Alouettes dominate 2024 opener in Winnipeg
The Montreal Alouettes turned in a dominant performance on the road in Winnipeg on Thursday, as they defeated the Bombers 27-12.
It was a perfect way to start the regular season. The Als scored enough points on offence, they were dominant on defence and efficient on special teams. That was a total team performance on the road in front of more than 30,000 fans.
Let’s take a deeper look at what happened in this game:
The Fajardo – Philpot connection still strong:
Cody Fajardo threw the final touchdown pass of 2023 to Tyson Philpot, and he tossed the first major to Philpot in 2024. Philpot finished the night with 10 receptions on 11 targets for 141 yards and two touchdowns. This was a statement performance from a player that has continued to ascend every year he’s been in the CFL.
Fajardo finished the night 20-for-28 for 254 yards and the two touchdowns on Thursday night. It was an efficient night at the office for the Alouettes pivot, who also ran for a critical first down on 2nd and long.
Fajardo and Philpot connected on an impressive flea flicker pass in the second half, which put the game to bed. It’s still early in the season, but those two being continuing to be on the same page will be key.
“What can you say about Philpot? Every time the ball is thrown his way, he makes a play,” Fajardo said after the game.
“We lost Snead early in the game, and that’s a huge loss for our offence. When you have a guy go down like that, you need guys to step up, and Philpot was the guy who stood up and made plays. 76 yards on the flea flicker. We talked about that going into the game. If we had the lead in the second half, we were going to call the flea flicker.”
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The defence picks up where it left off:
Noel Thorpe’s unit was dominant against Zach Collaros and the Winnipeg offence. Not only did they force the Bombers to commit three turnovers, they also limited them to 284 yards of net offence.
Middle linebacker Darnell Sankey finished the night with five tackles, one forced fumble and one pass knockdown. Tyrice Beverette also forced the fumble on special teams that led to the Philpot touchdown in the first half.
“We know that we’re the best defence in the league,” Sankey said. “We wanted to come out here and make a statement. They’re a good offence and a great team, but we knew we were better. That’s what we wanted to show tonight.”
Safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy picked off Collaros in the Alouette end zone during the first half while the Bombers were driving into Montreal territory.
Shawn Lemon and Derek Wiggan also collected sacks in this game.
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Injuries:
The news wasn’t all good, as two players failed to finish the game. Receiver Tyler Snead suffered a lower-body injury after making a 47-yard catch. There was no update on his status after the game.
Linebacker Reggie Stubblefield was carted off the field in the second half. There was no update on his status either, but the injury didn’t look good.
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What’s next:
The Alouettes will be back on the practice field on Monday, as they’ll prepare to take on the Elks in Edmonton on Friday night.
