There are many weird ways to lose a CFL game, but on Saturday night, the Alouettes lost a 28-27 decision to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the weirdest way you can drop a decision.
In the final minute of regulation, the Als were trying to run out the clock. They called two run plays and ran the clock down as much as they could. As punter Joe Zema stepped onto the field, a strong gust of wind swirled around Percival Molson Stadium right into Zema’s face. The wind affected the trajectory of the punt. The Bombers got the ball back and eventually kicked a game-winning field goal with no time left.
“It happens, but it was weird though,” running back Walter Fletcher said after the game. “We were all wondering where that came from. All game the weather was great and it was sunny at one point.”
If you look at the overall performance, you should be encouraged by what the Alouettes showed on Saturday. They were playing a Bomber team that needed to win, and they found a way to not just keep up but have a lead for most of the game.
“Up until that (final) kick, I felt really good about that game,” head coach Jason Maas told reporters after the game. “(Winnipeg) had everything to play for – bye week, first place, and as much as you want to say we play for everything because we treat it that way, it really wasn’t. We’re disappointed in that locker room, but I’m excited for that locker room because of what we just did.”
You can’t help but feel positive heading into the East Final against Ottawa or Toronto on Nov. 9. A win would lead to the team making the Grey Cup in back-to-back years.
Stout offensive line:
The offensive line rarely gets credit when they play well, but their performance deserves to be singled out. The group faced some adversity before the game started, as right tackle Jamar McGloster couldn’t play. Rookie Donny Ventrelli did an excellent job in his place, but the whole line was solid.
“If you want to win a Grey Cup, you have to control the line of scrimmage,” quarterback Cody Fajardo explained.
“I thought, tonight, we controlled the line of scrimmage both offensively and defensively, especially on offence. We ran the ball (well). If you look at the stats, I was really proud of the team because of our efficiency on first down.”
The line’s solid play allowed the team to run the ball efficiently with both running backs tonight. Speaking of the running backs…
Sean Thomas Erlington gives offence a spark:
Quebec-born running back Sean Thomas Erlington has seen his offensive workload increase over the last couple of weeks, and he gave the team a spark in the first half on Saturday afternoon. With the offence sputtering, Thomas Erlington rattled off a hard/tough 30-yard run to get the Alouettes into Winnipeg territory. Four plays later, Charleston Rambo caught a 2-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone to give the Als their first lead of the game, 10-6.
“I want to start by saying the offensive line did a great job,” Thomas Erlington said. “They were able to push guys around and open a big hole for me. I attacked the line of scrimmage, but I didn’t really have to do much…Also, I think it gave us some momentum.”
The Alouettes seem to move the ball with a lot more consistency after their first major. They managed to hit a 35-yard field goal to close the half to go up by four points.
Getting ready for the playoffs:
The Alouettes will host the East Final for the first time since 2012 when they hosted the Toronto Argonauts at Olympic Stadium.
Instead of taking a week off this coming week, the Alouettes players and coaches will stay in town to continue to work in preparation for the playoffs. The team will have a full week of practice in order to stay sharp.
So, the group will get a break in the sense that they won’t have to play a game, but they’ll keep trying to improve on the practice field.
“We’re the best team in the CFL,” Fajardo said. “The fact that we have a full week to go against each other’s best, that’ll make us better than any game will. We have an extra week to get healthy. We have some guys that are a little banged up, so we don’t have to press them into a game right away. Let Toronto and Ottawa beat up on each other for one game (laughs), and then come into our house. Tonight, we had nothing on the line and our fans still showed out.”
Speaking of the fans, prior to kick off the team announced that they had sold out Molson Stadium for a third straight game and a for a fourth time this season.
The Alouettes finished the 2024 regular season with a record of 12-5-1, which was tops in the CFL.
