For the first time in 11 years, the Edmonton Elks are back on the CFL's biggest stage.
Under second-year head coach Mark Kilam, the Elks went from finishing last in the West Division in 2025 to a first-place finish this season, and now are one win away from bringing a 15th Grey Cup to the city of Edmonton.
"You walk into Safeway (a supermarket chain) and get stopped 10 different times because people are so excited about the football team again," Kilam said Wednesday during the Grey Cup coaches news conference. "That's what you take pride in, that's what you draw the emotion from, that we've inspired belief in the football team again."
The pride is back, but the job's not finished, and the last task ahead of Kilam's club is a tall one.
The Elks will take on the Montreal Alouettes in Sunday's Grey Cup at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, a team that finished with the best overall record in the league this season and is led by 2026 Most Outstanding Player Davis Alexander.
It won't be easy, but if they want to do it, here are some keys for the Elks to win their first Grey Cup since 2015:
Limit Alouettes' big plays
This may seem like an obvious one, but if you ask any CFL team this season, it's easier said than done.
There was a reason Alexander took home the league's top award this season, as he finished second in both passing yards (5,257) and touchdowns (35) despite not even suiting up in Montreal's final two games of the season.
He has had a knack for the spectacular play ever since he took over the starting job in Montreal, made even easier by the spectacular weapons around him.
University of Calgary product Tyson Philpot led the league in both receiving yards and touchdowns en route to winning 2026 Most Outstanding Canadian, while his WR partner in crime Tyler Snead equalled his touchdown total and finished second in yards.
That kind of one-two punch out wide puts a lot of pressure on defences, but the Elks have to find a way to keep Philpot and Snead in front of them.
When these two teams last met in the regular season back in August, a game which Montreal won 48-30, Philpot and Snead combined to haul in 15 catches for 277 yards and four touchdowns.
If the stat lines are similar on Sunday, that won't bode well for Edmonton's chances.
So how do they stop Alexander and the Alouettes' passing game?
It starts up front.
Pass rushers Malik Carney and Noah Taylor both finished with double-digit sacks this season, and must find a way to create havoc in the backfield and put constant pressure on Alexander.
Do that, and the Elks should have more than a fighting chance.
Pound the rock to dominate time of possession
While pressure will be important, the best way to limit Alexander's ability to break the game open is to just simply keep him off the field.
That's where the Edmonton rushing attack will be key.
The Elks led the CFL in rushing yards per game this season with 127.6, which is a big reason why they also finished with a league-best 31:23 time-of-possession average.
Elks running back Justin Rankin finished second in rushing yards this season behind Winnipeg's Brady Oliveira, and also led the league in runs of 20-plus yards with 11.
When Rankin got banged up this season, that allowed backup RB ShunDerrick Powell to show his stuff, as the two have now formed a dominant rushing attack by committee.
And let's not discount the rushing ability of 34-year-old Elks QB Cody Fajardo, who will be taking on his former team that he led to a championship in 2023.
Fajardo led all quarterbacks in rushing yards this season with 517 and was the Elks' leading rusher in their 28-16 win over the B.C. Lions in the West final.
Edmonton has all the tools to limit the number of times Alexander gets his hands on the ball, now it's about going out and executing that game plan.
Win the turnover battle
The first two keys may not matter at all if the Elks lose the turnover margin, it's as simple as that.
Thankfully for the Elks, their defence was the best in the league this season at making a possession-swapping play.
Edmonton created a league-high 53 turnovers this season, led by the CFL's interception leader Tyrell Ford, who picked off seven passes.
Working against the Elks is the fact that they are facing a quarterback who was particularly good at hanging onto the ball this season, as Alexander finished with just four interceptions over his 527 regular-season passing attempts.
But all the Elks need is one.
And if Fajardo and Co. can protect the ball on their end, a 1-0 win in the turnover department could be all Edmonton needs to see green and gold confetti fly at McMahon Stadium on Sunday.
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