It’s nearly impossible to be perfect throughout an entire 18-game season, and that much was clear at Percival Molson Stadium on Friday night. The Alouettes managed to make the game interesting, but they ultimately dropped a 37-23 decision to the B.C. Lions.
It’s important to note that this team will still head into Week 15 with a 10-2 record, but there’s no denying that Friday’s loss was frustrating to watch.
What went wrong? We’ll break it all down for you right here.
Didn’t capitalize on turnovers and good field position:
The Alouettes’ defence managed to create four turnovers on Friday night (three interceptions and one fumble), but they didn’t take advantage of those big plays.
Bryce Cosby intercepted a pass in the first quarter, but the Als got nothing out of that. Marc-Antoine Dequoy picked off a pass in the second quarter, but the Alouettes had to settle for a field goal on the ensuing drive.
The Als appeared to get back into the game late in the first half. Cornerback Kabion Ento managed to strip Will Stanback of the ball. They recovered on their own 15-yard line and marched all the way down the field, and they ended up scoring a touchdown on a pass from Cody Fajardo to Cole Spieker. That major cut the team’s deficit to 17-13 at the break.
Jason Maas’ team then received the opening kick-off of the second half. Unfortunately, Fajardo ended up losing the ball after being hit by a Lions defensive lineman. Instead of having an opportunity to take the lead, the Als found themselves down 20-13.
Montreal never had the lead on Friday night.
Defensively, one of the more frustrating aspects of the game came in the form of short-yardage defence. The Alouettes gave up two long touches in short-yardage situations. Fullback David Mackie scored on a 23-yard sneak on the first drive of the game and quarterback Nathan Rourke got into the end zone on an 18-yard quarterback sneak. Those things can’t happen.
In the defence’s defense, they have been outstanding all year and there is no reason to believe that they won’t be able to turn it around.
Showing some guts:
On a positive note, the Alouettes were aggressive in their play-calling at times. On that final drive of the second half, the Als were facing a 2nd and goal with just 5 seconds remaining. Instead of kicking a field goal, they ran an offensive play, and that’s when Fajardo found Cole Spieker in the end zone.
They also set up the Dominique Davis fourth-quarter touchdown by going for it on third-and-three earlier in the drive. Fajardo completed a key pass to Jose Barbon, who was able to move the chains.
The Als also got creative on special teams, as they recovered an onside kick right after Davis’ touchdown made it a one-possession game.
It just wasn’t enough to get the win tonight.
A few plays here and there:
Maas often talks about a handful of plays that make the difference in a close game, and it felt like that was the case.
In the fourth quarter, after the Alouettes had made it a one-possession game, the team was facing a second-and-two situation near midfield. They called a flea-flicker that could have been a knockout punch to the Lions. The play was set up perfectly, the protection held up, but Fajardo and Barbon just couldn’t connect. The Als were forced to punt.
If you convert that play, it’s a totally different ball game.
What’s next?
The Alouettes won’t play at Percival Molson Stadium for a while, as they’ll head to Calgary next week to take on the Stampeders on Saturday night at 7 p.m. They will then play in Ottawa and in Toronto the following two Saturdays.
