The Toronto Argonauts come to Percival-Molson Stadium with a pristine 3-0 record and already, as it’s only mid-July, this game is shaping up to be crucial for the standings in the East and the Montreal Alouettes.
After a relatively easy start against the Ottawa Rouge et Noir and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Alouettes knew that this three-game series features the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the BC Lions and now the Argos was going to be a real challenge.
“The good news when you’re facing a short week is that you can quickly move on from a poor performance,” quarterback Cody Fajardo said of the 35-19 loss to the Lions at the hands of the Lions. during which he was caught behind his line of scrimmage seven times.
“This opportunity (to compete with big teams) motivates us. Personally, I feel like I could have done more. Clearly we’re not in the position we’d like, but we’re about to finish a streak against maybe the top three teams in the league,” Fajardo recalled.
“As a young team, it’s very good to have experienced this at the start of the season, because it allows us to learn a lot,” he added.
Once again, the Alouettes will have to try to tighten their pass protection, which they have not managed to do so far in four games, having conceded 22 sacks – by far the highest total in the Ambrosie circuit. Good news for the Birds: with 11 in three games, the Argos are in the middle of the pack in this regard.
Alouettes head coach Jason Maas explained Wednesday that the improvements were noticeable on videotapes. He has not made any changes to his offensive line, which will always be made up – from left to right – of Nick Callendar, Pier-Olivier Lestage, Justin Lawrence, Kristian Matte and Landon Rice.
Despite this “generosity”, Fajardo has been successful so far. He completed 75 of 112 passes (67.0%) for 1,120 yards, the fourth most in the league. He threw two touchdown passes against an interception, in addition to scoring three rushing touchdowns himself. His efficiency coefficient at 101.8 is also the second highest in the CFL. Fajardo and his receivers have also made 12 plays of 30 or more yards and lead the league in that regard.
Meanwhile, Noel Thorpe’s defense will have to be wary of the Argos’ running game, which has the best average per game at 136.7 yards. A.J. Ouellette leads the CFL with four touchdowns.
The one against the aerial game will receive reinforcements, while defensive back Ciante Evans, author of three interceptions in the first two games of the season, will be back in the Montreal squad after missing the two defeats of his team.
It remains to be seen if the game in Vancouver is an anomaly for the Alouettes’ defense, which had not allowed more than 17 points before this game. His average of 19.3 points against per game is still excellent and gives him third place in the league in this regard.
The kick-off of this meeting between the first two teams from the East is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
