It was bound to happen. After playing with fire for several weeks, the Montreal Alouettes dropped a second game this season, this time 37-23 against the B.C. Lions.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Another slow start
The Als had a slow start against the Riders and the Elks but found a way to come back and win those games. That was too much to ask on Friday night against a Lions team that came ready to respond to everything the Als were throwing at them.
The first B.C. drive ended with a touchdown, a 38-yard run from David Mackie on third down that should have never exceeded a yard. The whole drive seemed too easy for the visiting quarterback, Nathan Rourke, who distributed the ball well.
The Alouettes offence had no response for the whole first quarter and although an interception temporarily cooled off Rourke, the Lions took a 10-point lead into the second.
Some very good and some very bad
Middle linebacker Darnell Sankey told 3DownNation earlier in the week that the defence needed to come ready to play and get their assignments right for 60 minutes of good football, which hasn’t been the case lately.
Friday night, the Als’ defence couldn’t get the Lions’ offence off the field. Noel Thorpe’s unit allowed 304 yards passing, 188 yards rushing and, more importantly, 37 points. The first time B.C. punted was at the end of the third quarter.
For most of the night, Rourke had the time to find his receivers and the Als’ defensive line was unable to apply constant pressure. He was excellent but could have been bothered more. Thorpe didn’t blitz much with his defensive backs, but he should have, as the best plays came from this type of pressure.
William Stanback didn’t miss his return to Montreal either, as he totally dominated his former teammates. He ran with authority, including a beautiful 38-yard rushing touchdown where he manhandled Titus Wall.
“We gotta make sure we play within the structure of the defence,” Wall told 3DownNation. “Execution, effort, that’s it. It’s not about them, it’s about us”
This game did have bright moments as the Als intercepted Rourke three times and forced a fumble. Although the fumble was controversial, it helped Montreal get back on track before the half.
Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund had his best game since joining Montreal. The Canadian defensive end was everywhere in the backfield, causing chaos around Rourke. He finished the night with two sacks and six tackles.
All those plays should have been enough to win the game, but the Alouettes’ offence didn’t capitalize, and the defence wasn’t consistent enough.
The no-comfort zone
This game wasn’t a good one for Cody Fajardo on many levels. The quarterback finished 27-of-37 for 247 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, but never took off in this contest.
He did have to deal with the absence of star receiver Austin Mack, who got injured on the last day of practice. After the game, Fajardo acknowledged that it played a role in the offence’s performance, though it should be noted that Mack had only been in the lineup for one game this year.
The Lions’ defensive line was also relentless, causing many problems for the Als’ protection. Fajardo was constantly under pressure and couldn’t step up in the pocket to deliver deep balls.
Overall, it just wasn’t a good enough performance against a talented B.C. defence that came to compete. The quarterback couldn’t lead long drives or capitalize on the multiple opportunities offered by the other units, which included one possession inside the visitors’ red zone that quickly turned into a two-and-out and an onside kick recovery that ended with a Joseph Zema single.
Every time they happened, those failures to convert cooled down a sellout crowd that was heavily involved in the game.
A boxing match slowly lost (ft. Jason Maas’ boldness)
A good analogy for this game is a boxing match between two talented fighters — with one throwing heavier punches than the other.
The Als made multiple successful bold plays and could have flipped the game, but the Lions didn’t flinch. The four turnovers created by the defence should have been a spark but the Als only scored thirteen points off those turnovers. On the ensuing drives immediately after their mistakes, the B.C. offence scored 20.
Jason Maas was forced out of his comfort zone and gambled on multiple occasions to flip the game in his favour. Every time, the strategy worked, but the visitors had a response.
It started with a gamble in the last seconds of the first half. Instead of taking the three points, Maas kept the offence on the field and Cole Spieker caught a beautiful throw for the touchdown. However, on the opening drive of the third quarter, Fajardo fumbled the ball, which led to three points for B.C.
Then, Maas went for it on third-and-three deep in Lions’ territory relatively early in the fourth quarter. Jose Barbon made a great catch to extend the drive and the Als scored a major shortly after. On the ensuing kickoff, Jose Maltos executed a great onside kick that gave back the ball to Montreal.
It would have been perfect timing for the Als to take control of the game, but Fajardo couldn’t connect with an open Jose Barbon and the team was forced to punt. The Lions always had an answer in this game. In the end, it was too much for the Als to handle.
Perfect timing
A loss in front of a sellout crowd is not ideal for the organization, but it might be the best thing that could’ve happened to the team.
In the last weeks, the Als have been able to survive slow starts, but they couldn’t this week. Even with a postseason berth already clinched, the team needs to start playing Alouettes football for 60 minutes if they want to finish first in the division and host a home playoff game. This should be a wake-up call.
What’s next?
The Alouettes will travel to Calgary to take on the Stampeders on Saturday, September 14. The kickoff is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
