Elks look to keep playoffs hopes alive on Saturday vs. Riders – Edmonton

Two weeks ago the Edmonton Elks were one of the hottest teams in the CFL having won five of their six previous games. It put them one point back of the Riders for third place in the West Division and four points back of the second place B.C. Lions.

Fast forward to the present and two straight losses later. The Elks playoff hopes are hanging by a literal thread.

The Elks look to stay alive on Saturday night when they host the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium.

The team trails the Riders by five points for third place in the West with three games to play. It also trails the B.C. Lions by six points for second place. The Elks own a tie-breaker advantage over the Lions having won the season-series. Simply, the Elks have to win their final three games and hope for some help. A tall task for the Elks who started the season 0-7. No team in CFL history has made the playoffs after such a start.

Elks quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson on the Riders defence, the chemistry he’s built with Eugene Lewis, and re-grouping after a blowout loss to the Bombers last week which severely damaged the team’s playoff hopes

Elks head coach Jarious Jackson says the team’s players are not hiding from the fact they are no longer in control of their playoff destiny after back-to-back losses to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“They understand where we are, we tried to control our own destiny but ran into a brick wall in Winnipeg the last two games and now we need some help,” Jackson said. “All we can do is control what we can control and focusing on this game and doing our best to win the last three games. I’ve told the guys it’s a three-game season for us, so let’s just focus on Saskatchewan.”

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Elks interim head coach Jarious Jackson on the impact the returns of running back Javon Leake and defensive back Darrius Bratton will have on his lineup on Saturday as they host the Riders

Saturday marks the third and final meeting of the season between the Elks and Riders with the teams having split their first two meetings. The key matchup will be the Elks number one ranked rushing attack vs. the Riders number one ranked rush defence. The Elks average 125 rushing yards per game while the Riders are giving up a league-low 80 yards per game. Elks running back Justin Rankin has recorded back-to-back 100 yard rushing games and has 266 yards in his last two games with an incredible 9.5 yards per carry average. The ground attack has accounted for 41 per cent of the Elks offence over their last eight games.

The Elks will have another running back in their lineup on Saturday as Javon Leake returns after missing the last two games with a thigh bruise. Fellow running back Kevin Brown will come off the roster. Defensive back Darrius Bratton will return to the starting defensive lineup after missing last week’s game in Winnipeg with a knee injury. Defensive Jalen Green will come out of the lineup and will be placed on the practice roster. Elks sack leader Noah Curtis won’t play on Saturday for non-football related reasons. Curtis has six sacks on the season, linebacker Olivier Muembi will come off the practice roster and will play on Saturday.

The following are the projected offensive and defensive starters for the Elks:

Offence

Quarterback: McLeod Bethel-Thompson

Running back: Justin Rankin (FB: Jakub Szott)

Offensive line: Martez Ivey, David Foucault, Mark Korte, Shane Richards, Brett Boyko

Receivers: Eugene Lewis, Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Zach Mathis, Tevin Jones, Dillon Mitchell

Defence

Defensive line: Daniel Joseph, J-Min Pelley, Shawn Oakman, Elliott Brown

Linebackers: Nick Anderson, Nyles Morgan, Derrick Moncrief.

Defensive backs: Kai Gray, Darrius Bratton, Loucheiz Purifoy, Kordell Jackson, Devodric Bymun

You can hear Saturday’s game between the Elks and Riders on 630 CHED starting with Countdown to Kick-off with Courtney Theriault at 3:30 p.m. The opening kick-off from Commonwealth Stadium 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. Former EE offensive lineman Gord Hinse will provide analysis from the Elks sidelines.

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