The Edmonton Elks remain mathematically in contention for a playoff spot, but even an eternal optimist like Cody Fajardo can see the writing on the wall after their latest defeat.
“I’m dejected, so is everybody in that locker room,” the quarterback told the media on Saturday. “It’s hard because we’re running out of time, and I think we’ve got to win out just to give ourselves a chance.”
The Elks fell 29-27 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 16, dropping them to 5-9 on the season. Edmonton took the lead with under five minutes remaining, but went two-and-out on their next opportunity to ice the game and allowed the Ticats to march down the field for a 41-yard winning field goal as time expired.
It was a familiar feeling for the Green and Gold, as they succumbed in almost identical fashion in a game against the Toronto Argonauts up the QEW a week prior. In fact, the team has been on the losing end of four one-score games this season.
“The unfortunate thing is, if you look at our year on the entirety, we’ve given (up) too many games in the last two minutes, last three minutes of the game. This could have been a whole different season if we find a way to win those games, but we didn’t, and now we’re in a tough spot here,” Fajardo said.
“Feels like Groundhog Day — just another East trip, another walk-off field goal. A lot of things I felt like I could have done better just to help the team out, but at the end of the day, players just need to make plays with the game on the line — myself included.”
With the loss, Edmonton sits in fifth place in the West Division, two games back of both Winnipeg and B.C., who currently possess the final two playoff spots. The Elks face each team head-to-head once more before the season is through, but are currently winless against both rivals and have already lost the season series to the Lions.
Slipping into the postseason would require winning all four remaining games, while seeing at least one of those Western opponents drop three. They’d also need Toronto to lose at least one of their last four to create the possibility of a crossover spot, and Ottawa to remain in the CFL basement.
Fajardo knows his team can bounce back after a bad loss, but acknowledges that may not be enough.
“We’ve responded well every time we’ve been gutted. It’s just, how many times are you gonna get gutted before you don’t get back up?” the former Grey Cup MVP mused. “But I don’t think that’s the mentality in that locker room. That’s definitely not me. I’m a guy who’s gritty, gonna fight, toughness. I’m gonna get up every time and wipe it clean from my mind after 24 hours, and then start preparing for Sask.”
Fajardo is one of the reasons that the Elks still have any hope at all, as he took over the starting job from Tre Ford after a 1-4 start. In his first season with Edmonton, the 33-year-old has thrown for 2,459 yards, 12 touchdowns, and three interceptions, while rushing for 228 yards and five majors.
He says he’ll continue to set a positive example for the other members of the team, no matter how difficult things get.
“I show up to work with a smile on my face, which it’s hard to smile right now. I’ll show up to work, the sun’s gonna come up tomorrow, but I’m gonna sulk for the 24 hours. It’s gonna be a brutal road trip back,” he said.
“You play for a lot of pride. You play for your family, you play for the city. That’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna try and go out there and give everybody who believes in me every right and every reason to continue to believe in me.”
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