As the leaves prepare to change colour and summer turns to fall, the CFL-leading Alouettes are still in control of their own destiny.
But the defending Grey Cup champions also have uncharacteristically gone two games without a win, losing at home to B.C. before recovering from an early 10-point deficit to tie Calgary on the road last Saturday.
Lurking in the shadow are the persistent Ottawa Redblacks, only four points behind in the East Division, making Saturday afternoon’s game at TD Place critical (3 p.m., CTV, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM). The Alouettes are 10-2-1, while the Redblacks have an 8-4-1 record. The teams appear to be on a collision course to represent the division in the league’s November championship game.
“I’m a firm believer in calling it as it is. This is a big game,” Als quarterback Cody Fajardo said. “It’s almost a must-win game and would put us in a situation where we’re in the driver’s seat at the end of the year. I believe in our team and the work we’ve put in this week.”
This is the second of three successive away games for Montreal, which remains undefeated (5-0-1) on the road. A win also would give the Alouettes the season series against Ottawa before the teams meet at Molson Stadium on Oct. 14. But the Redblacks (6-0-1) are the only CFL team yet to lose at home. Something has to give.
“There’s high implications in this game, and we realize it,” head coach Jason Maas said. “We’re never shy talking about what a game means to us. As the season progresses, those games … their implications are bigger and bigger. Our guys are ready for it. I think we’re going to be a better team this week than we were last week.
“Winning the season series against every team in this league is big at the end of the day,” he added. “That’s the identifiable goal. When you do that you have a good record at the end of the year.”
While safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy will miss a second game because his concussion — although he practised this week — defensive-end Lwal Uguak, the Als’ first-round (seventh overall) draft choice in 2023, makes his season debut after being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No offensive changes were made.
Montreal continues being plagued by slow starts and has constantly been forced to come from behind. The run defence and offensive-line protection also remain areas of concern.
“As a team, we haven’t been playing to our full potential,” middle-linebacker Darnell Sankey admitted. “In terms of being complacent, I don’t think that’s the thing. Sometimes you kind of lose who you are a little bit. We’re the best defence in the league, the best team in the league. We have to come out and start proving it every week.”
Offensively, the Alouettes produced numerous big plays earlier this season. But lately, because they’ve trailed in games, teams are playing more zone defence against Montreal, Fajardo explained. That has meant they have had to methodically try moving the ball downfield, making it more likely an error eventually will occur.
“We need to get off to a better start to have more man-coverage, lower coverage to stop the run and throw the ball over their heads,” Fajardo said. “It’s frustrating when you have to take it one completion at a time. If we can put together some drives early on and score some points, it’ll put pressure on them. It allows us to hit more balls down the field.”
Fajardo also has struggled with his footwork since returning from his hamstring injury. He missed an open Charleston Rambo at the back of the end zone against Calgary last week. Fajardo took a seven-step drop-back, not his usual five, releasing the pass too late and allowing the defensive-back time to cover.
This is Fajardo’s fourth game since returning, and those small, critical errors must cease, he admitted.
The Alouettes, as usual, will face a hostile and noisy crowd with the Redblacks organization announcing earlier this week 20,000 tickets had been sold.
Ottawa will be without linebacker Adarius Pickett, a former Alouette and CFL all-star last season. He suffered a season-ending torn Achilles last Saturday at Hamilton.