Bad blood & bad habits: Montreal Alouettes lose again at BC Place (& seven other thoughts)

Bad blood

Last year, these two teams ended up in a brawl after a game in Montreal. It seems things weren’t fully settled because on Saturday night we witnessed, by far, the most heated game of the CFL season after an already tense matchup last week.

It all started once again with Mathieu Betts and Davis Alexander, who got into it early. The Lions defensive end got the upper hand at first with a solid tackle, but then committed a horse-collar tackle that quickly escalated tensions. On the same play, he held onto the Alouettes quarterback as he was trying to get up. Words were exchanged between both teams before officials stepped in to separate everyone.

Things really boiled over in the second half following Christophe Beaulieu’s “fumble” return. Tyson Philpot hit the defender as he stepped out of bounds and then stared him down. Ronald Kent Jr. then came flying in and shoved Philpot to the ground from behind.

“He kept running, so I thought he was still in bounds,” Philpot told 3DownNation after the game. “That’s why I don’t play DB. I guess he was out of bounds. Definitely a cheap shot I received in the back after that.”

In the end, the Alouettes stood their ground and responded every time the Lions tried to intimidate them.

Two worrying trends

As I’ve mentioned over the last few weeks, the Alouettes can’t afford to develop bad habits heading into the playoffs. Right now, two trends are particularly concerning.

First, the Als aren’t playing complementary football consistently enough. In the first half, the defence could and should have made a few key stops.

In the second half, the defence did its job for long stretches, but the offence couldn’t capitalize enough to put more points on the board.

This has to change if Montreal wants to take control of games against top opponents.

The second concern is offensive composure. As much as getting tangled up with opponents and playing with emotion can energize a team, the offence still needs to execute once the whistle blows. There are simply too many mental mistakes right now — especially drops and avoidable errors.

With the playoffs approaching, the Alouettes need to be locked in. That’s not quite what we’re seeing at the moment.

Very bad start

It was hard to imagine a better start than the one the Alouettes had last week. After receiving the opening kickoff, Davis Alexander led a methodical touchdown drive.

This time, the Lions won the toss and elected to receive.

After forcing a quick two-and-out, Montreal’s offence couldn’t do much on its first possession. Sean Whyte eventually opened the scoring with 5:13 remaining in the first quarter, but the Als offence was quickly stopped again and Nathan Rourke responded with a strong drive of his own.

Following a pass interference call that placed B.C. at the one-yard line, the Lions extended their lead to 10-0 late in the quarter. They weren’t done there, however, as Casey Sayles intercepted Alexander and returned it for a touchdown.

In a stadium where the Alouettes haven’t won in over 10 years, with a 10:00 p.m. EDT kickoff, it was critical to keep the game close and low-scoring early. Montreal failed to do that.

A timely stop, please (ft. up-tempo weakness)

It happened in Winnipeg a couple of weeks ago, and it happened again Saturday night in B.C.

As the Alouettes fought their way back into the game with long, productive drives, the defence needed to answer the bell and come up with a stop.

They failed on two golden opportunities.

First, Noel Thorpe’s unit allowed a touchdown immediately after creating one themselves. Later, when the Als closed the gap once more, Nathan Rourke marched down the field and capped the drive with a beautiful touchdown.

The defence played well for most of the second half, but it couldn’t contain Rourke when it mattered most and failed to generate a crucial turnover.

Up-tempo for the response

Davis Alexander explained it perfectly last week. The offence feeds off an early first down and can quickly become difficult to stop once it finds a rhythm.

The unit becomes even more problematic for opposing defences when offensive coordinator Anthony Calvillo shifts into up-tempo mode.

That’s exactly how the Alouettes responded after the pick-six. The Lions eventually ran out of gas on the drive and Tyson Philpot, playing in front of family and friends as a native of Delta, B.C., capped it off with a 26-yard touchdown reception.

An up-tempo approach isn’t sustainable for an entire game, but Calvillo should use it more often, especially to open halves. Alexander appears to thrive in those situations, and it could help the Alouettes establish the tone much earlier.

Dedmon’s injury

DeVonte Dedmon’s returns have become increasingly dangerous, but it would be unfair to give him all the credit. His blocking unit has done an outstanding job of allowing him to reach top speed before taking contact.

On Saturday night, he made the Lions pay with a return that could have been a turning point to start the second half.

However, what looked like a dream night quickly turned into a nightmare when he took a heavy hit to the knee on a punt return. He had to be stretchered off the field.

If the Alouettes lose Dedmon for an extended period, it would be a significant blow given how well he has been playing.

Onside punt

The Alouettes decided to try an onside punt once again.

I was in B.C., and I can confirm that many people in the stands had absolutely no idea what the Alouettes were trying to do.

Personally, I believe the rule needs to be changed. Until that happens, though, it’s a weapon that is available to every CFL team.

The difference is that lately, only the Alouettes seem willing to take advantage of it.

Tyrice Beverette’s game

The brightest spot of the night was Tyrice Beverette’s performance.

In my opinion, he remains one of the most underrated players in the CFL. Week after week, he produces at a high level, and he’s finally starting to receive the attention he deserves.

After recording a pick-six last week, he might have come away with another interception if not for a penalty on Lorenzo Burns.

He also added a quarterback hit that forced a fumble, allowing teammate Mustafa Johnson to score a defensive touchdown.

What’s next?

The Alouettes (10-3) will travel to Hamilton on Friday, Sept. 18 to face the Tiger-Cats. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.