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Edmonton Elks Javon Leake (22) is tackled during CFL action against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday, August 1, 2026, in Edmonton. Photo by Greg Southam /Postmedia

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In the West, the last-place B.C. Lions are 0-1 against Saskatchewan and have yet to face the Alouettes. The Calgary Stampeders are 0-1 against Saskatchewan and 0-2 against Montreal. And the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have yet to face either of the division leaders.

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Collectively, that means the rest of the league is 1-8 (or .111 win percentage) against Montreal and Saskatchewan, compared to Edmonton’s .500 record in the head-to-head against last year’s Grey Cup contestants.

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Don’t consider it an excuse. More of a reality check, while serving as a reminder at the same time that the Elks still have work to do if they want to run with the CFL’s big dogs.

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There is one difference I have begun noticing now compared to when the Elks were on their run of winning six of seven.

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Last week against Montreal, Elks head coach Mark Kilam appeared to be playing extra safe, deciding to kick rather than gamble on a couple of short-yardage scenarios.

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One led to a red-zone field goal, which didn’t drain nearly as much momentum as a punt on third-and-one that got blocked and turned into a touchdown on Montreal’s ensuing series. That made for the potential of an 11-point swing on the scoreboard that was all the Alouettes needed to take control.

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What it looked like was an Elks squad that had begun believing in its own hype, as opposed to the one that came into the season playing like a team with nothing to lose.

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Sometimes when the stakes are high and you’re on a roll, the best thing to do is blow on those dice and keep sending them down the table.

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MONTREAL, QUE.: August 8, 2026 — Edmonton Elks defensive back Tyrell Ford (30) chases Montreal Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander (10) during 1st half CFL action in Montreal on Saturday, August 8, 2026. Photo by Allen McInnis /Montreal Gazette

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The difference between a 7-3 record and 6-4 is bigger than it looks on paper. Especially when that 6-4 started out a pretty 6-1.

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But the Elks won’t benefit from putting that sort of pressure on themselves at this point in the proceedings.

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No matter how well things started off this season, they were always going to run into adversity. Just how badly they end up digging themselves in will be determined Saturday. But it was always going to happen at some point here in this turnaround season.

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The thing to remember is progress is a much better goal than perfection.

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Proving to themselves they have the ability to bounce back after losing two in a row could end up benefitting them more down the stretch than if they never ended up meeting that challenge head-on.

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Bad things will happen. The only question is what are you going to do about it. Cinderella never got her fairy tale ending without getting a little soot on her face, after all.

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The difference between now and the past five years is the adversity didn’t come right out of the gates this time. And that’s a credit to the club’s continued on-field development. But a strong start doesn’t mean anything if a team doesn’t learn how to also bounce back when things don’t go their way.

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Expect big things from Elks defensive back Tyrell Ford this week.

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Tied for the league lead alongside Calgary’s Ben Labrosse with five interceptions, the Edmonton ballhawk will get a chance to feast on the offerings of Chad Kelly this week.

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While the Argos quarterback sits in third place behind Edmonton’s Cody Fajardo in passing yards, Kelly has also thrown a league-high 13 interceptions in eight games.

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While the rest of the field hears the opening whistle, Ford will be tying on a bib for the dinner bell.

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