Justin Rankin powers Edmonton Elks comeback win in overtime over Alouettes (& seven other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Paul Swanson/CFL.

For the first time since 2019, the Edmonton Elks have won their first two games of a regular season.

It was a nail-biting 32-29 overtime win that not only came at home, but against a Grey Cup contender in the Montreal Alouettes. Amidst playing in nothing but soggy conditions, the Green and Gold have caught fire in finding ways to win.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

The leader finishes

If you had the Elks ending Davis Alexander’s regular season winning streak, raise your hand. Now put it down, you liars. Cody Fajardo seemed to know though as he played his old teammate. Two years ago Fajardo and Alexander were playing together in Montreal. Now in his second year with the Elks, Fajardo has bragging rights on ending the streak.

The veteran willed it with more than just his throwing arm, too. On Justin Rankin’s second touchdown, Fajardo laid out to get a block to spring his speedy back. The University of Nevada product ran when he needed to and ended with a five-yard per carry average on four runs.

Most importantly, he pulled the ball at the very last second to run in the winning touchdown in overtime. An uncharacteristic completion percentage of 65 percent would not overcome the will to find a win at home. When he did use his arm, the connections with Austin Mack and TJ Luther continue to develop into gains. Chip on his shoulder Fajardo is the best Fajardo and he is out to prove how good a starting quarterback he can be.

“I wasn’t supposed to take the ball, but I saw an opening and sometimes it works out for you and the stars were aligning. Davis and I were talking all week, with the whole record thing, I was like if anyone’s going to do it let me get a chance at it,” Fajardo said.

“When they kicked the field goal to take us into overtime, offensively we weren’t on the field for what felt like 15 minutes. They had a long drive and then took the ball first in overtime. As soon as they called that the play stands, I told the guys in the huddle we are going to win this football game. I think there is a sense of belief and sure enough we go down and win the game.”

Rankin up again

Elks’ running back Justin Rankin only touched the ball once in the first quarter and lost two yards. In the final three quarters, the 28-year-old put up 232 offensive yards on 17 carries and five receptions.

It is incredible to watch how much he can impact a game. The Northwest Missouri State University product rushed to the end zone twice, with the second being of the “how did he do that” quality. What should have been a loss for two yards, on a third down and two, he bounced off Montreal defensive back Najee Murray, jumped right, and took off for the 47-yard score. There is electricity every time he gets the ball in his hands because you never know what the Ohio native will do next.

It is, of course, very early in the season but Rankin has already put up 281 yards on the ground and 145 receiving. That is a pace for over 2,000 yards rushing, and over 1300 through the air. Assuming he can stay healthy throughout the season, it is easier to see how there was the conversation of 1,000 yards rushing and receiving. One thing for certain is that he is a star in this league and has given himself an amazing head start for that goal.

“I show up and play,” Rankin said when asked about how he approaches the other team who knows he is coming. “I watch film. At the end of the day, the best man wins. You win your one-on-ones. They have to see this, every day.”

Watching the third-year back continue to put up big plays, Elks fans are more than happy to see him every day.

Defence keeps them in

When you see Montreal’s 481 yards of net offence, it’s hard to imagine how I might find a way to praise the defence.

J.C. Sherritt’s group kept the Green and Gold in the game in the first half. The Alouettes offence held the ball for 17 of the first 27 minutes of the game and only lead by 13. A testament to how good they were able to be against a high-powered Als offence. There was a lot of bend, but not a lot of break. Montreal was able to get two touchdowns but had to settle for field goals five times on good drives.

Jared Brinkman was the standout to me. The Iowa native was dominant in the middle of the line with six tackles and two for negative yards. When Edmonton signed him as a free agent in 2025, all I knew about him was that he had played on two Grey Cup-winning teams with Toronto. An injury-riddled first season in Green and Gold, still saw him put up 23 defensive tackles and two sacks.

David Beard had some high praise for the youngster comparing him to the likes of Almondo Sewell for his size and push. Now completely healthy, the University of Northern Iowa product is showing that power. He spent a fair amount of this game in the backfield and caused disruption. In the times the defence drops into a 3-4 formation, he creates havoc from the nose tackle spot. A big step forward for the fifth-year player.

