Tiger-Cats Hang In Until the Bitter End, but Playoff Hopes Are Now Out of Reach

It went down to the wire…and past it. On a night of laudable Ticat resilience and many successful plays, one more, two at the most, were all that was needed.

But this is the Ticats’ 2026 season when not enough has gone right and too much, starting with Bo Levi Mitchell’s season-curtailing injury, has not.

Scratching and clawing, and bouncing back as if their lives depended upon—which, metaphorically speaking, playoff-wise, they did—the Cats finally succumbed in the 3rd overtime 37-35 to the Edmonton Elks, who moved a step closer to clinching first place in the West at 11-4 while the Cats, at a mirror-image 4-11, were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with three games to play. It was their first loss in seven games at Commonwealth Stadium, but their fifth loss in a row since they beat West powerhouse Saskatchewan in mid-August. Things looked like they were on the upswing after that heady win over the Riders, but an anticipated rebound in the season’s second half has never materialized.

Because Calgary beat winless Ottawa 45-31 Saturday, there will indeed be a west-to-east crossover in the first round with one of Calgary, Winnipeg, BC, or Saskatchewan travelling to either Montréal or most likely, surging Toronto for the one-game “East” semifinal.

In an improbable final half-hour or so when both teams looked ready to lock up the victory, but could not quite accomplish it, the Edmonton Elks finally broke through in the new shootout format, after the two usual short-field overtimes each resulted in both teams having to kick field goals to preserve a tie.

But after the Ticats missed their first chance in the two-point convert shootout on an incompletion, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo hit Joshua Cephus for the winning touchdown.

“Heartbreaking,” Cats quarterback Harrison Frost, who went 17 of 34 for 214 yards, two TDs and a pair of interceptions (one on a two-point convert attempt), said softly afterward. “We were first and goal at their four-yard line in the second overtime and had to settle for a field goal. Two passes where I wish I’d thrown a better ball. In the third overtime, maybe I might have had the flat open.

“But I’m proud of the guys; we fought back. We were down by nine points at one point in the third quarter and battled back to lead. Our receiving corps is great and the offensive line had to adjust in the game and really gave me a lot of protection.”

The Ticats had to recalibrate their defence going into the game with two starters, defensive tackle Miles Fox and shutdown corner Jamal Peters, on the injured list and recalibrate their offence during it when speedy receiver Keric Wheatfall re-injured a lower body tweak he’d incurred during the practice week and tackle Trevor Reid went out with an upper body injury.

“I think we did some things to be proud of but not enough of them,” said Ticat offensive lineman Liam Dobson. “We’d like to have a couple of plays back and we’d be a lot happier than the position we’re in.

“Probably there’s a word for what this feels like but I don’t know it. The way this team is, though, we feel there are still three games to be played. The season is not over and that’s the way we have to attack it even though there’s a sad finality—if that’s the word—to this.”

As head coach Scott Milanovich had requested all week, the Cats came out strong and led 10-3 in the first quarter with Frost going 5-for-6 and Larry Rountree III churning up yards, including a 39-yard touchdown burst off tackle. He had 91 yards on 13 carries overall and was dominant at times in his highest-production game since the second week of the season.

“But it doesn’t matter at all what you do personally when you don’t win,” a subdued Rountree said. “It was all about getting Ws, and we didn’t get one. No matter how close we came.”

The defence gave up a lot of yards but made a number of big plays to hold the prolific Elks to just one touchdown but their 400-plus yards of net offence, including overtime, led to a career night for Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard who hit on all nine of his field goal attempts, including the two in overtime. It was the most ever in a CFL game—the previous high was eight, done five times by four different players—and shattered the Edmonton franchise mark by three.

Hamilton’s Marc Liegghio was 5-for-6, his one miss from 50 yards with under five minutes left. But with just 53 seconds remaining he gave the Cats a three-point lead, which they couldn’t hold, and hit twice in overtime.

That last field goal in regulation came after SAM linebacker Reggie Stubblefield continued his outstanding season with a spectacular diving interception deep in the Elk zone with just two minutes left in regulation and the home team leading by three points. When Kenny Lawler then took a pass-and-run 18 yards to the Edmonton 11, it appeared that Stubblefield’s pick was about to be anointed as the biggest play of the season.

“I thought so too,” said Milanovich. “I thought we'd go down and score a touchdown and the game would be over, but give Edmonton credit. They fought back with 45 seconds left and got a field goal and then beat us in overtime.

“There are no words to make it feel any better in that locker room. But I’m proud of them. I thought they competed their hearts out.”

After Frost-to-Lawler put the Ticats in position to use the clock and either score a TD or kick a last-play chip shot field goal to win, the Cats ran the ball for only four yards then chose to pass instead of run at second-and-six. The pass was tipped and went incomplete, which necessitated a field goal attempt and ultimately that go-ahead drive did not eat up enough time, especially when the Elks’ Montrell Washington ran the ensuing kickoff back 37 yards.

