The Alouettes managed to clinch a home playoff game thanks to Saturday’s 24-12 victory over the Redblacks in Ottawa. The victory also allowed the Als to win the season series against the Redblacks, which means that Ottawa needs to finish ahead of Montreal to win the East.
The Als are now six points ahead of the Redblacks with four games to go. In order for the Alouettes not to finish first in the East, they’d have to lose the remaining four games and Ottawa would need to win out or go at least 3-0-1.
Let’s take a closer look at tonight’s win:
FAST START:
Over the last two games, Jason Maas’ team found themselves down 10-0 during the first quarter. That wasn’t the case on Saturday, as the Als jumped out to a lead thanks to an interception returned for a touchdown by Dionte Ruffin.
It was a huge play that set the tone for the defence. The Als scored first thanks to Ruffin and they never ended up trailing in this game.
“It was huge, and it set up the rest of the game for us,” defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson said of Ruffin’s touchdown. “We knew that we could get after them with the pass-rush. We put them in a position where they had to throw the ball. It lets us get after them a little bit.”
iiiiiiiiiiionk💥
Go Als Go!🏈
— X – Alouettes de Montréal (@MTLAlouettes) September 21, 2024
Speaking of interceptions, the Alouettes finished with three (if you count Arthur Hamlin’s pick on Ottawa’s two-point convert attempt). They probably could’ve had two or three more interceptions tonight, but they forced enough turnovers to win.
Rookie linebacker Geoff Cantin-Arku registered his first career interception on Saturday afternoon.
“I saw a dig (route),” Cantin-Arku said of the play that led to his interception. “The coaches were really strict with me all week when we worked at defending that route. They wanted to make sure I got deep enough in my drop so that I could intercept the ball. Their quarterback threw it, and I was there. I would’ve liked to have brought it back for a touchdown, but I’ll do that next time.”
The 25-year-old now has 27 defensive tackles, five more on special teams, four quarterback sacks and the pick. That’s an impressive rookie campaign for the Levis, Quebec native.
SOLID SPECIAL TEAMS
I really like the way the team played on special teams tonight. It felt like they were physically dominant, and they managed to get a pair of solid returns for James Letcher Jr. including one that the Montreal returner took down to the Ottawa 28-yard line. The Als managed to kick a field goal on the drive to pad their lead.
“I think it was good,” linebacker Tyrell Richards said of the team’s performance on special teams. “We started off early. We got after them early, and I think it got to them a little bit because they softened up a little bit towards the end of the game. Geoff (Cantin-Arku) and I were being bullies, and we were bullying all over tonight.”
Jose Maltos continues to hammer footballs between the goal posts. The Global kicker went three-for-three on field goals in this game, and he’s now hit 21 consecutive field goals dating back to July 25th.
THINGS TO CLEAN UP ON OFFENCE:
Look, the offence was far from perfect against Ottawa, but they did enough to win. First, they managed to stretch the field at times. Quarterback Cody Fajardo had a long completion to Charleston Rambo, and he set up his one-yard rushing touchdown by pushing the ball down field which resulted in a pass interference call against Tyler Snead.
“They have a great defence over there,” Fajardo said of the Redblacks. “They’ve won eight games this year. Their defensive line is good…The explosive plays is what got us down there to score. The biggest things we need to clean up are in the red zone. We missed on a couple of throws in the red zone where it could be two touchdowns.”
“This was a playoff game in our mind,” Fajardo said after the game. “We knew how big this game was. Our goal is to get that first-round bye, play in front of our incredible fans, win one game and go back to the Grey Cup. That’s our goal.”
Fajardo appeared to suffer an injury to his mid-section on his one-yard touchdown, but he managed to stay in the game.
“The win helps,” he said with a laugh. “I got some stuff I have to take care of this week.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Alouettes will complete their three-game road trip next Saturday night at BMO Field in Toronto. A Redblacks loss in Saskatchewan on Saturday afternoon or an Alouettes win over the Argos would result in Montreal clinching first place in the East.