Tyrell Ford had a bounce-back game after the season opener with six defensive tackles and a knockdown for the Canadian defensive back. The Niagara Falls native seemed to be in chase mode a lot in Ottawa, but found his way into better spots this week. The interceptions haven’t happened yet but it feels like they are right around the corner, pun totally intended.

Chelen Garnes had one of his best games since joining the Elks last season. He has embraced the safety role and used his speed to be in a lot of plays. Six tackles in this game with the largest coming on a Montreal third down short yardage gamble. The Wake Forest University product got around the right side of the line and was able to catch Dustin Crum before he gained the yard needed.

Now in his second year, I can see how the plays have slowed down for him and his positioning has improved. Being in the right place at the right time is a learning curve at safety and the 25-year-old is showing his ability to do so.

Weather troubles

Two games into the campaign and both have been soggy affairs. This one didn’t end up with any delays due to lightning, but the pouring of rain did not stop until five minutes after the game.

This was not just light sprinkles either, but heavy, constant rain. Edmonton’s top receiver was Rankin with 51 total yards. Good thing he also knows how to run the rock. With close wins in both of the bad weather games, it will be exciting to see what they can do when it is good weather.

“Shoutout all the fans that showed up tonight because it was raining the whole time and they knew it was going to be raining. I really want to shoutout those fans,” Mark Kilam said. “I tried to give them some love and wave up there, but credit to those guys for showing up.”

Kickers are people too

Vincent Blanchard must have been feeling the pressure of the team keeping Jesus Gomez on the practice roster. He continued to be perfect on the season in his filed goal attempts. After getting two this game, he is up to seven-for-seven for 2026.

Even in the rainy conditions, he was able to have a 72-yard average on his kickoffs with a long of 77 yards. If not for a slippery ball on a hold for the second convert, he would be perfect so far. The 2024 Canadian draft pick has continued to develop and could be on the precipice of staying in the top half of kickers in the league.

Speaking of kickers, have I mentioned how great Jake Julien continues to be on punts? Another wet game and another 52-yard average down the field. His spin on a fourth quarter punt was even enough to slip out of the hands of Mario Alford and have the Elks recover on the Montreal 11-yard line.

This combination of kickers is helping to flip field position on a regular basis. When they finally get to play in good conditions, this is a phase of the game that could be a difference-maker for Edmonton.

Corrected infractions

In Week 1, the Elks were horrific in the penalty department, 14 infractions for 142 yards. Luckily, that did not affect the winning outcome but was a factor in keeping Ottawa close.

This week, it was kept to six penalties for 60 yards. A couple unnecessary roughness calls need to be cleaned up, especially the one to Tyshon Blackburn on a punt return on the sidelines, but an overall improvement.

Edmonton will need to continue to bring the penalties down for continued success.

Tribute to the GOAT

At halftime, the Elks recognized Dwayne Mandrusiak for 50 seasons with the Edmonton Football Club. He received a very nice ring with a big green jewel 50 on the top.

Mandrusiak has not only been a staple of the history of this club but now a mainstay in the community and regaling stories of past teams and wins. Starting with the team as a ball boy in 1971, he was on the sideline for 18 Grey Cups and has 11 Grey Cup rings.

When they bought the team, the Thompson family made it a priority to reconnect with Mandrusiak and return him to his home with the franchise. Deb Thompson presented the ring as they played a tribute video to his many seasons of contributions.

Mandrusiak does not care for the spotlight, but if you ever get a chance to hear a story or do one of his team tours do not miss the opportunity. He is a great connection to the past and future of the club.

Next up: short week

With Thursday games now coming into play for the summer, the Elks find themselves on their first short week playing just five days after this big win. Edmonton travels to Winnipeg to face the Bombers who are coming off of a bye week. This will be the first divisional game for the Green and Gold.

Winnipeg’s last game was a loss at home to Hamilton and they will want to have a better showing for their fans. The question is, do we get to see the Elks overcome some adversity of the week to keep the winning going? I think the Bombers are not the titan they once were, and this will be a great challenge to show what Edmonton can do. And hopefully, we will get actual nice football weather, too.

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