The Montreal Alouettes needed a half to find their rhythm, but once they did, they soared to their 10th victory of the season. After a close call, the Alouettes (10-1) prevailed 21-17 against the Edmonton Elks, who suffered their first loss in four games (3-8). The end of the game was electrifying once again on Montreal's home turf, with the defense concluding the performance in spectacular fashion by denying the Elks any points in their two visits to the end zone. Consequently, The defense didn't concede a single point in the second half against the CFL's most productive offense.
"Our defense was incredible in the second half. To shut out this team by stopping them twice in the end zone is incredible. I often say it, but it's wonderful to watch them play, especially when the moment is crucial," highlighted coach Jason Maas. "It was quite a finish! Defensively, our start was a bit tougher. But our defense is like that, sometimes we have moments of weakness, but then we capitalize with big plays," commented Marc-Antoine Dequoy, who held the fort.
Trailing 17-6 at halftime, the Birds exploded in the third quarter, ending it with an 18-17 lead. Their dominance was overwhelming with over 250 offensive yards compared to a negative result! This marked the fourth time this season that the Alouettes had completed a comeback from a deficit in the third quarter. This demonstrates the quality of adjustments made by the Alouettes as well as the team's champion-like character.
"We knew we had to play better together, the connection (between the three units) wasn't as good in the first half, but we picked it up afterward," said linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, who excelled with two sacks.
With Mack returning to the Montreal fold, everyone knew he would be someone to watch. But ultimately, it was Cole Spieker, the unsung hero, who turned the tide for the Alouettes.
In the same offensive sequence, Spieker caught three passes for 77 yards, and the one leading to a touchdown, for 33 yards, was sublime. In truth, Spieker looked like Mack on this last-minute catch in the truncated end zone. "I knew it would be close, especially with the peculiar shape of our end zone. Yeah, I was thinking about it (as I saw the ball flying towards me)," said Spieker.
Fajardo managed to cross the 300-yard mark for the 15th time in his career, which is quite an achievement. This is particularly impressive considering his inconsistent first half, as he hadn't played in six weeks. Throughout the game, the veteran completed four passes for over 30 yards.
"Cody, above all, managed his emotions well. We told him it wouldn't be an easy game; Edmonton varies its defensive strategies a lot. He didn't panic, and when it mattered most, he made the key plays," Maas emphasized.
As for his chemistry with Mack – the two hadn't played together since winning the Grey Cup – there's still work to be done. Still, Mack caught three of the eight passes thrown his way.
"It was wonderful to be back. I felt rusty; it was a challenge to play so fast with so little preparation. I'm looking forward to the bye week to prepare even better," Mack described. "I'm really proud of him; it was a very demanding week. He had to learn to play the offense in a different position, try to get his new contract... He had a lot on his mind. I'm so glad to have him back, and I'm spoiled with all our receivers," Fajardo reacted.
One detail that isn't so much a detail is that the Alouettes had to play almost the entire game with two substitutes on the offensive line. Philippe Gagnon had to forfeit, while Pier-Olivier Lestage (shoulder) left early in the game.
It would be foolish to ignore running back Walter Fletcher, who provided some interesting catches for his team. Fletcher thus responded to the Elks, who excelled in the first half through running plays. Kevin Brown was simply on fire with an average of 8.7 yards per carry.
The Elks were able to establish themselves early in the game through their ground game. Eugene Lewis, making his return to Montreal, and Kurleigh Gittens Jr. completed the scoring with touchdown passes.
Edmonton would have had an easier time in the late game if Boris Bede hadn't missed a field goal attempt that would have reduced the gap to a single point.
The Alouettes will be off next week, resuming action on September 6th with a visit from the Lions.
