EDMONTON — The Edmonton Elks erased a 16-point deficit before Vincent Blanchard drilled a 40-yard field goal as time expired, rallying for a 22-19 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium.
Cody Fajardo finished with 259 yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown on 20-for-32 passing, leading the game-winning drive to set up Blanchard’s walk-off winner and help Edmonton improve to 8-3. Justin Rankin ran for 93 yards on 19 carries and added 48 more through the air, while T.J. Luther led all Elks receivers with seven catches for 85 yards.
Winnipeg’s offence moved the ball well early. Zach Collaros finished the first quarter with 122 passing yards while Brady Oliveira rushed for 66 yards on six carries, but it only resulted in a 3-0 lead. The Elks defence locked down the red zone, forcing a short field goal and a turnover on downs, while Edmonton’s offence managed just a two-and-out and a two-play drive that ended when Evan Holm punched the ball loose from Luther.
Things went from bad to worse on the first snap of Edmonton’s next drive, as Jonathan Moxey picked off Fajardo’s pass over the middle. The interception set up Sergio Castillo for his third field goal of the half, a 52-yarder that made him the CFL’s all-time leader in field goals of 50-plus yards.
Despite outgaining the Elks 297-79 at the three-minute warning, back-to-back two-and-outs allowed Edmonton to salvage the half. Fajardo benefited from a long pass-interference call before finding Austin Mack in the flat to get the Elks aboard. He could not connect with Luther on the two-point try, leaving the score at 16-6 at halftime.
Rankin set the tone for Edmonton out of the break, opening the second half with a 14-yard run to help set up a field goal. After another quick Bombers punt, Rankin followed with bursts of 11 and 15 yards before Fajardo finished the 11-play, 84-yard drive himself with a touchdown plunge to tie the game.
The Elks defence continued to suffocate Winnipeg, forcing a fifth straight two-and-out to open the fourth quarter after Noah Taylor’s sack of Collaros capped the third. Winnipeg’s defence punched back on Edmonton’s ensuing drive, as David Reese ripped the ball from Fajardo to halt a red-zone march.
Midway through the fourth, the Elks took their first lead of the game on a field goal after Kaion Julien-Grant couldn’t hang on to a pass on a promising seven-play drive. Collaros finally moved the chains on the Bombers’ next possession, but Terez Reid ended it there, laying out to pick off a deep ball for his first career interception.
The Bombers defence bought its offence another chance, forcing a quick punt and setting up favourable field position. Castillo drilled a 53-yarder to tie the game, but the Elks had just under two minutes to respond. Fajardo and company did exactly that, leaning on tackle-breaking catch-and-runs from Rankin and Luther to set up Blanchard for the game-winner.
Collaros finished with 219 passing yards after a 190-yard first half, and Oliveira rushed for 118 as the Bombers fell to 5-5.
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SCORING PLAYS
- Sergio Castillo 15-yard field goal (7:25, Q1) | WPG 3 EDM 0
- Zach Collaros 30-yard passing touchdown to Tim White (14:00, Q2) | WPG 10 EDM 0
- Sergio Castillo 20-yard field goal (7:38, Q2) | WPG 13 EDM 0
- Sergio Castillo 52-yard field goal (4:31, Q2) | WPG 16 EDM 0
- Cody Fajardo 15-yard passing touchdown to Austin Mack (1:31, Q2) | WPG 16 EDM 6
- Vincent Blanchard 42-yard field goal (9:40, Q3) | WPG 16 EDM 9
- Cody Fajardo two-yard rushing touchdown (2:02, Q3) | EDM 16 WPG 16
- Vincent Blanchard 34-yard field goal (6:01, Q4) | EDM 19 WPG 16
- Sergio Castillo 53-yard field goal (1:41, Q4) | WPG 19 EDM 19
- Vincent Blanchard 40-yard field goal (0:00, Q4) | EDM 22 WPG 19
NEXT UP
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers return to action in Week 13 when they visit the Montreal Alouettes on Friday, August 28. It will be the first meeting between the teams since Montreal eliminated Winnipeg with a 42-33 victory in the 2025 Eastern Semi-Final. The Bombers won both regular-season meetings a season ago.
The Edmonton Elks have a Week 13 bye before opening a home-and-home against the Calgary Stampeders in Week 14. The first leg is set for Monday, September 7 in Calgary. The Stamps won two of three meetings between the teams last season, including a 20-point victory in the lone contest at McMahon Stadium.
