Article content So much for being on a roll, huh? You couldn’t find a hotter team in the Canadian Football League than the Edmonton Elks a week ago, winners of five of their previous six with a date with destiny coming up. Make that a double date, coming off back-to-back wins over the rival Calgary Stampeders to sweep the annual Labour Day Series for the first time in 20 years to climb out of the basement of the West Division standings, in style, before facing none other than the division-leading Winnipeg Blue Bombers in similar home-and-away fashion. And the Elks had an incredible runway to gain speed, with a bye week in between to make for 13 full days of rest leading up.
But instead of spreading their wings and soaring to heights not seen around here since before COVID-19 shut down the entire 2020 season, the Elks crashed and burned in a 27-14 letdown that may very well have knocked them off course in their painstakingly long-awaited playoff pursuits. Of course, the Bombers were no slouches themselves, coming in on a five-game win streak that they extended to six, with a chance to now make it seven in a row to match the same-but-opposite losing skid the Elks fumbled out of the gates with to start the season. Winnipeg would become the first team in the West Division to clinch a playoff spot with a win in front of the home crowd Friday (6 p.
m., TSN, 630 CHED) at Princess Auto Stadium. That would put them at the top of the five-team heap with a 9-6 record and three games re.