“I wish I could have got that screen to Kenny that got batted down with a minute left,” Frost said. “I’ve got to find a way to navigate that throw. It was a great call against that coverage but the incompletion stopped the clock too.”

Frost said he will use the remainder of the season “to try to get the team wins and for myself to become more consistent. It’s been getting a bit better, but then I have lulls like the second quarter, and you can’t have that.”

The Ticats did not make a first down in the second frame, after 10 in the first. There was also a second-quarter interception (J.J. Ross) when Frost and Ternowski miscommunicated, the receiver turning outside as the pass was dealt inside.

“We were fighting for a playoff, we were fighting for our season,” said Stubblefield, who has to be an All-CFLer this year. “But we did make mistakes in all three phases of the game. Still, we kept fighting, we kept giving ourselves the chance. And to lose like that really hurts because I know every single person in that locker room, every player’s story. I know why guys decided to suit up for this team. I know what guys are doing for their family, their friends, themselves. And just to lose like that, it hurts because our season is over.

“But I'm still proud of everybody. I love everybody within this organization so going through things like this is so tough. But we just have to learn from it and just be better.

“When we got the ball (after his pick), being a vet in this league, I have the experience that the games are never over in the CFL, but I felt that the running game was going well and that they would kill the clock and we'd probably get the opportunity to have a walk-off.”

But it didn’t quite work out that way, like too many games this season.

Edmonton’s next opponent is also Hamilton, on Oct. 9 at Hamilton Stadium, but that’s after a bye week. The Ticats will visit winless Ottawa on Friday night.

Milanovich, who had indicated after last week’s flat loss to the Alouettes that players are playing and coaches are coaching, for their jobs, said he hadn’t thought about how he and his staff will approach the final month (three games and a bye) of the schedule. He still has 48 hours to consider that and in the emotionally-devastating shadow of official playoff elimination, Saturday night was obviously not the time.

CATS CLAUSES: Isaiah Wooden III had a 39-yard punt return and a 34-yard kickoff return to set up good Ticat field position. The Ticats’ only sack came from DE Mitchell Agude … Kenny Lawler had 4 catches for 40 yards and his two excellent patterns to the right side put the Ticats into position to win in the second OT but they could not punch it in and had to settle for a game-extending field goal …When Keric Wheatfall went out with injury Tyler Ternowski and Myron Mitchell got more time at WR. Ternowski scored his first touchdown of the season on a tenacious 31-yard-catch-and-run on a scorching Harrison Frost throw and Mitchell, who had a turnover with a lost fumble on a punt return, atoned with a couple of big catches and stretched the field but was overthrown a couple of times … With his 21-yard catch that he powered in for a TD, Kiondré Smith reached 833 yards and needs 167 more to get to his second straight 1000 yard season … SAM LB Reggie Stubblefield was simply outstanding with 6 tackles to tie with DE Phil Ossai and strong side CB Devodric Bynum for the most on either team, and making the late diving interception that should have led to a win … strong side halfback Quavian White was also solid in his return to the lineup, closing quickly for tackles … DE Julian Howsare and CB Zamari Walton, who moved to the strong side when Jamal Peters went on the injured list, had pass knockdowns … Ticat backup FB Daniel Bell was a late scratch with an injury. He leads the Cats with 15 special teams tackles including at least one in the last 8 games … LB Jayden Griffiths who played for Ottawa last year and signed onto Hamilton’s practice roster Aug. 5, moved onto the active roster for the game … Edmonton QB Cody Fajardo was 32-for-37 for 298 yards and 1 interception in the lengthy game … Edmonton had 448 in net offence to 312 for Hamilton … the Elks’ Montrell Washington had 206 combined return yards on punts, kickoffs and the one missed Ticat field goal and added another 40 yards on 3 catches for 246 all-purpose yards ... Elks RB Justin Rankin had 74 yards in 11 carries after just 3 yards on 3 carries in the first quarter and his backup ShunDerrick Powell had 52 yards, 48 of them on back-to-back carries … QB Cody Fajardo carried 6 times for 28 yards and a TD …WR Zach Mathis caught all 5 passes thrown his way, 3 on second down, for 75 yards, and teammate Austin Mack was also a force on second down and made 7 catches overall for 61 yards … former Ticat Brendan O’Leary-Orange had 6 catches for 38 yards … Noah Taylor had the Elks’ only sack and LBs Nick Anderson and Joel Dublanko had 5 defensive tackles … Elks CB Tyrell Ford, Tre Ford’s brother, made an interception on a 2-point convert attempt, which turned out to be a huge difference on the scoreboard … The Ticats had 6 penalties for 35 yards and the Elks had 9 costly flags for 92 yards, with many more yards nullified because of the infractions … Attendance was 20,086