The resilient Montreal Alouettes chase their 14th consecutive win Thursday night when they host the rival Toronto Argonauts.
The defending Grey Cup champion Alouettes (5-0) stayed unbeaten by scoring 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to complete a 30-26 comeback win over Calgary on Saturday.
Cody Fajardo completed 35 of 42 passes for 374 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Tyson Philpot caught 12 passes for 134 yards, and Walter Fletcher rushed five times for 56 yards and a TD and added nine receptions for 104 yards to lead Montreal.
“There was a lot of belief in this locker room,” Fajardo told the Montreal Gazette of the team’s halftime attitude despite trailing the Stampeders 23-12.
“This team’s at its best when the chips are stacked against us, and everybody wants to point fingers at us. We don’t point fingers at each other and were never negative.”
Montreal won this year’s first meeting with the Argonauts (2-2) in Toronto, 30-20, on June 28. The Alouettes were outgained 369-344 in net offense — including 103-25 on the ground — but took advantage of 120 penalty yards by the Argonauts.
Toronto followed that up with a 30-23 setback at Saskatchewan last Thursday, doomed this time by turnovers: four interceptions (including one returned for a TD) and a lost fumble.
Cameron Dukes threw four picks against the Roughriders but is still completing 70.8 percent of his passes (80-of-113) for 873 yards in four games so far this season. Dukes is filling in for suspended 2023 CFL Most Outstanding Player Chad Kelly, who is out until late August.
Argonauts coach Ryan Dinwiddie said he will consider a QB change or even a two-QB system when Kelly returns from his suspension for violating the league’s gender-based violence policy.
“Cam is playing good football,” Dinwiddie said, per 3DownNation.com. “If Chad comes back and Cam is still playing good football and we’re rolling, maybe it’s both of them playing until Chad feels like he’s in rhythm. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
The East Division rivals will meet again in Toronto on Sept. 28.
–Field Level Media
