EDMONTON – The Edmonton Elks look to continue a strong start to this CFL season when they host the Montreal Alouettes in the EE’s 2026 Home Opener presented by James H. Brown and Associates. Catch the action from Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday (June 20) at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. Catch the action live on TSN, 880 CHED and CFL+.
Neither Edmonton nor Montreal has tasted defeat yet in the young season. Montreal is 2-0, with victories over the Hamilton Ti-Cats and Toronto Argonauts, while the Elks are 1-0 after defeating the host Ottawa RedBlacks by a score of 29-21 at TD Place on June 6 before having a bye in Week 2.
Edmonton’s triumphant performance in the nation’s capital marked the first time since 2019 that the Green and Gold opened their regular season schedule with a win.
“It was big for the franchise, it was big for the city, but it was just one game, and it reaffirmed the things that we were doing in the off-season and through training camp leading into Week 1,” Elks coach Mark Kilam said. “But we’ve had a bye, there’s been a reset, and now we have to come out and … play a really good opponent on Saturday.”
POSSESION IS THE KEY TO VICTORY
There is no great secret to Edmonton’s success in Week 1: the Elks held the ball for 35:20 of the game’s sixty minutes, and didn’t turn the ball over once, compared to four turnovers committed by Ottawa.
Keeping the opponent’s offence off the field will be even more important against the explosive Alouettes, who enter Week 3 with the most points scored and total yards gained on offence in the CFL.
“You’re going to win a lot of games by protecting the ball,” said Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo, pointing to Edmonton’s significant time of possession and turnover edge against Ottawa.
“Those are the standards to win around here, that’s who I’ve been as a quarterback,” continued Fajardo, who was an efficient 23-of-34 passing for 266 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in Week 1. “It’s not flashy, it’s not sexy by any means, but I like to stay on the field, I like to play the field possession game, and then I like to protect the ball. And anytime you do that, you usually have a chance to win in the fourth quarter.”
FAMILIARITY WITH ALEXANDER
Perhaps the biggest reason for Montreal’s offensive potency is dynamic quarterback Davis Alexander, a man Fajardo knows very well: the two QBs were teammates when Fajardo played for the Alouettes in 2023 and 2024, with Alexander serving as Fajardo’s backup on Montreal’s Grey Cup-winning team three years ago.
This will be the first time since Fajardo departed Montreal to join the Elks prior to the 2025 season that the two will face off as opposing starters. Alexander has an efficiency rating of 117.6 season this season, and enters Week 2 as the CFL’s passing leader in total completions, yards, and touchdowns.
“The whole field is open, the whole field is live and in play,” Kilam said about defending against the 27-year-old Alexander. “He can make every throw, he’s pushing the ball down the field, they’re protecting throws.
“Basically, on any of their runs, he’s got the green light to pull it if he sees something and wants to push the ball down the field, and they’re making those plays. So they’re extremely explosive right now and we’re just going to have to be really disciplined in what we’re doing.”
GET THE ROCK TO RANKIN
Edmonton counters Montreal’s aerial attack with a powerful ground game, buoyed by arguably the best running back in the league, Justin Rankin.
Now in his third season with the Green and Gold, Rankin was a force of nature in Ottawa, rushing for 102 yards on 13 carries, while also hauling in five passes for 94 yards. The Northwest Missouri State scored what would prove to be the game-winning points when he took off on a 61-yard run to the end zone early in the fourth quarter against the RedBlacks.
Like all of his teammates, Rankin has been eager to get back on the field since that victory two weeks ago. There’s a sense around the Green and Gold that this is a team ready to make some noise.
“I think the biggest thing is we have guys that believe,” Rankin said. “Believe in each other, believe in each other’s ability. We care about one another and we care about putting good stuff on film. So the biggest thing is just showing up, day in and day out, from Monday to Friday, caring about what we’re doing every day, practising with intention, doing everything with some kind of intention of getting better, and I think on game day that result will show.”
CELEBRATING MANDRUSIAK
During halftime of Saturday’s contest, the Elks and the Thompson family will honour franchise icon Dwayne Mandrusiak, giving Elks fans a chance to celebrate Mandrusiak’s achievement of 50 seasons working for the team.
Mandrusiak began his career as a ball boy with the Green and Gold in 1971 and was on the sidelines for 18 Grey Cup appearances and 11 championships during his first stint with the team. He served the EE for 49 consecutive seasons until 2020, before rejoining the club in 2025 as Community Ambassador and Team Historian.