Rinse and repeat: Montreal Alouettes produce yet another statement win against Edmonton (& seven other thoughts)

Who is going to stop this team?

Last week, the Als delivered a statement to the CFL by dismantling the Ottawa Redblacks. If that message didn’t reach everyone, the one they sent on Saturday certainly did.

The Alouettes are the best team in the CFL right now. Montreal left no doubt of that with another dominant victory. What makes it even more impressive is that they did so without defensive starters Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, Wesley Sutton, Mustafa Johnson and Najee Murray, all sidelined by injury.

The Als were superior to the Elks in all three phases of the game. Davis Alexander and Tyson Philpot outperformed Cody Fajardo and Austin Mack, the defence slowed down Justin Rankin while forcing two turnovers, and Montreal’s special teams were far better than Edmonton’s.

Bad decision, better response

This game wasn’t decided in the first half, but a key sequence swung momentum in Montreal’s favour, and they never looked back.

Davis Alexander hasn’t made many poor decisions this season. However, his cross-body throw in the second quarter might have been the worst pass of his CFL career. Trying to extend the play deep in his own territory, he missed his target and Tyrell Ford recorded his second interception of the game.

Cody Fajardo made him pay with a third-down touchdown pass to Joshua Cephus, tying the game at 14.

It didn’t bother Alexander at all. He immediately led a 65-yard touchdown drive to put the Als back in front. He looked composed and unfazed by the interception.

“It is what it is,” he told the media after the game. “It was just about going back to Alouette football from there.”

That’s exactly what he did, finishing the afternoon 22-for-28 for 352 yards, four touchdown passes, one rushing touchdown, and one interception. The Montreal offence looked unstoppable after his mistake, and he put an exclamation mark on his performance with a superb touchdown pass to Tyson Philpot. That marked their third connection in the end zone, as Philpot put up 131 yards.

Next man up

With four starters out, all eyes were on the Alouettes’ defence. Their depth was going to be tested, and Noel Thorpe’s unit answered the challenge brilliantly. In fact, they were the group that impressed me the most.

The defence played one of its best games of the season, forcing two turnovers and limiting Justin Rankin to 62 yards. The running back had torched Montreal earlier this season in Edmonton, accumulating 179 yards, most of them in the second half.

The Alouettes wanted a better performance against him this time around, and they got exactly that. Thorpe’s unit worked in tandem with the offence to build a comfortable lead, ensuring Rankin was never a major factor in the second half.

Tyrice Beverette covered an incredible amount of ground and was rewarded with his first interception of the season.

“It felt really good. I’ve been waiting patiently for this moment all year,” he said after the game. “The sky is the limit for this team. We heard all the doubt because we had all of those veterans out, but we believe in the next man up. Everybody we bring in, we feel we can put them on the field, and they’ll make plays for us.”

“Special” teams winning the field position battle

There has been a clear progression in the Alouettes’ special teams play over the last few weeks, and Saturday may have been their best performance of the season.

It started with DeVonte Dedmon, who energized the crowd with a terrific return that gave the Als possession near midfield. His patience was crucial, as he allowed his blocks to develop before hitting the opening.

Later, Montreal’s punt coverage unit blocked a Jake Julien kick, once again giving the offence the ball near midfield. The Als quickly turned that opportunity into a touchdown.

Another strong Dedmon return later in the half provided yet another short field, leading to another Montreal major.

Those plays were instrumental in helping the Alouettes dominate the field position battle, particularly in the first half.

Theis, Theis, Baby

I wonder how many Travis Theis jerseys have already been sold this season.

As the year progresses, he’s rapidly becoming a fan favourite thanks to his hard-nosed style of play. He’s a joy to watch with his physical running, burst out of the backfield, and ability to break tackles to extend drives.

On Saturday, he rushed for 100 yards on 14 carries and added 41 receiving yards on three catches for yet another impressive performance.

Much too bold

With four defensive starters unavailable, the Alouettes elected to receive the opening kickoff after winning the coin toss. It wasn’t a bad decision considering how quickly their offence tends to get going.

That was once again the case on Saturday. Davis Alexander moved the ball methodically down the field, with Cole Spieker and Travis Theis leading the way. However, a Tyler Snead pass completely derailed the drive.

On a trick play, Snead attempted to connect with Spieker in the end zone, but the ball was intercepted by Tyrell Ford. It was a pass he never should have thrown. Spieker was double-covered, especially risky on first down. Snead had plenty of room in front of him and likely could have run for a first down himself.

It was a costly mistake, as the Als appeared destined to come away with at least three points on the opening possession.

You get what you deserve

My Elks thought of the game is directed at head coach Mark Kilam.

To beat the Montreal Alouettes, you need more than field goals. Kilam seemed to understand that when he gambled on third-and-five from the Montreal five-yard line in the second quarter. It paid off with a touchdown pass to Joshua Cephus.

However, I don’t understand why he didn’t make a similar decision on third-and-one deep in Montreal territory with only seconds remaining in the half.

Instead, Vincent Blanchard kicked a short field goal. The Als gladly accepted the invitation to be aggressive. A 56-yard catch-and-run by Tyler Snead quickly helped move Montreal into scoring range, and the Alouettes entered halftime with a seven-point lead.

Had Edmonton converted, the game could have been tied instead.

What’s next?

The Alouettes will now enjoy a bye week before returning to action on Thursday, August 20, against the Ottawa Redblacks. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT.