With a loss of 47-17, blaming only the defensive unit of the Montreal Alouettes would be understandable, but unfair. The end result is not very good, of course, but it was only this unit that was the least effective Thursday night against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
This game launching the second half of the season marked the return to the lineup of quarterback Cody Fajardo, after a two-game absence. The Alouettes had to negotiate with a short week of preparation, but Jason Maas’ squad had the wind in their sails thanks to four consecutive wins.
Ultimately, everything seemed to be going well in the Montreal camp.
However, the Sparrows were facing a side that had also won their last four games. Quarterback Zach Collaros, the CHL’s best player for the past two seasons, was also back in action.
Neither of the two pivots, however, will have been sparkling. Notably because of the brilliance of the two defensive units.
Even if the Alouettes lost quite clearly, there is little to blame for defensive coordinator Noel Thorpe’s group.
The result is rough, because the Blue Bombers offense has been on the field more often. The Montreal defense was overtaxed, but Fajardo’s brigade was never able to offer a cushion to its defensive unit.
The Alouettes’ two touchdowns were scored through defensive players. On the first play of the game, Tyrell Richards returned an interception in the end zone, from 40 yards, to give the Alouettes the lead. In fact, Richards left the game on a cart in the last quarter due to a knee injury.
Then in the second quarter, Marc-Antoine Dequoy made two interceptions in 90 seconds. On his second take, he managed to finish his run in the end zone. At this point, the visitors had a 17-14 lead.
Even though the Alouettes gave up six touchdowns and 441 net yards, it’s hard to fault the defensive unit. Of course, it wasn’t perfect. Blue Bombers receivers have often been left alone. The tertiary was sometimes upside down. But the offense was so anemic that it is necessary to dwell more on the few points scored rather than the high number of points allowed to be able to explain the loss of the Alouettes.
Fajardo’s honeymoon in an Alouettes uniform is over. The first half of the season is a thing of the past and when you look at the offensive record of the team’s quarterback, it’s not very good.
Even if he is able to animate certain offensive thrusts, the American is struggling to really carry his team. Offensive line performance has been a problem for Fajardo early in the season, but including Thursday’s game, it’s the fifth time in eight starts that Fajardo hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass.
Against the Bombers, he threw for just 137 yards while completing 14 of 25 attempts. In general, there is nothing simple about the Alouettes’ offense. Their six turnovers were costly. Combining interceptions, fumbles and misses on third down remains the best way to shoot yourself in the foot against a team that is just begging to spend more time on the court with possession of the ball.
The progress of the locals on the Alouettes’ quarterback also increased the more the game progressed. As the time on the scoreboard decreased, the faster players got to Fajardo increased.
This 30 point gap will be difficult to digest in several respects. Especially since the same mistakes seem to be repeated and the same shortcomings are exploited every game. At least the good news for the Maas gang is that they will have eight days to prepare to face the BC Lions, the second ranked team in the West Division.
