It’s a Sunday night matchup to end Week 12 of the CFL season featuring two of the hottest teams in the league – the Edmonton Elks visit the Alouettes at Molson Stadium in Montreal.
The Elks have won three straight games and have put some distance from their 0-7 start as they look to climb the standings of a very crowded West Division.
The Alouettes have won four straight and, in addition to being the defending Grey Cup champions, they currently have the best record in the CFL at 9-1.
A win Sunday would give the Elks their first four-game win streak since the 2017 season. The offence and some timely turnovers from the defence and special teams have led to the Elks’s turnaroud. They sit third in the CFL in turnover ratio at plus-five. Over the three-game win streak, the Elks have scored 14 offensive touchdowns, averaged 40.7 points per game, and averaged 439 yards of offence per game.
Sunday’s game is a matchup of the two highest-scoring teams in the CFL with the Elks first in the league (29.6 per game) and the Alouettes second (28.8 per game). Defensively, the Elks have struggled allowing the third most points in the CFL (28.5 per game) compared to the Alouettes who have allowed the second-fewest points in the league (21.5 per game).
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Elks quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson on the challenges of facing the Montreal Alouettes defence led by D.C. Noel Thorpe
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The Elks will need to slow down quarterback Cody Fajardo who returns after missing the last four games with a hamstring injury. Fajardo has 1,636 passing yards throwing 10 touchdown passes to four interceptions and leads the CFL in completion percentage (77.5%).
The Alouettes will have 2023 CFL and East Division All-Star Austin Mack back in the lineup. Mack returned from a stint with the Atlanta Falcons. He recorded 1,154 receiving yards for the Alouettes last season.
The Elks are dealing with more injuries. Running back Javon Leake is out with a hip injury and is on the one-game injured list. Kevin Brown returns after missing the last three games with a shoulder injury to make his first start since July 28. He will look to maintain a strong rushing attack which has produced 199.3 yards and has scored eight touchdowns over the three-game winning streak.
Elks interim head coach Jarious Jackson on what he’s looking for with Kevin Brown returning to start at running back after sitting out the last three games
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Safety Loucheiz Purifoy suffered a quad contusion in practice on Wednesday and has been placed on the one-game injured list. Offensive lineman Phil Grohovac has been placed on the six-game injured list with a chest injury. Offensive lineman Jakub Szott will make his Elks debut after signing with the team on Aug. 12. Defensive back Jake Taylor (1-game injured) won’t play because of a head injury suffered last week in Hamilton, while defensive back Jeremie Dominque will play his first game of the season as will fellow defensive back J.J. Ross.
The following are the projected offensive and defensive starters for the Elks:
Offence
Quarterback: McLeod Bethel-Thompson
Running back: Kevin Brown
Offensive line: Martez Ivey, David Foucault, Mark Korte, Shane Richards, Brett Boyko
Receivers: Eugene Lewis, Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Hergy Mayala, Tevin Jones, Dillon Mitchell
Defence
Defensive line: Noah Taylor, Noah Curtis, Shawn Oakman, Elliott Brown
Linebackers: Nick Anderson, Nyles Morgan, Leon O’Neal Jr.
Defensive backs: Kai Gray, Darrius Bratton, Derrick Moncrief, Kordell Jackson, Devodric Bymun
You can hear Sunday’s game between the Elks and Alouettes on 630 CHED starting with Countdown to Kick-off with Courtney Theriault at 3:30 p.m. The opening kick-off from Molson Stadium in Montreal will be at 5 p.m. with Morley Scott and Dave Campbell calling all of the live action. Hear analysis from former Edmonton Football Team offensive lineman and two-time Grey Cup champion Blake Dermott.
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