Elks Clinch Home Playoff Game With Win Over Tiger Cats

Three fourth-quarter touchdowns propelled the Edmonton Elks to a 27-12 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night, October 9, 2026, securing Edmonton a home playoff game for the first time since 2015. The Elks improved to 12-4, while Hamilton fell to 5-12 and was eliminated from playoff contention.

Cody Fajardo, Zach Mathis and ShunDerrick Powell scored in the fourth quarter as Edmonton outscored Hamilton 20-9 in the final period. According to the game statistics, Fajardo completed 16 of 25 passes for 229 yards and added a rushing touchdown.

Mathis delivered the decisive defensive play at 10:43, returning an interception 48 yards for a touchdown. The second-year receiver intercepted a pass from Hamilton punter Nik Constantinou that was intended for Tyler Ternowski.

Hamilton briefly reduced the deficit when Isaiah Wooden returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown at 11:22. Harrison Frost's pass to Kiondre Smith failed on the two-point conversion attempt, leaving the Tiger-Cats trailing 21-12.

Powell sealed the result with a five-yard touchdown run at 14:36 after Hamilton turned the ball over on downs at its own 26-yard line. Edmonton's defense and special teams helped preserve the lead despite Hamilton's late response.

Fajardo said Edmonton had ambitions beyond securing home-field advantage for its opening playoff game.

"We have an end goal that's bigger than just hosting a playoff game," Fajardo said. "We've got to find a way like we did tonight.

"That's a good Hamilton team, their record doesn't show how good they are. We had an uphill battle offensively but we made the plays when we had to and our defence did a great job."

Edmonton remained atop the West Division ahead of the B.C. Lions, who entered Friday at 9-6. A loss by the Ottawa Redblacks, who were 0-15 before their game against B.C., would leave Edmonton needing to win one of its final two regular-season games to secure first place and home-field advantage for the West Division final on November 7.

Reflecting on the late scoring swings, Fajardo acknowledged that Edmonton still had work to do despite the victory.

"I don't think I've been part of two plays that have been so high and then so low in all my years playing football," Fajardo said of Mathis' interception return and Wooden's kickoff touchdown. "We've got to clean some things up at the end of the game to really put the game away.

"People can poke holes in it all they want and figure out, 'They didn't play this, that and the other.' But we're winning games and we're 12-4. We're a damn good football team and we know when things get close, we can win football games."

Fajardo also stressed that the team needed to improve before the postseason rather than rely on its record.

"The reason why is I don't think we're playing our best football," he said. "We're winning games but I told the guys going into this week it's not about the team with the best record at the end of the year.

"It's about the team playing the best football and so we have two games to do that."

Head coach Mark Kilam credited Edmonton's ability to make decisive plays late in games. The victory completed a second consecutive win over Hamilton after the Elks prevailed 37-35 in double overtime on September 26.

"That's kind of been a calling card of our football team this year," Kilam said. "We've been finding ways to make plays late in the game and that's something we take pride in."

Edmonton entered the 2026 season after finishing last in the West Division with a 7-11 record the previous year. Kilam said the team's turnaround reflected contributions throughout the organization.

"It's reflective of the hard work of a lot of people in that organization, not just the football team," Kilam said. "We have our sights set higher."

Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich said his team struggled to establish its running game and protect the quarterback in the first half. The Tiger-Cats attempted to adjust after halftime but could not overcome Edmonton's late scoring surge.

"It felt like we got whipped in the first half," Milanovich said. "We struggled to establish the run game, I didn't think we gave the quarterback a lot of time to throw.

"Obviously we made some adjustments at halftime … but that's a good team and we didn't play very well offensively or on special teams."

Frost finished with 21 completions on 36 attempts for 221 yards, according to the game statistics. The teams combined for 18 punts, including 10 by Edmonton, in a contest that featured limited offensive production for much of the night.

Edmonton opened the scoring with a 13-yard field goal by Vincent Blanchard at 13:38 in the first quarter. Blanchard added a 26-yard field goal in the second quarter, while his single before halftime gave the Elks a 7-0 lead.

Hamilton's Marc Liegghio made an 18-yard field goal at 11:58 in the second quarter and a 37-yard kick at 6:56 in the fourth. Fajardo's one-yard touchdown run at 4:47 in the final quarter extended Edmonton's advantage before the late scoring sequence.

Edmonton will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, October 16, before facing Saskatchewan on October 24. Hamilton has a bye week before hosting the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday, October 24.