Just when you think the Edmonton Elks hit rock bottom, they bring out their shovels and dig a hole even deeper. After one brutal mistake, the Elks start the season 0-5 for the first time since 1965.
In the most respectful way possible, the CFL is a different type of football. Only in Canada would a score be 1-0 after the first quarter. That was the story between the Edmonton and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-1) in Week 5. Let me catch you up to speed on this slow moving game:
Up until the final minute, I was counting blades of grass on the field instead of watching the ball. But then, the Riders added some much needed excitement by tying the game 11-11 as the clock winded down near the end.
Roughriders tie it with just over a minute left in the 4th! pic.twitter.com/V5yjnLCW8p
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 7, 2023
Once Saskatchewan earned its first lead of the game, Brett Lauther kicked off and sent the pigskin flying to the endzone and past Elks returner C.J. Sims.
The rookie, who likes long walks on the beach, took a stroll to retrieve the ball stranded. As Roughriders' stormed towards him, the play ended up in the Elks conceding a single point.
If you don’t watch CFL, you may not understand how this is the wrongest thing you could have done in a tie game.
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) July 7, 2023
Saskatchewan wins on a rouge.
pic.twitter.com/4F4V2ExqOj
I'm changing the phrase from "a deer in headlights" to "an elk in headlights." In case you don't know, there's no touchbacks in the Canadian league. Sims literally would've been allowed to kick the ball out of the zone to prevent the error.
Not a single soul thought to scream at him telling him to get the ball out of there? Edmonton has one more thing to add to the checklist that features finding a starting quarterback, ending its 19-game home skid and now, teaching your players the rules of the game.
What are they saying here? Wrong answers only. #CFL pic.twitter.com/4CZm3KZbrW
— Josie Costigan (@josiecostigan) July 7, 2023