CFL Week 12 Recap: 1,415 Days

It happened. It finally happened. The Edmonton Elks won a home game in the 2020s.

Week 12 of the 2023 CFL season ended with the Edmonton Elks hosting the lowly Ottawa Redblacks, who entered the week in the bottom of the East Division. The Elks were coming off finally getting their first win of the season against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but that was in Hamilton. There was one thing they had to take care of still: winning a home game for the first time in this decade. They actually trailed after the first quarter, but the good news, it was only 1-0. The Elks found the end zone in the second quarter, and after that, they never looked back. Edmonton racked up the points while all Ottawa could muster was two field goals and a second rouge. The offense did wake up a bit late in the game, but it was too little, too late for the Redblacks.

The Elks won, 30-20, ending their 22-game home loss streak. 1,415 days. That's how long they went without a home win. October 2019 was the last time, which was their final season as the Edmonton Eskimos. This was before the pandemic hit. That's how long this was. Even grander for the Elks: it's back-to-back wins. Absolutely amazing.

Week 12 began in Winnipeg (or as I love to call it, "Jericho Country"), as the Blue Bombers faced the Montréal Alouettes in a game that was over in the opening kickoff. The Alouettes didn't have a chance in hell, as they ended up blasted, 47-17, in a game that pretty much cemented that the Bombers have their groove back. That result pleased this Argos fan, as the Alouettes are our closest competition in the East. What also pleased this Argos fan was seeing the Boatmen beat the Calgary Stampeders--the team who handed us our one defeat this season. It was a drag 'em out, back and forth affair, which is pretty normal for the Argos, who went on to win, 39-31, and draw further away from the Birdies.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats were looking to wash the stench of their embarrassing home loss to the Elks, and boy, did they! A 30-13 win over the BC Lions in Vancouver definitely did the trick. What happened to the Lions? It looked like they would rule the West Division, but as of late, they've been slipping big time. The standings tell the story.

Entering Labour Day Weekend, here's how things stand. In the West Division, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are 9-2, while the BC Lions dropped to 7-4 with their home loss. The idle Saskatchewan Roughriders remain at 5-5, the Calgary Stampeders drop to 3-8, and the Edmonton Elks are now one game behind their provincial rivals at 2-9. The Lions have dropped three of their last four to fall further behind the Bombers, but the team in real danger is the Stampeders. While one of their three wins happens to be against the Argonauts, the Horsemen are having a terrible season. They could actually end up behind the Elks if things don't improve.

In the East Division, the Toronto Argonauts improved to 8-1, while the Montréal Alouettes dropped to 6-4. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats improved to 4-6, while the Ottawa Redblacks continue to sink at 3-8. Hamilton needed that win to get over that bad home loss, and not only did they get the W, they picked up a game on the Alouettes. They are two games behind Montréal for second place in the East Division, and second place means home field in the Division Semifinal.

Week 13 is Labour Day Weekend, featuring the usual rivalry matchups. The BC Lions and the Montréal Alouettes will kick things off on Saturday, September 2, followed by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday, September 3. Labour Day Monday (September 4), per usual, will feature the Battle of Ontario (Argonats @ Tiger-Cats) and the Battle of Alberta (Elks @ Stampeders).

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