Like Ken Jennings in 2004, the Alouettes no longer know defeat. Jason Maas’ men stifled the Elks on Friday in Edmonton to score a 23-20 victory.
The Alouettes thus bring their record to 2-0 in this young season. Adding the five victories to conclude the 2023 schedule, as well as the three victories in playoff games, the Montrealers have now won their last 10 outings. The seven victories in a row during the season are a first since 2006.
Unlike the Alouettes of the 2000s, real offensive machines, the successes of the edition are based more on a tight defensive unit. In these 10 wins, the team never allowed more than 24 points, and that was in the final against the powerful Blue Bombers.
Once again on Friday, the defending champions benefited from the help of their defensive unit, which caused three turnovers while limiting the long plays – in the sporting sense, not musically – granted to the Elks.
The turnovers, first. Defensive backs Nafees Lyon and Kabion Ento each had an interception. Ento’s was particularly timely, as he was two steps from the end zone when he stole the ball thrown by McLeod Bethel-Thompson.
The Elks’ other turnover came on a missed third down. Sequences like this are rarely found in games of the week, but the way tackle Mustafa Johnson cut through the offensive front to make the decisive tackle was well worth part of the price of admission.
Moreover, the pressure from the defensive front precipitated some bad decisions from the men in green and yellow. Result: Edmonton managed only two plays of more than 20 yards, and none of more than 30 yards. Put aside any proverbs glorifying the importance of small victories in life; the Alberta team would have needed one or two of these long gains that damn the opponent.
Speaking of defensive players, Quebecer Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, the Alouettes’ first overall pick in the last draft, was able to show off his skills by getting repetitions on the defensive unit. However, it was on special teams that he made a key play. At the very end of the game, Boris Bédé attempted a short kick. Although he was given 10 out of 10 for his footwork, the Elks kicker’s maneuver failed; the Frenchman kicked the ball to Cantin-Arku, who recovered the object and thus closed the books for the winners.
Meanwhile, quarterback Cody Fajardo handled risk tactfully to generate enough offense for the victory. He concluded his evening with 20 of 30 successful passes, for gains of 269 yards and two touchdowns. But above all, he avoided any form of turnover and actually threw a single dangerous pass – the interception was only just avoided. Fajardo further spread the action, targeting his top four receivers at least five times each.
That said, after only two games, the Alouettes’ performance remains improvable, especially after a hard-fought win against one of the CFL’s weak links.
First of all, what’s the point of achieving turnovers if we are incapable of turning the iron in the wound by chaining up points? Montreal was therefore unable to add to its lead after the first two turnovers. The third time was the charm, when Walter Fletcher scampered 39 yards to the end zone late in the game. But the results of the races -7 points on 3 turnovers-will be insufficient against better equipped rivals.
Then, indiscipline will constitute another project. With 9 penalties for 75 yards, Pat Woodcock’s former team doubled the Elks, punished 4 times for 37 yards. We can guess that penalties taken after the whistle, like that of defensive back Dionté Ruffin after the Elks’ first touchdown, are not very impressive for a coach.
There is therefore still some fine-tuning to do for this 2024 edition of the Alouettes, which is so much the better in a sense, because what would the poor coaches have done with the rest of their year with a club that was adjusted like clockwork from the start? week 2?
The Alouettes will now reconnect with their fans next Thursday, against Ottawa, and will take the opportunity to unveil their Gray Cup champion banner. The schedule featuring a home opener in Week 3 for the defending champions wasn’t exactly ideal on paper. But with their perfect start to the season, the Alouettes have at least maintained their path to 2023.