The Edmonton Elks will look to snap their two-game losing streak when the host the Toronto Argonauts in CFL Week 11 action, on Saturday (Aug. 15) at Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium (1 p.m. MST).
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. Catch the action live on TSN, 880 CHED and CFL+
This is the first meeting of the 2026 season between the two winningest teams in Grey Cup history. Edmonton enters the game second in the CFL West Division with a record of 6-3, while the Argos have the East Division’s second best record, 4-4.
LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK
After knocking off the defending champion Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina by a score of 36-34 on July 23, the Elks entered Week 9 tied with the Montreal Alouettes for the best record in the league, at 6-1.
Since then, however, Edmonton has dropped consecutive contests, losing 28-26 against Saksatchewan at home in Week 9 and falling 48-30 to the Alouettes on the road last week.
“I don’t think anybody’s really freaking out. If you look, we lost to Montreal and Sask, who are the top two teams,” Elks defensive back Tyrell Ford. “We played Sask two weeks in a row, and then Montreal, a tough part of the schedule. It’s just how it goes, I don’t think anybody’s worried about it, we’ve just got to get back to being us.”
Edmonton’s already had its mettle tested many times this season. In winning six of their first seven games, the Elks showed plenty of resilience.
“We’ve been dealing with adversity all year, just not back-to-back losses,” said Elks coach Mark Kilam. “We’ve dealt with injury, we’ve dealt with weather, travel, schedule. We’ve dealt with a lot of things. We’ve dealt with adversity.
“It’s just about committing to our winning process, the things that we believe in, the things about preparing the right way to play winning football on the weekend. That’s what it’s about,” Kilam continued. “Win or lose, that’s what we try to stay focused on and that’s what we’re doing again this week.”
PREPARING FOR ARGOS ATTACK
With Chad Kelly under centre, Toronto entered Week 11 leading the CFL with an average of 363.1 passing yards per game. The Argos also ranked second in net offence, averaging 427.5 total yards per game.
“Toronto’s got a great offence,” Kilam said. “They’re putting the ball down the field, (Kelly’s) ripping it all over the field, they’ve hit a couple big runs lately, so we’re going to have out hands full.We have to ply team defence and play to the standards that we’re used to.”
Through eight games, Kelly has completed 192 of 273 pass attempts for 2,672 yards, with 18 touchdowns. However, the 32-year-old has also thrown a league-high 13 picks. And it just so happens that Edmonton’s defence has 14 interceptions this season, most in the CFL entering Week 11.
“He’s a good quarterback, he’s got a big arm,” said Ford, who is first in the league with five picks. “I’ll be out there, though. I’ll be waiting on something.”
ROOKIE ON THE RISE
With Joshua Cephus, Kaion Julien-Grant, T.J. Luther, Austin Mack and Brendan O’Leary-Orange, the Elks have a wealth of talented receivers at their quarterbacks’ disposal. In fact, eight different players have already caught a touchdown for the Green and Gold this season, the latest being Carter Kettyle, who scored his first CFL TD on a six-yard pass from Taylor Powell in Montreal last week.
“It’s a moment you dream of when you’re a young kid, so it’s cool,” the 22-year-old said. “Obviously the circumstances weren’t great, we would have liked to get out of their with a win, but all in all a pretty cool experience that I’ll remember forever.”
The 21st overall pick in the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft, Kettyle was a weekly highlight reel during his standout U Sports career at the University of Alberta. He’s proving a quick study in the CFL, and showed he’s ready to make plays if his number is called on Saturday.
“It’s a long season: we’re just about half way, and it’s (already) more than a U Sports season, so I’m getting adjusted to that for sure,” the Grande Prairie product said. “But all in all, it’s been a great experience. I’ve been having a lot of fun, I’ve been learning a lot. There’s a lot of really smart vets around here, I’m picking their brain every day.”
COMMONWEALTH STADIUM FORTRESS
Commonwealth Stadium is quickly becoming one of the CFL’s toughest venues for visiting teams again: At 3-1, Edmonton owns the West Division’s best home record this season.
Ready to lay the smack down.#GoElks | @GoodwillAB pic.twitter.com/iQr2KtlsEK
— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) August 10, 2026
Going back to last season, the Elks have won seven of their previous nine contests at Commonwealth Stadium. Their last home game, versus Saskatchewan on Aug. 1, saw well over 30,000 fans in attendance, as the Green and Gold opened the upper bowl for the first time since 2023.
“We’re going to keep building,” said Kilam, who praised Edmonton’s fans after his team went toe-to-toe against the champs two weeks ago. “The only thing I can control is how we play on the field, and so I’m going to keep my focus on that, but I know there’s a lot of people working behind the scenes, and hopefully the fans felt like they had a little bit of excitement (in Week 9) and a good game to watch.”
Edmonton has won its last two home games against the Argos, including a 28-20 victory exactly one year ago to the day, on August 15, 2025.