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CALGARY – Ball security is in the spotlight ahead of Monday’s Labor Day game between the Edmonton Elks and Calgary Stampeders.
Edmonton (8-3) led the CFL this season in turnovers forced with 33, including 17 interceptions, and cashed in with 103 points.
“Our defense runs the ball and our offense capitalizes on scoring points…which is the difference in a lot of games,” Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo acknowledged on 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 committed 26 turnovers, including 15 interceptions, for 83 points.
“If you go to the box score, which nobody does anymore, but if you actually do, and you just look at the turnover ratio, that usually tells you who won the game,” Stampeders coach and general manager Dave Dickenson said.
“I always say that this is the most important statistic in sports. It doesn’t necessarily apply to us this year, but I think it is the most important thing.”
Edmonton’s plus-14 turnover ratio tops the league ahead of Calgary’s plus-11, but Fajardo also cited his team’s 19 errors.
“I feel like if we could protect the ball a little better in the fumble game, our turnover ratio would be even better,” Fajardo said.
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The turnover battle is one piece of the board in a chess match that pits Calgary’s league-leading points-per-game average of 36.9 against an Edmonton defense that allows a league-low average of 25.4 per game.
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Calgary hosts Edmonton in its 44th consecutive Labor Day game at McMahon Stadium.
The Elks are coming off a bye week chasing their third straight win after wins over the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Edmonton, which will host a home playoff game for the first time in more than a decade, aims to stay atop the West Division and edge out the chasing Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Stampeders are looking to climb out of the divisional basement and remain in contention for the post-season.
“This game means a lot to a lot of people,” said Elks head coach Mark Kilam. “For us, it’s a division game, which is important. It’s the next game on our schedule, which is important, and Calgary is standing in our way.”
After losing four games this season by four points or less, the Stampeders rolled to a 28-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 13 with quarterback Josh Love picking up his first win as a starter.
Vernon Adams Jr. missed the game after suffering a head injury on Aug. 13 in a loss to the BC Lions. He trained this week and got the green light for Monday.
“No worries, I feel confident,” Adams said. “I just have to play my game, get the ball to these guys, let them do the rest, keep the guys on the sidelines motivated, and yeah, that’s it.
“We understand the urgency we’re facing right now. We control our own destiny. We just have to keep playing our game, controlling the ball, putting together these wins. If we do that, we’ll be fine.”
Dedrick Mills scored Calgary’s game-winning 49-yard touchdown against the Ticats with 29 seconds remaining.
The CFL’s leading rusher in 2025 needs 126 yards for a second straight season of 1,000 yards or more.
Edmonton’s Justin Rankin (791 yards) is also in the hunt for the title behind Winnipeg leader Brady Oliveira (956), Mills (874) and Montreal’s Travis Theis (831).
“Every setback we come up 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 come out here and compete and then at the end of 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 25,000 career yards. Fajardo and Adams, each 10-year CFL veterans, played their first Battle of Alberta on Labor Day last year in their first season with their respective teams.
Both quarterbacks said Sunday that the Hornets’ traditional flyover of two CF-19s before the game felt unique.
“You know when you see the flyover, you’re playing in a big game, and that means a lot to us players,” Fajardo said.
Elks receiver TJ Luther (hamstring) will not play Monday and quarterback Kenny Logan Jr. will not play. (knee) remains on the injured list for the third straight game.
Stampeders wide receiver Reggie Begelton, who hasn’t played since June of last year due to a knee injury, practiced for the second straight week, but the 33-year-old veteran was not activated for Monday’s game.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2026.
© 2026 Canadian Press
