Everything was set up for a great night for the Montreal Alouettes. After securing the East Division before even stepping into the BMO Field, the Als needed to play one last game before heading to a bye week — their last of the regular season. However, it is with a bittersweet feeling that Jason Maas’ team will leave Toronto, after losing 37-31 to the Argonauts in a bizarre game.
Below are my thoughts.
Milestone after milestone
Since 2019, the Als have been slowly turning the page on miserable years for the franchise. After making the playoffs, hosting an East Semi-Final, and winning a Grey Cup, the “Moineaux” will now host an East Final for the first time since 2012. Thank you to the Riders for their win against the Redblacks, which secured a game at Percival-Molson Stadium on November 9.
This team continues to achieve milestones and is hungry for more. However, the organization needs to find its magic again.
Exposing offensive inconsistency
The Alouettes’ offence hasn’t been good enough for several weeks. The unit survived the Stamps and the Redblacks, but couldn’t deliver when the stakes were high against the Argos after another slow start.
Montreal’s first six drives went as follows: punt, touchdown (10-yard pass), punt, fumble, punt, punt. That’s not good enough.
Cody Fajardo couldn’t keep his offence on the field and put his defence in trouble by not getting enough first downs. The Als’ quarterback finished the night 20-of-29 for 225 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
However, Fajardo showed his fighting spirit again when the team needed to return from behind. Down 19-7, he connected with Cole Spieker twice to give the Als new life. Then, down by eight in the fourth quarter, he threw a beautiful ball to Reggie White Jr. to set up the tying score.
However, more was needed, as he couldn’t deliver a game-tying or game-winning drive when time was expiring. If the team hadn’t started so flat, the story might have been different.
There is currently no constant synergy between Fajardo and his receivers. Whether throws are inaccurate or receivers are not running the right routes, something is off and it must be addressed.
Exposing the run defence
Another issue for the 2024 version of the Montreal Alouettes has been the run defence. Just like William Stanback a couple of weeks ago, the Argos running backs exposed this defensive issue for Noel Thorpe’s unit.
“Exposed” here is a polite word. It was a complete domination by the Argos’ stable of runners, who combined for 234 yards on the night. The gaps just weren’t being filled well, as defensive back Wesley Sutton admitted on the Alouettes’ post-game show. Against arguably the best offensive line in the CFL, it was the worst possible timing for such a performance.
The defence has been the most consistent unit since the beginning of the season. It is the backbone of the team and it can be damaging for the whole team when it doesn’t perform at the expected level.
That was the case Saturday night, and while both the special teams and the offence had good moments, it wasn’t enough to compensate for being run all over.
Ruffin keeps making plays
On the bright side, Montreal limited the Argos to field goals for the vast majority of the game. The secondary answered the bell when they needed to contest the ball with the receivers in scoring position, which caused a lot of problems for Chad Kelly.
Dionte Ruffin continued his hot streak with an interception for a second straight game. This time, it wasn’t returned for a touchdown but it was almost as good as a pick-six because the Als scored a major on the ensuing play.
If Montreal is able to stop the run, the secondary will do the job of keeping opponents out of the end zone.
Special teams finally special
If there is one encouraging trend for the Alouettes, it’s the performance of the special teams.
The punt and kickoff return coverage was almost perfect against Deonta McMahon and Janarion Grant, while James Letcher Jr. scored a touchdown on a 100-yard punt return of his own. The gap seemed too small even for him, but he found a way to explode up the sideline to score an important touchdown for his team.
Losing the magic, losing the aura
At the end of last season, nobody stopped the Als, no matter how hard they tried. They won their last five games plus the three playoff games needed to capture their eighth Grey Cup title.
While the 2024 season started with the same feeling, magic has been running out and the winning aura has been fading week after week.
It is not time to panic yet, but many questions will require answers in the upcoming weeks. In the CFL, it’s not how you start the season that’s important; it’s the momentum you create come playoff time. Currently, the Als don’t have any and it’s concerning.
A great opportunity
Although the Argos came out victorious in this game, they might have helped the Alouettes in the long term. This loss should be a reality check for Montreal and serious issues need to be addressed before the East Final.
This is a great opportunity for the Als to look themselves in the mirror and have a fresh start against the Redblacks in two weeks. Unlike the Argos in 2023, who had smooth sailing before the East Final, the Als won’t have any excuse to rest their best players in the last few games. That might be a good thing for the team.
What’s next?
The Alouettes are off to a bye week before facing the Ottawa Redblacks on Thanksgiving Day. The kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, October 14.
