The Montreal Alouettes had a short week to reset after getting dominated at home. They played better, but in the end, found another way to lose, this time 23-22 to the Edmonton Elks. Below are my thoughts on the game.
MBT loses his starting job (ft. a critical mistake)
Last week in my post-game analysis, I said McLeod Bethel-Thompson put his job on the line with his performance. This week, he gave it away.
He gave his team a chance to win in his first two starts with the team, but since then, it has gone downhill.
It started last week with a performance that got him benched midway through the second half, only to be reinserted later. He looked out of sync with his receivers and took too many risks. The Riders were all over him.
It was the same on Friday night. He only played the first half, but made the same mistakes.
He missed both Cole Spieker and Tyler Snead on key throws after each had beaten the defensive coverage. Snead, in particular, could have scored a touchdown had the ball been thrown to the right place.
Then came the unforgivable. With the Als leading 13-4 and the chance to score more points, he seemed to suffer a miscommunication with Charleston Rambo that led to a pick-six. It completely shifted the momentum of the game. Instead of leading at least 16-4, they were ahead by just two points going into halftime.
After five starts, this was unforgivable from Bethel-Thompson. There cannot be a mistake of that magnitude in that critical of a moment. The Als were already in field goal range; there was no reason for him to throw that ball.
Bethel-Thompson finished 10-of-15 for 79 yards and the critical interception. After the half, he was seen with a bag of ice, which could explain his removal from the game, but injury or not, Caleb Evans deserved a look.
MBT will be benched for next week, Jason Maas confirmed after the game, and Evans will get the start.
Evans does his part
Coming in for the second half, Evans did what a backup is asked to do. He gave his team a chance to win.
When he left the field after his last complete drive, the Als were up by five after another field goal from Jose Maltos. He finished 14-of-18 for 113 yards and a touchdown in 30 minutes of action. Evans brought a good dose of calm to the offence and distributed the ball well enough to his receivers.
Do I still believe James Morgan deserves a shot? Absolutely. But Evan will get the next start against B.C., and he earned it.
A matter of details
A few things decided this game, but in the end, the Als made too many mistakes. MBT had his interception, Jose Maltos Diaz missed a convert, and Geoffrey Cantin-Arku took a costly penalty on a routine play.
On the kickoff following the last field goal from Maltos, he was offside, which prompted a redo. The five yards lost weren’t a problem; the result of the first kick was. The ball passed by the Elks’ returner Javon Leake, and Edmonton was going to be forced to start their final drive at the 25-yard line. Instead, Leake seized his second chance and brought the ball to the Edmonton 47.
The final drive will also need to be studied closely by players and the coaching staff. After being solid against Cody Fajardo for 58 minutes, the Als’ defence got dissected at the worst time.
A lot of credit should go to the ex-Montreal QB, who held the fort despite being sacked six times. Kaion Julien-Grant, the former Alouette receiver, capped the drive with a solid catch-and-run touchdown. However, the coverage was too soft at times, particularly on second-down conversions.
When the Als decided to pressure Fajardo, the blitz didn’t arrive quickly enough, and the Elks’ new leader had the time to find his receivers in one-on-one coverage.
Much better performance defensively
The bar was very low, but the Als’ defence performed way better than last week.
The beginning of the game was particularly impressive. Not only did they allow only one point in the first quarter and two in the second, but Montreal reduced former Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo to silence. He was under constant pressure and got sacked three times.
Darnell Sankey was particularly effective. In addition to a sack, his quick lateral movements allowed him to break up multiple plays. The running game was going nowhere for Edmonton as the Als’ defensive line stood tall, blocking running lanes.
In fact, until the last Edmonton drive, the Als’ defence had an almost flawless performance. To that point, of the 17 points scored by the Elks, seven were from the MBT pick-six and six came from an 8-yard drive after a turnover on special teams.
The good, the bad, and the dumb of special teams
My colleague, Joel Gasson, writes a column titled “The good, the bad and the dumb” after every Saskatchewan Roughriders game. Well, on Friday night at Percival-Molson Stadium, the Als’ special teams had all of that.
The good was undoubtedly the punt return touchdown from RB Travis Theis. After trying out Tyjon Lindsey and Lincoln Victor over the last few weeks in the return game, head coach Jason Maas decided to turn to Theis, who showed his vision and toughness to score six points for the Als.
The bad was the Tyler Snead fumble after a missed field goal. Instead of giving the ball to the offence without allowing any points, the Elks scored six very quickly. It was another momentum swing in this game.
The dumb was Theis’ fumbles, which were fortunately always recovered by his teammates. Since the beginning of the season, he has now fumbled five times, but the Als have always kept possession of the football. He added two last night. Luck won’t always be on his side.
What’s next?
The Montreal Alouettes (5-4) will head to B.C to face the Lions (4-5) next Saturday night. The kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT on August 16.
Pablo is an Alouettes and CFL reporter based in Montreal.
