Edmonton Elks Beat BC Lions 28-16 in West Final to Reach First Grey Cup Since 2015
Cody Fajardo passed for 274 yards and ran for 84 more at Commonwealth Stadium as Edmonton pulled away from BC in the fourth quarter to set up a Grey Cup meeting with Montreal in Calgary.
Key points
- The Edmonton Elks beat the BC Lions 28-16 in the CFL West Final at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on Saturday, November 7, 2026, and advanced to the Grey Cup for the first time in 11 years.
- Quarterback Cody Fajardo drove the win.
- BC led 9-6 at halftime.
The Edmonton Elks beat the BC Lions 28-16 in the CFL West Final at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on Saturday, November 7, 2026, and advanced to the Grey Cup for the first time in 11 years. Edmonton will play the Montreal Alouettes, who beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33-23 in the East Final earlier on Saturday, in the 113th Grey Cup on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, with kickoff at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Quarterback Cody Fajardo drove the win. He completed 25 of 30 passes for 274 yards and one touchdown, and he rushed 10 times for 84 yards and one touchdown, leading Edmonton on the ground as well as through the air.
BC led 9-6 at halftime. Sean Whyte kicked field goals of 13, 29 and 42 yards for the Lions, while Vincent Blanchard kicked field goals of 21 and 48 yards for Edmonton in the first half.
Fajardo puts Edmonton in front
Edmonton took the lead in the third quarter. A 15-yard run by Fajardo, a rough play penalty against BC and a 13-yard pass to Austin Mack set up a five-yard touchdown run by Fajardo, the first touchdown of the game, and a 16-9 Edmonton lead.
BC answered at the start of the fourth quarter. Nathan Rourke ran for a touchdown 37 seconds into the quarter to tie the game 16-16, after four straight completed passes that included a 33-yard pass to James Butler.
Edmonton closes it out
Blanchard put Edmonton back in front with a 46-yard field goal at 3:15 of the fourth quarter, for a 19-16 lead, after another 15-yard Fajardo run and a second rough play penalty against BC. Joel Dublanko then forced a key fumble, J.J. Ross added a long return, and Fajardo threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Mack for a 25-16 margin.
The finish came late. Justin McInnis fumbled after a pass reception and Ross returned the ball to the BC 20. Three plays later, Blanchard kicked his third field goal of the night to give Edmonton a 28-16 lead with three minutes left, and BC could not answer.
A turnaround season reaches the final
The crowd was 40,182, the largest crowd in the CFL this season. Edmonton finished the regular season 13-5 after going a combined 25-61 over the previous five years and last reaching the postseason in 2019. The club went from last in the West Division in 2025 to first place in 2026, the greatest year-over-year turnaround in franchise history. Edmonton last played in the Grey Cup in 2015, when it defeated the Ottawa Redblacks, and the club holds 14 CFL championships, the second most in league history. BC lost the West Final for the second year in a row and the fourth time in the past five years.
Timeline
- Nov 7, 2026BC leads 9-6 at halftime at Commonwealth Stadium, on three Sean Whyte field goals against two by Vincent Blanchard for Edmonton.
- Nov 7, 2026Cody Fajardo scores on a five-yard run in the third quarter, the first touchdown of the game, for a 16-9 Edmonton lead.
- Nov 7, 2026Nathan Rourke ties the game 16-16 early in the fourth quarter, then Edmonton scores 12 straight points, capped by Blanchard's third field goal, to win 28-16.
- Nov 15, 2026Edmonton plays Montreal in the 113th Grey Cup at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, at 6:00 p.m. ET.