Some will suggest the Alouettes’ glass is half-full. Others will complain it’s half-empty.
Montreal might have the CFL’s best record, but is it the best team? That won’t be determined until November. But in mid-September, we can state with some certainly the Als are far from a complete team. Are they good enough to defend their Grey Cup title? Time will tell. Are they good enough to reach the championship game again? That depends how they cope with going from the hunter to the hunted.
The Alouettes and Stampeders played to a 19-19 overtime tie Saturday night before 20,187 McMahon Stadium spectators. While there were some positives for the visitors, there also were plenty of negatives.
Montreal trailed 10-0 before it knew what hit them.
Tailback Walter Fletcher fumbled on the Als’ opening offensive play — albeit following a 12-yard run. Four plays later, quarterback Jake Maier connected with Marken Michel for an 18-yard touchdown barely more than five minutes into the game.
The downward spiral continued when James Letcher Jr. fumbled the ensuing kickoff when he inexplicably decided to go airborne on the return. While Montreal held Calgary to a 14-yard René Paredes field goal, they dug themselves a 10-point deficit before the opening quarter was halfway through.
The optimists will state the Alouettes garnered a tie despite being faced with that hurdle. The pessimists will remind everyone Montreal continues to fall behind in games lately — a dangerous contest of Russian Roulette that eventually will catch up to this team.
Montreal was held to two first downs through 15 minutes.
And while the Alouettes appeared to score their opening touchdown on the first play of the second quarter, after Sean Thomas-Erlington blocked and recovered a punt, he ultimately was penalized for roughing the kicker following a review from the league’s Toronto-based Command Centre, which was headed on this night by former referee Al Bradbury.
While the call undoubtedly was correct, we’d like to know how a player can block a punt without making contact on the kicker? Just another only in the CFL moment.
The Alouettes retained their composure and scored the next time they had the ball. A three-play, 68-yard drive was capped by quarterback Cody Fajardo’s three-yard naked bootleg following a 55-yard run up the middle by Fletcher.
But this was a game of missed opportunities by both clubs.
A 12-play, 87-yard Calgary drive that followed was squandered when short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens fumbled at the Montreal two-yard line. The ball was recovered by Avery Ellis.
At the end of the opening half, Maier fumbled after being hit by defensive-back Wesley Sutton. Mustafa Johnson recovered the fumble, returning it 31 yards, only to be tackled short of the end zone as time expired. With better clock management, Johnson would have fallen to the turf, allowing the Als to attempt a field goal. He also could have kicked the ball into the end zone and hoped it was recovered by a Montreal player for a touchdown.
The Alouettes continue struggling to stop the run. Stamps tailback Dedrick Mills had 12 carries for 80 yards in the first half alone and, while Montreal contained him somewhat better following the intermission, he still finished with 122 yards on 21 carries.
The Als simply seem unable to alter this recurring trend. And with only one sack on Maier, they continue to struggle getting to quarterbacks. Fajardo was sacked three times and is getting hit too frequently.
The Fajardo touchdown was the only one scored by Montreal despite the return of receivers Kaion Julien-Grant and Tyler Snead from injuries. The Alouettes have been held to three offensive touchdowns in their last two games and 42 points overall. That simply isn’t good enough and puts too much pressure on an overworked defence.
The Als produced a modest 16 first downs and 292 yards’ net offence against Calgary. Montreal ran only 44 offensive plays and had the ball for a mere 22 minutes, 27 seconds.
Give Montreal kudos for this: Trailing 13-10 with 1:24 remaining in regulation time, Fajardo moved his team to the Calgary 34, setting up Jose Maltos‘ 42-yard field goal as time expired, sending the game to overtime. Maltos earlier kicked a season-long 53 yarder and has proved to be more than capable after replacing the injured David Côté.
The teams traded field goals through the two overtime periods. But, in the first session, Charleston Rambo was open in the end zone. However, Fajardo was late with his throw, allowing cornerback Demerio Houston time to recover.
And how might this game have gone had Stevens not fumbled? Or had Paredes not missed two long field goal attempts from 51 and 52 yards — the first striking the left upright.
Montreal was playing the West Division’s last-place team with the Stamps on a four-game losing streak. Good teams are supposed to take advantage of weaker clubs.
The Alouettes have now gone nine games on the road without losing, dating to last season, and their 10-2-1 record by far the CFL’s best. But Ottawa (8-4-1) lost earlier Saturday at Hamilton and remains four points behind Montreal heading into next Saturday afternoon’s showdown at TD Place. The Redblacks have yet to lose at home this season, going 6-0-1.
While Montreal remains undefeated on the road (5-0-1), the team’s in the midst of a three-game road trip.