The Montreal Alouettes (4-0) visited the Toronto Argonauts (2-1) from BMO Field on Friday night for the first time since their meeting in the 2023 Eastern Final. This matchup had a big-fight feel to it. You could feel that this game could go either way. As the game unfolded, we learned more about these teams and who is set to take hold of the Eastern Division.
First Quarter:
Early in the first quarter, both defenses set the scene as to how this game was going to go with lots of two-and-outs. Later in the first quarter, Toronto went on a three-play drive for 27 yards ending when kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 26-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 8:39 left.
Montreal responded by going on a six-play drive for 70 yards with the drive ending when quarterback Cody Fajardo threw a deep pass to Tyson Philpot for a 38-yard touchdown and a 7-3 lead with 5:21 left. Toronto defensive back Leonard Johnson tripped on his own feet allowing Philpot to get wide open and Fajardo took advantage.
Toronto got the ball with 4:54 left in the first quarter. They went on a seven-play drive for 59 yards but were hit with a procedure penalty settling for a Lirim Hajrullahu making a 21-yard field goal as time expired. The Alouettes led the Argonauts 7-6 to end the first quarter.
Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo was a perfect 6 for 6 for 67 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for 10 yards, while Toronto quarterback Cameron Dukes completed 5 of 9 passes for 50 yards, and three carries for 18 yards.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, both defenses buckled down including both teams getting to the quarterback once. However, Montreal was able to move the ball better than Toronto and the Argonauts were shut out in the second quarter.
Montreal kicker David Cote scored all the points for the Alouettes in the second quarter. First, he kicked a 38-yard field goal extending Montreal’s lead to 10-6 with 5:11 left, and later made a 10-yard field goal for a 13-6 lead with five seconds left before halftime. Toronto took a couple of kneel downs to end the first half down 13-6.
First Half Stats:
The big takeaway in the first half was Montreal was heavy on the passing game, while the Argonauts were heavy on the running game.
Montreal had 154 yards on offense (154 yards passing, 10 yards rushing, 10 yards lost). Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 17 of 19 passes (89.5%) for 154 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 12 yards. Running back Walter Fletcher had three carries for -2 yards and made one catch for 10 yards.
Wide receiver Tyson Philpot made four catches for 67 yards, one touchdown, while Cole Spieker made four catches for 36 yards. Montreal’s defense made one sack and two tackles for loss. They did an excellent job not getting any penalties in the first half.
Toronto had 109 yards on offense (59 yards passing, 60 yards rushing, 10 yards lost). Quarterback Cameron Dukes completed 7 of 12 passes (58.3%) for 59 yards, and four carries for 20 yards. Dukes is good at seeing the field and making quick decisions. There were times when the pocket broke down and he ran with the ball rather than throwing it into coverage.
Running back Ka’Deem Carey had seven carries for 20 yards, while wide receiver Richard Sindani made two catches for 24 yards, and Deonta McMahon made one catch for 14 yards. Toronto’s defense made one sack and one fumble recovery. However, the Argonauts were penalized four times for 30 yards.
Third Quarter:
The game picked up in the second half. Early in the third quarter, Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo appeared to have hurt his ankle making a short pass to Walter Fletcher for a gain of four yards, then backup quarterback Caleb Evans filled in.
Fajardo came back after three plays to lead the team to the Argonauts’ 18-yard line where kicker David Cote made a 21-yard field goal for a 16-6 lead with 11:25 left of the third quarter.
Next, the Toronto Argonauts went on a four-play drive for 37 yards before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made his third field goal of the night for 40 yards and the score was now 16-9 Montreal with 9:25 left.
The turning point of this game came on Montreal’s next drive. The Alouettes had moved the ball to the Argonauts’ 44-yard line before facing a third-and-one play. Montreal backup quarterback Caleb Evans was set up in a quarterback sneak position. However, he faked the sneak before throwing a 44-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Cole Spieker. Montreal’s lead grew to 23-9 with 5:25 left of the third quarter.
When Toronto got the ball back. They went on a five-play drive for 54 yards but they hurt themselves with two penalties for 35 yards. For the fourth time in this game, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 23-yard field goal and the score was now 23-12 with 2:29 left of the third quarter.
On the final play of the third quarter, Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo threw a 7-yard pass to wide receiver Charleston Rambo to the Argonauts’ 33-yard line. The Alouettes led 23-12 to end the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo’s intended pass to Tyson Philpot was intercepted by Jonathan Edouard. However, Toronto’s offense could not take advantage of the turnover.
Later in the fourth quarter, Montreal backup quarterback Caleb Evans scored a one-yard touchdown for a 30-12 lead with 5:22 left in the game. With that touchdown, Cody Fajardo’s night was done.
Bryan Scott was the new quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts with 1:54 left in the game. Toronto went on a five-play drive for 79 yards ending when Scott throwing a 40-yard touchdown pass to Makai Polk and they successfully converted a two-point play. The score was now 30-20 Montreal with one minute left in the game.
Toronto attempted an onside kick but Montreal recovered. The Alouettes ran a couple of plays before taking two kneel downs to end the game. The Alouettes defeated the Argonauts 30-20. They have now won 12 consecutive games including three playoff games since their last loss to the Argonauts on September 15, 2023.
Final Stats:
Montreal had 344 yards on offense (333 yards passing, 25 yards rushing, 14 yards lost). Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 33 of 41 passes (80.5%) for 284 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and three carries for 13 yards. Backup quarterback Caleb Evans completed 2 of 3 passes (75%) for 49 yards, one touchdown, three carries for one yard, and one touchdown.
Running back Walter Fletcher had six carries for 11 yards and made four catches for 14 yards. Wide receiver Cole Spieker made eight catches for 113 yards, and one touchdown while Tyson Philpot made five catches for 90 yards and one touchdown.
Kicker David Cote made 3 of 4 field goals with a long of 42 yards. Montreal’s defense made 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, seven tackles on special teams, two sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery. Montreal was penalized five times for 65 yards.
Toronto had 369 yards on offense (278 yards passing, 103 yards rushing, 12 yards lost). Quarterback Cameron Dukes completed 22 of 32 passes (69%) for 199 yards, one interception, and five carries for 24 yards. Backup quarterback Bryan Scott completed 5 of 5 passes (100%) for 79 yards and one touchdown.
Running back Ka’Deem Carey had 9 carries for 61 yards and made three catches for 26 yards. Wide receiver Makai Polk made five catches for 60 yards, and one touchdown, while DaVaris Daniels made four catches for 49 yards.
Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made four field goals with a long of 40 yards. Toronto’s defense made 45 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, seven tackles on special teams, one sack, and one interception. Toronto was penalized 11 times for 120 yards.
Final Thoughts:
This game was all about defense. However, Toronto has some disciplinary issues getting penalized 11 times for 120 yards. They had some good drives going but those penalties killed their momentum and the team was not able to recover.
One thing I wish Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie would have done was to get creative in his play calling to throw Montreal’s defense off. His team moved the ball well until they got near the red zone and stalled. At least in some instances, go for it on third down and get Cameron Dukes to throw it into the endzone. I think had he done that, the game might have had a different outcome. Toronto will get another shot against Montreal in two weeks.
Montreal is the class of the CFL. Right now, nobody can beat them. They are clicking on all cylinders and are playing the best football right now. The trick play that Montreal used was fantastic and it shows they are not afraid of going for it. A job well done for Montreal.
Next Thursday, the Toronto Argonauts visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 9 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Montreal Alouettes host the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
