There was some magic in the air for a second straight game in Montreal. However, this time, the Alouettes came out on top, dramatically beating the Toronto Argonauts 26-25.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Winning, but at what price?
Franchise quarterback Davis Alexander returned this week after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury and led the team to the dramatic win. He scored the game-winning touchdown with a 10-yard run, but re-injured the same hamstring once again on the play. He stayed on the ground after the two-point conversion before limping back to his bench.
There is real concern about the severity of the injury. Alexander said the feeling was the same as he experienced a month ago, when he went down in Edmonton.
“It was pretty much the same as the first time I pulled it,” he said. “I would assume I’m not playing on Thursday. It didn’t feel worse than the first one. I didn’t feel a ‘pop’. For now, I just know I’ll be with the team every step of the way.”
Head coach Jason Maas indicated that he will once again wait until his quarterback is fully healed to let him play.
“I would like for Davis to be able to play a game and finish it and move on to the next. We’ll let the doctors evaluate him and get him ready. We’ll have a course of action with him.”
Must-needed win
The Als needed this win. Although head coach Jason Maas insisted all week that Thursday’s matchup wasn’t special, the reality of the Eastern Division combined with the possible long-term injury to Alexander made it crucial for the Als.
Having a 3-3 record going into a matchup with the top-ranked Stampeders in Calgary is completely different than a 4-2 record, especially with the level of play McLeod Bethel-Thompson has delivered in relief. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are also rolling, which is a notable development.
Davis Alexander needed to deliver on his return, and he did it at the end. He finished 26-of-39 for 303 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
However, it wasn’t an ideal start for the Gig Harbor, Wash. native. He wasn’t in sync with his receivers, which didn’t allow the offence to establish a rhythm. At halftime, the seven points on the board were scored by the legs of Jose Maltos and Joseph Zema.
Alexander didn’t seem comfortable escaping the pocket either. He was reluctant to run and appeared to be limping on several occasions, foreshadowing what was to come.
However, the Als’ offence took flight when the team was trailing by 18 at the end of the third quarter. Alexander orchestrated a nine-play, 59-yard drive that was capped off by a great touchdown pass to Cole Spieker. The comeback started there for Montreal.
After a two-and-out, Alexander led another touchdown drive, this time finished off by Sean Thomas-Erlington. He conducted another dominant drive that should have ended with a house call, but Derek Slywka made a huge play for the Argos to take the ball away from Spieker at the goal line.
Alexander didn’t miss his last opportunity to win the game. Through it all, the franchise quarterback showed his courage. He wasn’t comfortable, but still played through it. He’s a gamer. When it matters the most, he shows up for his team.
He has now tied Danny McManus with the best start to a career by a quarterback, winning his first eight starts.
Spieker finally in the spotlight
The Als’ receiving group is one of the best in the CFL, but there is rarely much mention of Cole Spieker. He’s one of the most underrated receivers in the league, but he is efficient in his role. Thursday night, he got to shine against the Argos.
It started with a third-down conversion in the first half. Spieker followed that up with an important touchdown catch. Then, without skipping a beat, he made a huge catch and run that put his team three yards from the end zone.
He could have scored another touchdown if it hadn’t been for the huge play made by Slywka. Spieker ended the night with a dropped two-point convert, but Maas only had good things to say about his receiver.
“Here is the thing about Cole Spieker,” he said. “He played his third position in six games for us. No other receiver on our team can do that. He didn’t know he was going to play in that position until the very end of the week, and still is able to come out here and put up a show, in my opinion. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cole Spieker.”
Spieker does everything on the field. He helps with the protection, gets hit hard almost every time he touches the ball, and finds ways to contribute.
Defence steps up
Darnell Sankey told 3DownNation earlier this week that the defensive performances haven’t been up to the team’s standards for the past two weeks.
For three quarters, that still wasn’t the case, as there were multiple miscues. The secondary allowed too much space to the receivers, and got beaten with double moves often. The best example came in the middle of the third quarter as Kabion Ento completely lost David Ungerer III for a wide-open touchdown after he jumped the inside route. However, the pressure was also non-existent on Arbuckle, who had all the time in the world to find his receivers.
However, like the offence, showed its best face in the fourth quarter. What was the end result for the Argos drives in the fourth quarter? Punt, punt, punt, punt, fumble recovered by Montreal, and an interception. It can’t get better than that.
That’s the version of the defence fans want to see for sixty minutes. The unit was quick to tackle and was present in the backfield.
Some updates
The Montreal Alouettes signed Shawn Lemon yesterday before the game, following his reinstatement by the league. He has purged the first of his two-game suspension and will start practicing with the team on Sunday. He will be eligible to play his first game on August 2 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, if he’s ready for action.
General manager Danny Maciocia told 3DownNation after the game that neither suspension had any impact on the decision to bring back Lemon. He stated that the events occurred before his arrival with the Als in 2023 and that since then, he has been a perfect role model for his teammates and an effective leader.
In unrelated news, Tyson Philpot didn’t dress last night after being named a game-time decision. He should be in the lineup next week.
What’s next?
The Montreal Alouettes will head to Calgary next Thursday to take on the Stampeders. The kickoff is scheduled at 9:00 p.m. EDT.
Pablo is an Alouettes and CFL reporter based in Montreal.
