The run game, while moderately successful last time out, could be key to the Edmonton Elks’ success on Friday. That’s because the rushing defence of their visiting opponent, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, sits last in the Canadian Football League. It has allowed an average of 128.4 yards a game over Winnipeg’s 2026 campaign thus far, well behind next-worst Ottawa (117.9) and Calgary (117.3); B.C. boasts the CFL’s best run defence, averaging 64.6 yards against per game. Edmonton rushers average 109.1 yards per game, good for middle-of-the-pack fourth among CFL teams. The West Division-leading Elks (7-3) and the Blue Bombers (5-4) will kick off their Week 12 games shortly after 7 p.m. It’s the second of three regular-season meetings between the division rivals this year, Edmonton having come out on top in Winnipeg in Week 4. They’ll square off again at Commonwealth Stadium on Oct. 16. Elks head coach Mark Kilam said Tuesday that using the ground game to grind down the opponents’ defensive line is a part of his team’s offensive strategy. Leading Elks rusher Justin Rankin, while he averaged just 2.9 yards a carry against the Argonauts, led the way with 16 attempts. “It’s definitely part of it,” Kilam told reporters after practice. “It plays into the mindset that we have offensively of just trying to be physical at all times.” And that’s partly important heading into Friday’s game, given that the Blue Bombers’ front four features two all-star-calibre linemen in Willie Jefferson and Jake Ceresna. “By the fourth quarter, when you’re handing the ball off and (the run attempts total is up to) 20 carries, that’s when I think it helps you take over,” Fajardo said. Another important part: the passing game, of course, and spreading the ball’s distribution among receivers. Five Elks caught 47 yards or more on Saturday against Toronto, including Rankin, who led the way with 61 yards on four catches. “There are multiple ways to get playmakers to football. I think that’s what’s key,” Kilam said. “We try to get the running game going every week. To do that, you have to have attempts, so that’s part of it. You have to have plays. You’ve got to stay on the field, which we did at times.” The Blue Bombers are coming off a win themselves, a game in which their own leading running back, Brady Oliveira, was a threat on the ground and through the air when he gathered 154 all-purpose yards in a 33-21 win last Friday over the Ottawa RedBlacks.
