The Elks Went From Worst to Grey Cup. Edmonton, This Is Your Week.

A year ago, the Edmonton Elks were the worst team in the West. On Saturday night, more than 40,000 people packed Commonwealth Stadium and watched them punch a ticket to the Grey Cup.

Edmonton beat the B.C. Lions 28-16 in the West Division final in front of 40,183 fans, the CFL's largest crowd of the year, according to CBC Sports. (3DownNation put the count at 40,182. We are going with CBC's figure.) Next Sunday, November 15, the Elks play the Montreal Alouettes in the 113th Grey Cup at McMahon Stadium in Calgary. It is their first trip to the championship game since 2015.

How did the Elks go from last place to the Grey Cup?

The numbers are almost silly. CBC called it the greatest year-over-year turnaround in franchise history, from last in the West Division in 2025 to first place in 2026. Edmonton went 7-11 last season, according to an earlier CBC Edmonton report. This year it finished 13-5, after going a combined 25-61 over the previous five seasons, 3DownNation noted.

The Elks had not played a home playoff game since 2015 and had not made the playoffs at all since 2019. They won their last Grey Cup in 2015 against the Ottawa Redblacks. With 14 championships, the franchise is the second most successful in CFL history.

Head coach Mark Kilam, in only his second season, has built a team that wins ugly and wins late. "That's kind of been a calling card of our football team this year," Kilam told CBC in October. "We've been finding ways to make plays late in the game and that's something we take pride in."

What happened in the West final?

Exactly that. The game was tied 16-16 early in the fourth quarter before Edmonton pulled ahead. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 25 of 30 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown and ran 10 times for 84 yards and another score, per 3DownNation. Two of his second-down runs drew rough play penalties against B.C., and the Elks cashed in both times, first with a five-yard Fajardo touchdown run and later with a 23-yard strike to Austin Mack, CBC reported.

Then the defense, ranked No. 1 in the league according to CBC, closed it out. Joel Dublanko forced a fumble, JJ Ross returned it deep into B.C. territory, and Vincent Blanchard's field goal made it 28-16 with three minutes left.

Who stands between Edmonton and a 15th title?

The best team in the league. Montreal finished with a CFL-best 14-4 record and beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33-23 in the East final on Saturday, according to CBC Sports. Quarterback Davis Alexander threw for 373 yards and two touchdowns, and Tyson Philpot, the league's most outstanding Canadian, caught nine passes for 129 yards.

The Alouettes also come in with unfinished business. They reached the Grey Cup last season and lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders while Alexander played through a nagging hamstring injury. On paper, this is the league's top regular season team against its biggest riser. How it plays out on the field is anyone's guess until next Sunday.

Why does this run mean so much to Edmonton?

Because the last few years were rough off the field too. The club spent 75 years as a community-owned franchise before selling to Larry Thompson in 2024, the Edmonton Journal reported at the time. The Journal said the team had lost $16.6 million over the previous five years, and sources told the paper Thompson was advised to expect losses of $3 million to $4 million a year for at least three more years.

Winning has changed the mood fast. The Elks posted by far the CFL's biggest year-over-year attendance jump this season, averaging 22,421 fans per game, a 17.7 percent increase, according to 3DownNation. Saturday was the first time Commonwealth topped 40,000 since September 2019. "I think the energy in the city is what's really struck me," team president Chris Morris said before the game. "You see that people are really getting back behind the team."

Even the rebrand fight has cooled. Owner Deb Thompson has urged fans to set aside grievances over the switch away from the old name and come back for the playoffs, 3DownNation reported. Judging by Saturday's crowd, plenty listened.

Can Edmonton fans still get to Calgary?

Probably, if they move quickly. In early October, Stampeders president Jay McNeil told 3DownNation that thousands of Grey Cup tickets were still available, priced from $280 to $520, with the sections nearest the west end zone lagging behind. "We are going to kill ourselves to get it sold out," he said. An Edmonton team in the final, a short drive down Highway 2, is about the best sales pitch the host city could ask for.

There is also a certain poetry to it. Edmonton's biggest football week since 2015 will end in the home of its fiercest rival. Pack a toque, book the hotel and get loud. Whatever happens at McMahon, this team already gave the city a season it will not forget.