Big lead, bigger collapse: Alouettes stumble against Edmonton Elks (& eight other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Montreal Alouettes.

The Montreal Alouettes headed west to face the Edmonton Elks on a rainy Saturday afternoon in Alberta. Jason Maas’ team once again played with fire and this time got burned in a 32-29 loss.

Below are my thoughts on the game.

Good lesson all around

I’m a firm believer that it takes a loss for a team to truly reset and learn, no matter what coaches might say. It’s a good thing it came this early in the season for the Alouettes, especially given how it happened.

Since the beginning of the year, there has been a worrying pattern for the Als: a strong start, a dreadful middle stretch where they blow a lead, and then an almost perfect finish. Naturally, the second and third quarters are the biggest concern.

Against Toronto last week, the Als blew a 10-3 lead and fell behind 20-13 before responding. Saturday, Montreal jumped out to a 13-0 lead, only to allow 23 unanswered points.

The Als are riding momentum waves — both positive and negative. When everything clicks, they are dangerous. But when things start to go wrong, they tend to spiral.

Bad stretches will happen over the course of a game, but the Als need to shorten them if they want to play a complete 60-minute effort.

There’s a French expression: “pourquoi faire simple quand on peut faire compliqué?”  In English: “why make it simple when you can make it complicated?” It is used to describe people who overthink or overcomplicate things. It perfectly sums up the Alouettes so far.

Alexander runs out of magic

It was bound to happen — the day Davis Alexander wouldn’t be able to complete another comeback in a regular-season game. Still, the quarterback once again gave his team a chance.

Alexander finished 29-of-44 for 356 passing yards and a touchdown. Down by 10 with under three minutes to play, he delivered a beautiful touchdown pass to Tyler Snead before leading another late drive that tied the game. He remained composed under pressure, including a key throw to Tyson Philpot.

He is far from the main reason for the loss, although his offence went quiet during the middle portion of the game for the second straight week.

His teammates didn’t help, either — a failed quarterback sneak by Dustin Crum on third-and-short and a costly Snead fumble late in the game didn’t make his job any easier.

Questionable playcalling

For a second straight week, I question parts of the play-calling, but for very different reasons.

Last week, offensive coordinator Anthony Calvillo was too aggressive early, leading to short drives. This time, Montreal moved the ball more efficiently, but the play-calling became too conservative at key moments.

The conditions weren’t ideal, but Edmonton’s secondary had no answer for Montreal’s deep passing game. It simply wasn’t tested enough.

The best example came on the final drive of regulation. Alexander moved the ball from his own 29-yard line to Edmonton’s 21 with a big throw to Philpot. With 48 seconds remaining, Calvillo called back-to-back runs with Shomari Lawrence and Travis Theis.

Given how effective the passing game had been, it’s hard to understand why Montreal didn’t push for the touchdown and the win.

Atypical defensive performance

Through the first two weeks, the Alouettes’ defence started slowly before adjusting in the second half. Saturday, it was the complete opposite.

Early on, Noel Thorpe’s unit was sharp. Edmonton receivers had little separation, tackles were clean, and quarterback Cody Fajardo was forced through his progressions with limited success.

Geoffrey Cantin-Arku and Nate Beauchemin set the tone with physical plays, and the first quarter was nearly flawless — capped by a forced fumble in the beginning of the second.

Then, it unraveled.

Edmonton dominated for much of the remaining game, scoring 23 unanswered points. The main issue resurfaced: missed tackles, particularly against the run. Justin Rankin is one of the most explosive players in the CFL, but 179 rushing yards — 9.9 per carry — and two touchdowns shouldn’t have happened.

Here are prime examples of missed opportunities to tackle him. At the end of the first half on a second-and-two, Mustafa Johnson had him for a negative yardage run, but couldn’t bring him down, resulting in a 17-yard gain for the running back. It set up the Elks’ first touchdown of the game. Then, on the following play, Geoffroy Cantin-Arku and Donovan Manuel also had him for a loss, but Rankin escaped once again for 14 yards. It set up the Elks’ first touchdown.

However, the most costly mistake happened in the third quarter on a third-and-two. The Elks gave the ball to Rankin but Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund and Najee Murray were perfectly positioned for a turnover on downs. However, they both missed the tackle, which led to another touchdown for Rankin.

The weather played a role, but even one or two of those plays going the other way could have changed the outcome.

Wasted edge in field position

In tough conditions, field position becomes even more critical, and the Alouettes dominated that battle early.

In the first quarter, they started their drives on average at their own 51-yard line, while Edmonton began at their 24. That 27-yard advantage should have translated into points.

Instead, Montreal managed only three and even turned the ball over on downs in a short-yardage situation, giving momentum back to Edmonton.

Those missed opportunities proved costly.

Beauchemin and Theis shine

Despite giving up a big play to Austin Mack late in the first half, Nate Beauchemin showed what the Alouettes saw in him to replace Marc-Antoine Dequoy.

He played fast but under control, made key tackles, showed strong awareness with an interception and a fumble recovery, and nearly had a second takeaway.

Travis Theis also had the best game of his career, rushing for 91 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. He ran with power and was solid in pass protection.

Questionable call in overtime?

In overtime, the Alouettes thought they had won the game on a forced fumble that went out of bounds. However, officials ruled that an Edmonton offensive lineman touched the ball last, and the replay centre did not overturn the call.

There was no clear angle to reverse the decision, and that’s ultimately the right standard. The referees made the call on the field, and there wasn’t enough evidence to change it — they are paid to make those decisions.

That said, it looked like Beauchemin may have been the last player to touch the ball in bounds — but again, there was no definitive proof.

Cody Fajardo finds a way

As always, one thought of my column goes to the Als’ opponent. This week, it goes to Cody Fajardo, who became the first quarterback to beat Davis Alexander in a regular season game.

Not Bo Levi Mitchell. Not Chad Kelly. Fajardo.

The former Alouette never quite received the appreciation he deserved in Montreal. He may not be the most explosive passer or the most mobile quarterback, but he led the Als to a Grey Cup championship and consistently finds ways to win.

Rankin may have been the star, but when it mattered most, Fajardo delivered — leading the comeback and capping the game-winning drive himself in overtime.

What’s next?

The Alouettes return home to face the Ottawa Redblacks on Sunday, June 28. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.

Pablo is an Alouettes and CFL reporter based in Montreal.