The Edmonton Elks may have kept themselves in the playoff race with a 25-20 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday night, but a decision not to push for points on the final drive could still lead to their downfall.
Bombers suffer early season loss to Elks A win by at least 13 points was needed in Week 19 to tie the season series. And there’s a chance to control the playoff tie-breaker. However, the team decided not to take a shot in the end zone while leading by five points at the end of the game and decided to punt the ball on third-and-2 from the Winnipeg 42-yard line with 10 seconds remaining.
That decision has led some to question whether the team was short-sighted in its game management, favoring immediate safety over long-term setbacks.
“Totally valid point, because at a certain point at the end of the game we had (the tie-breaker),” head coach Mark Killam said of the criticism, citing his team’s 25–10 lead at the end of the third quarter.
“We thought about it. It was always, ‘We have to win first.’ We’ve got to do the right things to win games, and then if we can take control of it late and try to make sure we keep it, let’s do that. Winning was most important. I’m glad we got the dub.
Quarterback Cody Fajardo appeared to disagree with the decision as he walked off the field on third down, with the broadcast showing him pleading with his head coach to do so. Once they got the ball back, the Blue Bombers prioritized defending the season series rather than winning the game, abandoning a Hail Mary that could have been picked up and returned for points in favor of a simple, low-risk draw game.
Had the Elks been able to score a touchdown on their final drive and tackle the ensuing two-point attempt, they would have needed to win just one more game than Winnipeg over the last two weeks to qualify for the playoffs. This is because in the event of an even season series between teams tied in the standings with the same point differential, the next tiebreaker is their divisional record.
The Bombers are currently 3-6 against West Division opponents with one game remaining against Saskatchewan. Edmonton sits at 3-5, but will play both BC and Calgary in the next two weeks. If the points were in their favor, a single loss for the Bombers would send them to the postseason if they won, and only one win would be needed if Winnipeg lost.
Now, the only way for the Green and Gold to advance is if they win both of their remaining games and the Bombers lose both of their games. This takes his fate completely out of his hands, but it doesn’t make Saturday’s result any worse for Killam.
“It’s just a big team win,” he said. “Sometimes not the prettiest, but finding a way against a good football team in all three phases and keeping hope alive.”
The Elks (7-9) will visit the BC Lions (9-7) for their final game on Friday, October 17 at 10:30 pm EDT, but they could be eliminated by the time they take the field as the Bombers (8-8) will face the Saskatchewan Roughriders (12-4) at 8:00 pm EDT.
