There will be football in November at Percival Molson Stadium. After two winless games, the Montreal Alouettes got back on track with a 24-12 win against the Ottawa Redblacks, a performance that secured them a home playoff game.
Below are my thoughts on the game.
Another step towards the end goal
After years of misery, the Als are officially back amongst the CFL’s elite. After a Grey Cup last year, they are one win away from hosting the East Final — something they haven’t done since 2012.
The last five games haven’t been convincing but the team keeps achieving small goals en route toward their ultimate one.
Saturday afternoon, the Als faced an Ottawa team looking to book their spot for the playoffs for the first time since 2018. How did they respond? With a defensive masterclass that completely silenced TD Place.
This type of performance has been Alouette football since last year with Jason Maas. When the stakes are high, the team delivers. It isn’t always flashy, but it’s effective.
A defensive domination
After allowing only 19 points last week in Calgary, the Als’ defence showed they have what they need to finish the season strong.
Not only did they limit Ottawa to 12 points but they forced three turnovers, including a 79-yard pick-six by Dionte Ruffin that kicked things off. The Alouettes could have had at least two more interceptions if Wesley Sutton and Kabion Ento had caught a pair of missed passes.
Noel Thorpe’s unit didn’t allow Dru Brown and Jeremiah Masoli to get comfortable in the pocket by applying all types of pressures, the most effective ones being blitzes by the defensive backs.
Uguak is back, Johnson is more effective
After an NFL stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Lwal Uguak returned to the Alouettes this week and played a backup role to Antonio Moultrie.
He saw a lot of action and his impact was immediate. Uguak was able to apply a lot of pressure and Ottawa’s offensive line put a lot of effort into stopping him.
It allowed all-star defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson to have more one-on-one battles that he could win throughout the game. He was more effective, with two knockdowns and a quarterback sack.
The offence struggles
Cody Fajardo and his unit can say a big thank you to the defence for their performance on Saturday night.
The offence never found its rhythm for a second straight game and couldn’t move the ball well enough. There are several issues currently and Fajardo is not the only one. Let’s break it down.
The running game has been an issue for the Alouettes since day one. The offensive line cannot create lanes for Walter Fletcher. Even with extra help, it’s not good enough. It helps the opponent’s defence that they can focus on the passing game and let their pass rushers go to work.
This wouldn’t be as big an issue if the protection was adequate. There are too many one-on-one battles lost by the offensive linemen, along with too many holding penalties. Fajardo is often under pressure and the defence can play more zone coverages as a result. These types of coverages take more time to break through for a quarterback and Fajardo is not able to do it quickly enough.
And then, there is the quarterback play. Fajardo finished 16-of-27 for 226 yards on a second consecutive vanilla performance. He didn’t get in the way of the defence and the special teams, but he wasn’t a big factor either.
He had good moments, including his connection with Charleston Rambo on a 53-yard pass to get Montreal out of their own end. He was also able to use his legs efficiently when needed and showed his courage by playing with an apparent rib/stomach injury.
It is not a one-man problem offensively. Every position group needs to be better to stay on the field longer. After the game, Jason Maas admitted that the team needs to think and find solutions to these issues. For the first time this season, he mentioned that the Als needed to rely on the defence and special teams to win the game.
A complicated situation
Even with the returns of Kaion Julien-Grant and Tyler Snead, the Alouettes’ passing game hasn’t been convincing.
Many fans are asking for a change in the starting quarterback position. Davis Alexander played great football while Fajardo was hurt and showed he could be the future quarterback for the franchise.
It is not as simple as some may believe. Changing a starting quarterback on a team is unlike any other change to the lineup. Fajardo is the uncontested leader of the team. He is the 2023 Grey Cup MVP and Jason Maas wouldn’t be in a good position with his team if he were to make a decision like this one.
Things are going too well right now. The Als are 11-2-1 and Fajardo is part of that success — no matter what some might say.
At this point in the season, it is time to make adjustments to recreate the magic that allowed the team to win the Grey Cup in 2023 and address the offensive issues while picking up the pace for the postseason.
A lot of fans in attendance
The Alouettes were able to fill five buses with fans willing to go to Ottawa and cheer on their team. It might not seem like a lot for other CFL markets but for Montreal, it was. That doesn’t even include the fans who made the trip on their own.
It was possible to hear the airhorns on television and chants of “Ole, Ole, Ole” when the team was about to win. The fans in Montreal are harsh but when the team is having success, they answer.
What’s next?
The Alouettes (11-2-1) will travel to Toronto next Saturday to face the Argonauts 7-7). The kickoff is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
