Ball security was in the spotlight ahead of Monday’s Labour Day game between the Edmonton Elks and Calgary Stampeders. Edmonton (8-3) has led the CFL this season in forced turnovers with 33, including 17 interceptions, and cashed them for 103 points. “Our defence is taking the ball away and our offence is capitalizing scoring points . . . which is the difference in a lot of games,” Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo acknowledged Sunday. “We know in this league, and I’ve been in this league long enough, if you win the turnover battle, you have a chance to win.” Calgary (5-6) has forced 26 turnovers, including 15 interceptions, for 83 points. “If you open up a box score, which nobody does any more, but if you actually do, and you just look at the turnover ratio, usually that’s going to tell you who won the game,” said Stampeders coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I’ve always said it’s the most important stat in sports. Hasn’t always held true for us this year, but I think it’s most important.” Edmonton’s turnover ratio of plus-14 topped the league ahead of Calgary’s at plus-11, but Fajardo also pointed to his team’s 19 fumbles. “I feel like if we would protect the ball a little bit better in the fumble game, our turnover ratio would even be better,” Fajardo said. The turnover battle is one of the board pieces in a chess match that pits Calgary’s league-leading 36.9 average points per game against Edmonton’s defence that’s allowed a league-low average of 25.4 per game. Calgary hosts Edmonton in a 44th straight Labour Day game at McMahon Stadium. The Elks coming off a bye week chase a third straight win after victories over the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Edmonton, on track to host a home playoff game for the first time in over a decade, aims to stay atop the West Division and ahead of the pursuing Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Stampeders want out of the division basement and to remain in contention for the post-season. “This game means a lot to a lot of people,” Elks head coach Mark Kilam said. “For us, it’s a divisional game, which is important. It’s the next game on our schedule, which is important, and Calgary standing in our way.” After losing four games this season by four points or less, the Stampeders eked out a 28-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 13 with quarterback Josh Love earning his first victory as a starter. Vernon Adams Jr. sat out the game after sustaining a head injury Aug. 13 in a loss to the B.C. Lions. He practised this week and got the green light for Monday. “No concerns, I feel confident,” Adams said. “I just have to play my game, get these guys the ball, let them do the rest, keep the guys encouraged on the sideline, and yeah, that’s it. “We understand the urgency that we have right now. We control our own destiny. We’ve just got to keep playing our game, owning the ball, stack these wins. If we do that, we’ll be OK.” Dedrick Mills scored Calgary’s winning touchdown against the Ticats on a 49-yard rumble with 29 seconds remaining. The CFL’s leading rusher in 2025 needs 126 yards for a second consecutive season of 1,000 yards or more. Edmonton’s Justin Rankin (791 yards) is also in the hunt for a rushing title behind Winnipeg leader Brady Oliveira (956), Mills (874) and Montreal’s Travis Theis (831). “Every running back we play against, I want to be the best in the league,” Mills said. “Don’t get me wrong, Rankin is a great guy, Brady is a great guy. We all feel the same way about ourselves. We all feel like we’re the best. “We just go out here and compete and then at the end the year we always see who’s number one, number two, number three. It’s a competition for us.” Fajardo needs 226 passing yards for a career 25,000. Fajardo and Adams, each 10-year CFL veterans, played their first Battle of Alberta on Labour Day last year in their first seasons with the respective teams. Both quarterbacks said Sunday the traditional pre-game flyover of two CF-19 Hornets felt unique. “You know when you’re seeing a flyover that you’re playing in a big game, and it means a lot to us players,” Fajardo said. Elks receiver T.J. Luther (hamstring) won’t play Monday and linebacker Kenny Logan Jr. (knee) remained on the injured list a third straight game. Stampeder receiver Reggie Begelton, who hasn’t played since June of last year because of a knee injury, practised a second straight week, but the 33-year-old veteran wasn’t activated for Monday’s game. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2026. Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
