Ottawa's CFL squad had a night to forget as the Redblacks were run over 40-17 by the Edmonton Elks, a result that will sting for a fan base hungry for signs of progress.
Rankin Runs Wild
The story of the game was Elks running back Rankin, who found the end zone three times and repeatedly gashed the Ottawa defence for chunk yardage. Edmonton controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the evening, and once Rankin got rolling, the Redblacks never found an answer. Three rushing touchdowns from a single back is the kind of performance that puts a game out of reach early, and that's exactly what happened here.
A Costly Result for Edmonton, A Painful One for Ottawa
What makes the loss doubly frustrating for Redblacks supporters is what it did for the other side of the standings. The Elks, who hadn't made the playoffs since 2019, used the win to leapfrog the Saskatchewan Roughriders and move into first place in the West Division at 4-1. Watching a team end a half-decade playoff drought at your own team's expense is a tough pill to swallow, and it underscores just how far Ottawa still has to climb in a tightly contested CFL season.
What It Means Back Home
For Ottawa fans who make the trip to TD Place or tune in from living rooms across the city, the result adds to a growing sense of unease about where this Redblacks squad is headed. The CFL season is long, and one lopsided loss doesn't define a campaign, but games like this one — where the opponent's ground game simply overwhelms — tend to expose issues that need fixing before they compound. Ottawa's coaching staff will have plenty of film to review this week, particularly around run defence, which was clearly the difference-maker.
Looking Ahead
The Redblacks will need a quick turnaround if they want to keep pace in the East Division. Ottawa's front office and coaching staff have shown a willingness to make adjustments mid-season in recent years, and a defensive shake-up or renewed emphasis on stopping the run could be on the table heading into the next matchup. For a fan base that's endured plenty of ups and downs, the hope is that this loss becomes a wake-up call rather than a sign of things to come.
Ottawa will look to regroup at home, where crowd energy at TD Place has historically given the Redblacks a lift during rough patches. Whether that's enough to turn things around remains to be seen, but for now, the Elks' dominant rushing attack has Ottawa searching for answers.
Source: Global News Ottawa
