Five down low: why long Calgary Stampeders losing streak continued in Montreal

Photo courtesy: Calgary Stampeders.

In what may prove to be a bad omen for the Calgary Stampeders, the team went into Montreal and did what they have done every time they have visited La Belle Province since 2018: lost to the Alouettes.

Since that Grey Cup championship season, they have lost every game in Montreal, and have gone that long without a playoff victory. While causation and correlation are but distant cousins, stats are facts, and this is one.

Saturday’s match-up ended 37-30 in favour of the hometown squad in a game where, seemingly against all odds given how they played, the Stampeders still had a chance to win almost right up to the final play.

Here, in my humble opinion, were the five most impactful plays of the game.

Vernon Adams Jr. fumbles – 7:47 to go in Q1

Fresh off a performance for the ages a week ago, Vernon Adams Jr. had a decent day from a purely statistical standpoint, throwing the ball 36 times, completing 20, including three touchdown passes, for 272 yards.

However, what the numbers don’t show is the multiple throws that likely should have been intercepted or were off target and proved costly. This time, it was during a scramble run when Adams Jr. was tackled to the ground, losing the football in Stampeders territory.

That turnover was damaging enough, but two plays later, the Alouettes extended their lead to 10 with a double-pass play from Davis Alexander to Tyler Snead to Tyson Philpot for a touchdown.

Adams Jr. misses Clark Barnes – 11:21 to go in Q2

The most damning incompletion in the first half was a play that turned a possible touchdown into a field goal, a point differential that would come into play later in the game.

Adams Jr. missed Clark Barnes on a throw early in the second quarter that would have taken the Stampeders to the six-yard line with a fresh set of downs. The throw was a yard or two ahead of Barnes, who was open on the play and might have been able to score.

Given that the Stampeders lead the CFL in red zone touchdown percentage with 14 touchdowns on 17 attempts heading into the game, if Barnes hadn’t made it in, the odds would suggest they’d have eventually put the ball in the end zone.

Instead, Calgary settled for a field goal, which meant that at the end of the game, they were forced to go for a touchdown instead of tying the game with a field goal at that time.

Travis Theis touchdown trot – 1:15 to go in Q2

The last three weeks have seen Calgary score touchdowns right before halftime to build momentum into the second half. Against the Alouettes, they allowed one, and it seemed to take the wind out of the sails of the team looking to snap its Montreal long losing skid.

Thies took the ball seven yards to pay dirt, his third touchdown of the season, at the end of a methodical nine-play drive that started on the Montreal 20-yard line.

It would extend the Alouettes’ lead to two scores at the time, and the Stampeders never got closer than a single touchdown the rest of the way.

Mustafa Johnson sacks Adams Jr. – 11:20 to go in Q4

As the fourth quarter started, there was reason for optimism on the Calgary sideline as they were down 11 points and had forced a Montreal punt.

That optimism was quickly snuffed out on back-to-back plays, as an Erik Brooks offside penalty negated a first-down catch by Jalen Philpot, and Adams Jr. was sacked on the next play.

This changed field position by almost 20 yards, and the Stamps were suddenly punting rather than continuing to chip away at the Montreal lead. The punt came out of the Stampeders end zone, and Montreal would score their final points via field goal on the ensuing drive.

The sack by Johnson was one of three given up by the Stampeders on the night, making that 11 on the season so far. For a team in need of momentum, Johnson snatched it away.

David Perales swats game away – 0:25 to go in Q4

What a debut for Montreal defensive end David Perales.

The 27-year-old Merced, California native had a sack earlier in the game, and saved his best play for last as he would jump up and knock down a Vernon Adams Jr. pass intended for Erik Brooks, who was sitting open on the seven-yard line in a soft spot in the zone.

Perales, who played at Fresno State University, was a constant presence in the backfield and could have had more statistically relevant plays if not for Adams Jr.’s escapability.

Extra point

Not a play that decided the game, but a pie to the faces for the people at TSN.

Without any real discernible reason, the game was moved around among the five TSN channels due to the FIFA World Cup. However, the team at TSN who made the switch did not bother to update the feeds within the TSN app, so clicking the watch now button still sent you to a soccer game you weren’t trying to watch.

I’ve also seen complaints online that people who set the game to record had the same issues, and missed a large chunk of the game.

It shouldn’t be this difficult to watch the game, especially when the CFL offers a seamless streaming experience for those outside Canada on CFL+.

If the league, who can’t even keep a draft page live on draft day, can keep a livestream service working flawlessly, the sole broadcaster, who’s job is television signals, should be able to as well.

Deja vu

The windshield and rear-view mirror look the same for the Stampeders, who will face off again against the Alouettes on Saturday, July 18, this time at McMahon Stadium.

The team will look to rebound and return their record to .500 with a win after falling to 2-3 on the season in Montreal.

Ryan Ballantine is a lifelong Stamps fan and host of the Go Stamps Go Show Podcast. He has been covering the team since 2008.