The Edmonton Elks are taking their 2-5 record to BC Place this weekend to take on the 5-1 Lions. Edmonton has only managed two wins so far this season, those were against the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats which have a combined record of 5-8. The BC Lions have been impressive in 2022, with the CFL’s top offense. The Lions and Elks met in week 1, with BC taking the victory by a whopping score of 59-15. @TheBrysh has rated the Edmonton Elks as the “bottom of the totem pole” since the pre-season, the BC Lions have consistently placed in the top 3 and currently sit in the 3rd position.
The BC Lions
The BC Lions offense is on fire this season, scoring an amazing 34.7 points per game. Lions QB, Nathan Rourke, is still considered by many to be the best passer in the CFL with a 124.7 QB Rating. Rourke also leads the league with almost 324 yards passing per game, and a TD/Interception ratio of 16:6. BC has a dangerous trio of WR’s in D Rhymes, K Hatcher and L Whitehead. These three receivers have combine for over 800 yards and 8 touchdown so far this year. All three are long-ball threats, and Hatcher busted a 71 yarder against the Ottawa Redblacks in week 4. The rushing game for BC is decent with RB James Butler gaining almost 400 yards and 3 TD’s, QB Rourke contributes with 208 yards and 4 TD’s of his own.
Defensively, the BC Lions are solid, allowing only 20 points per game. The Lions appear to be a bit weak against the run, with most of their tackles being picked up by defensive backs and linebackers. Against the pass BC shows more promise with 5 players credited with multiple QB sacks this year, and 3 players with multiple interceptions.
The Edmonton Elks
The Edmonton Elks have only scored 131 points in 7 games this year, an average of less than 19 per game. The defense, on the other hand, has allowed 244 points, an average of 34.9 per game. It doesn’t take a mathematician to realize that Edmonton is as weak as the BC Lions are strong, both on offense as defense. Edmonton has an incredible challenge trying to fill the quarterback position with any consistency. QB Tre Ford has been in and out of the lineup with injuries, appearing in only 3 games. QB’s Taylor Cornelius and Kai are obviously not the solution. Between the 3 players, they have completed only 67 of 113 passes, less than 60%, and less than 800 total passing yards.
Defensively, Edmonton does not have any stand out run stopping tacklers, and only two players with more than one QB sack. The Elks do not have a single player with more than one interception, and not a single forced fumble.
Game Prediction
This game is “tailor made” for BC’s high octane offense, as they will take advantage of Edmonton’s lack of defensive pressure, and their inability to take possession from the opponents. QB Nathan Rourke will have all day to pick targets and easily have a 300 yard game without interceptions. The Edmonton Elks do not have reliability in their passing game, and their 2 top RB’s have less than 125 yards rushing total each. Edmonton’s offense is “tailor made” for BC’s defense. Edmonton has managed to “eke” out victories against Montreal and Hamilton, but only by an average of 2.5 points. The BC Lions will manhandle the Elks, and @TheBrysh predicts a landslide triumph of 36-11.
Written by: Jack Cameron @TheBrysh
