Alouettes’ defence stuns Argos to earn first Grey Cup berth in 13 years & six other thoughts

Photo: Reuben Polansky/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Alouettes’ defensive performance in last week’s Eastern Semi-Final was impressive. I never imagined that they could play any better, but they found a way to prove me wrong.

Nine turnovers powered Montreal to victory over the top-seeded Toronto Argonauts in the Eastern Final, including four interceptions, four stops on downs, and one forced fumble. In a 38-17 win, 14 of their points came from pick-sixs. The final result: for the first time in 13 years, the Alouettes will play in the final game of the year.

Here are my thoughts on the win.

Wow!

It’s hard to find words other than “wow” to describe what Noel Thorpe did to the Toronto Argonauts. Quarterback Chad Kelly only looked comfortable on the first drive, before safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy delivered the first punch.

On a zero-man coverage, he beat receiver Tommy Nield to the ball in the flat and brought it back to score the game’s first points. But to beat the Argos, it was going to take more than that.

Toronto got the ball back and started to win the field position battle with the wind at their back. Noel Thorpe’s defence had enough and created a turnover by stopping Chad Kelly in the red zone again, this time stuffing a third-down sneak.

The third and fourth punches came in the second quarter as the Als’ defence got Kelly confused. He is always looking for the big plays, which cost Toronto some possessions. Montreal got a stop on third down, then Lemon took advantage of good coverage downfield to punch the ball out of the quarterback’s hand as he rolled right.

That was just the first half. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, the Als’ defence added two more stops on third down, interceptions from Reggie Stubblefield and Darnell Sankey, and another pick-six from Kabion Ento to stun the crowd at BMO Field into submission.

Elite coverage

For most of the game, Chad Kelly couldn’t find open receivers because of the tight Montreal coverage. The defensive backs didn’t pad the box score, but their job helped the defensive line to get to the Argos’ quarterback.

On Lemon’s forced fumble, Kelly went through all his progressions and saw nothing satisfying. The Lemonator took full advantage of the situation to give Montreal the ball back after an interception thrown by Cody Fajardo.

The only defensive mistakes occurred toward the end of the game on two consecutive Toronto drives that resulted in touchdowns, but it was too little, too late for the home team.

I pointed out earlier this week that Chad Kelly tends to be impatient with the ball, wanting big gains every time he looks downfield. The defence made him restless and took full advantage of those tendencies.

James Letcher Jr. on repeat, Javon Leake stopped

Since being inserted in the lineup, James Letcher Jr. has been dangerous in every game he’s played. Saturday was no different, as he dealt the killing blow to the Argos by answering right back following their first touchdown.

The blocks were so well executed by the kickoff return unit that he only had to follow them. A lot of credit goes to coordinator Byron Archambault, who has built an electric special teams group with Letcher Jr. as the centrepiece.

On the other side of the ball, Most Outstanding Special Teams Player finalist Javon Leake never into a rhythm. He was the spark for the Argos on many occasions this year, but not in this game.

Joseph Zema won’t receive much credit, but his impressive positional punting gave Leake no chance of return. The Aussie’s style of kicking gave the returner trouble all night long.

The offence manages

Can the offence be better? Yes! Can it be more explosive? Yes! Can it be more consistent? Yes!

But as quarterback Cody Fajardo explained after the game, all the offence needed to do was stay on the field when it mattered and generate enough points to get by.

Jason Maas’ unit did that and they won the game by managing the ball. Fajardo turned the ball over only once, while Kelly gave it away nine times. Fajardo’s touchdown pass to Snead was clinical, and the quarterback was able to kill minutes off the game clock when the defence needed it.

After the Argos brought the game within 14, Fajardo led a drive of more than five minutes to give Joseph Zema a chance to pin the Argos deep in their own territory. Thorpe’s unit took it from there to seal the game.

The defence is the strength of this team and way more money from the salary cap went there this season. If Montreal wants to win the Grey Cup, they will need another great performance from that unit.

However, some key offensive mistakes can be corrected to better complement the defence. Fajardo got sacked seven times, which is more than an offensive line issue. Fajardo has been caught holding onto the ball for too long and the receivers have not been able to find the holes in the zone defence. They will all need to be better next week against Winnipeg. 

What it means

This win deserves to be celebrated in Montreal. After 13 years of heart-breaking losses, ownership issues, and bad teams, the Als are finally going back to the Grey Cup game.

I was 10 the last time that happened and lost a couple of baby teeth on the day. It has been a long time coming, and the fan base has been dreaming of a parade on Sainte-Catherine. They’ve been through some rough years but now, they get to celebrate until next Sunday.

Danny Maciocia had tears of joy after the game as he talked to the media. This means a lot to him after facing criticism for his choice of head coach and his offseason acquisitions.

What’s next?

Next up, it’s the Grey Cup. The Alouettes will face off against the Winnipeg Blue-Bombers, who beat the B.C. Lions in the West Final later Saturday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, November 19.