building a lead big enough to put the game out of reach. Near the end of the first half and throughout the rest of the game, Winnipeg’s offensive issue shifted from finishing drives to starting them.
The Bombers managed just two first downs after halftime, going five straight possessions without one as Edmonton’s defence consistently got them off the field. Sacks from Noah Taylor and Kordell Jackson helped keep the pressure on, while Terez Reid came up with a memorable first career interception to halt another Winnipeg possession. The Bombers’ defence created several opportunities for the offence to answer, but Winnipeg couldn’t take advantage, leaving the Elks with the opening they needed to complete the comeback.
42 – YARDS ON ELKS’ GAME-WINNING DRIVE
With the game tied and just under two minutes remaining, the Elks had one final chance to complete their comeback. They needed just 1:41 to march 42 yards on eight plays, setting up Vincent Blanchard for the game-winning 40-yard field goal as time expired.
Fajardo leaned on Rankin and T.J. Luther to move the chains, with both breaking tackles to turn short completions into significant gains. The efficiency of the drive was a fitting finish to an Edmonton offence that had struggled to find its footing early but found answers when it mattered most.
