The city of Edmonton is in a rare contender window.
Connor McDavid and the Oilers are the third choice to win the Stanley Cup at +850 odds at FanDuel.
Cody Fajardo and the Elks are one win away from completing one of the most unlikely Grey Cup runs in recent memory.
One city, two titles in play, and almost nobody saw this week’s championship opportunity coming back in June.
The Elks were +1900 to win the Grey Cup at FanDuel entering Week 1 of the regular season – the longest odds of any of the CFL’s nine teams.
That number is down to +140 as the underdog versus the Montreal Alouettes for Sunday’s season finale in Calgary.
For perspective, only four CFL teams that were +1000 or longer to win it all entering Week 1 have gone on to reach the Grey Cup dating back to 2010.
Only one of them went on to win it all.
The 2017 Toronto Argonauts were a +1500 longshot to win the Grey Cup before Week 1 and went on to beat the Calgary Stampeders that season.
The 2015 Ottawa Redblacks had the longest preseason odds to win the Grey Cup of any team to reach the final at +2000 but ultimately lost the Grey Cup to Edmonton.
Can the Elks pull off one final surprise in the Grey Cup?
Let’s take a closer look at the matchup for the 113th Grey Cup in Calgary in this Morning Coffee column for Wednesday November 11th, 2026.
Can Elks Complete Historic Run With Grey Cup Win?
The biggest key to Edmonton’s success isn’t a secret.
The Elks led the league in points allowed, total yards allowed, and interceptions this season.
That Edmonton defence came up big again when they held Nathan Rourke and the BC Lions to 16 points in the CFL Western Final.
Now they are set to face their toughest test of the season versus Davis Alexander and the Alouettes offence in the biggest game of the year.
Montreal went wire-to-wire as the Grey Cup favourite.
Alouettes head coach Jason Maas didn’t take any chances with Alexander’s health when he made the decision to rest him over the final couple of weeks of the season.
Alexander looked just fine in a 33-23 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL Eastern Final.
The CFL’s regular season most outstanding player threw for 373 yards and two touchdowns and scrambled for 25 more yards with his legs.
Slowing down Alexander and the Montreal passing attack will be difficult for the Edmonton defence.
With little room for error, there will be that much more pressure on Cody Fajardo and the Elks offence to step up.
Fajardo did exactly that in the CFL Western Final.
The veteran QB threw for 274 yards and a touchdown.
More importantly, Fajardo didn’t turn the ball over, plus he ran for 84 yards and a score.
Austin Mack registered six receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown on seven targets.
Joe Robustelli stepped up with six receptions for 79 yards, with 41 of them coming after the catch.
Edmonton led the CFL with a plus-23 turnover margin.
Montreal ranked a close second with a plus-21 margin.
When the Elks rushing attack stalled against the Lions, it was Fajardo who led Edmonton with 84 rushing yards.
There’s no doubt he’s going to need to make some plays with his legs again to give the Elks a shot versus the Alouettes in the Grey Cup.
He’ll also need to protect the football and move the chains to limit the number of opportunities Alexander gets against the Edmonton defence.
The Elks don’t need to a win a shootout.
They need to win with a clear edge in time of possession, mistake-free football on offence, and some key plays by a defence that has done it all season.
It certainly won’t be easy.
Montreal can win with offence and defence, and no team has been more consistent all season.
After falling short in last year’s Grey Cup after Alexander was injured, the Alouettes have waited all year for this one shot at redemption.
The city of Edmonton has two teams that can win a title this season.
Only one of them was supposed to be in a championship conversation when their season started.
The other is four days away from a shot at a potentially historic Grey Cup win in Alberta.
Can the Elks beat the odds one more time on Sunday?
I can’t wait to find out.
On Remembrance Day, a quick word for the people who made opportunities like this possible.
Sunday’s game in Calgary is entertainment.
The freedom to watch the game, talk about the game, and enjoy the game is not.
A special thank you to all of you that have served.