Pick your cliché…
It’s do-or-die! Win or go home! A must-win! That’s what this Saturday’s game is for the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts. The winner will go on to play in next Sunday’s Grey Cup Game in Vancouver, British Columbia.
This will be the first time the Alouettes host the East Final since 2012 and the first time the game will be played at Percival Molson Stadium since 2000 (the 2012 East Final was held at Olympic Stadium).
What do the Als need to do in order to win this contest?
Stop the run:
The Alouettes dropped just five games this year, but two of those losses came against the Argonauts. It’s important to note that the first loss to Toronto on July 11 was Montreal’s second game in five days. It was also the Als’ first loss of 2024. In that game, the Argos rushed for 179 yards on 35 carries (5.1 yards/carry). Running back Ka’Deem Carey had 16 of those rushing attempts for 94 yards.
On Sep. 28, in the third matchup between these two teams, the Argos ran for 234 yards on 30 carries (7.8 yards per carry). Carey finished with 13 rushing attempts for 90 yards.
The Argos have an explosive passing game. As we saw in last week’s East Division Semi-Final game against Ottawa, they enjoy stretching the field. But stopping the run early could make them one-dimensional, which means that Noel Thorpe’s defence could focus on eliminating the big plays.
“That’s a great challenge for us,” head coach Jason Maas said of stopping the Argos’ rushing attack. “Every time you play a team that’s capable of doing that, you’d like to stop the run. Stop the run first and then go from there. Obviously, I know we’ll play team defence …and we’ll play fast and physical football.”
The Argos led the league in points scored during the regular season (28.6 points/game) while the Alouettes were second in points allowed (22.4 points/game).
Slow down the pass rush:
In 2024, the Alouettes were first in the CFL in passing plays of 30+ yards, with 36. They were the only team in the league that had more than 35 and one of two teams that surpassed the 30-mark (B.C. finished with 31).
When you think of completions that go for more than 30 yards, you think of the deep shots, which is fair. How many times did we see quarterback Cody Fajardo air out a 40 or 50-yard bomb to Charleston Rambo this year? It happened a lot. But 30-plus yard gains can also come in the form of quick/short passes that go for more than 30. The Alouettes have done that too.
The Argos defence led the league in quarterback sacks, with 48. The impressive thing about that is that they don’t rely on the blitz to get to the opposing QB. That allows them to leave plenty of bodies in coverage.
“Their front-seven is extremely talented,” Fajardo said. “They tend to rush four a lot which means they feel really confident in their defensive line. They don’t bring a lot of pressure, but when they do it’s an all-out pressure. The biggest thing will be to just protect up front. The thing is when they bring four guys, they have another eight in coverage, so it makes the (passing) windows a little bit tighter. You won’t have the throws down the field like you would with certain teams. So, it’s one of those games where you have to stay on the field as an offence.”
The best way to slow down the pass rush will be to get rid of the ball quickly at times. If your receivers can catch screen passes and make defenders miss, it makes it difficult for the defensive line to get close to your quarterback. Hitting on several short/intermediate passes could also help set up the deep ball eventually.
Play sound special teams:
In the fourth quarter of last year’s East Final, the Alouettes got a kick-return touchdown from James Letcher Jr. that essentially put the game to bed. Anytime your special teams can put points up on the board for you, it’s huge. Your chances of winning go way up and it alleviates some of the pressure placed on your offence.
But special teams success doesn’t only come in the form of touchdowns. Those are great, but they won’t happen every game. Being sound in that phase of the game will be key. Good coverage on Argos returns, punting well, kicking well. Those are all important.
“I think it will be a big factor,” Letcher Jr. said of the special teams matchup. “After defence, I think special teams is the second-biggest factor in the game. If we don’t do well on special teams, that can change the outcome of the game, especially with field position, rouges and extra points. It’s going to be a big part of this game for sure. I’m looking to show everybody who I really am.”
This game will feature two of the best returners in the CFL in Letcher Jr. and Janarion Grant. The Argos returner led the league in punt return average at 14.8 yards/return while Letcher was second at 14.2/game (minimum 9 games). Grant had four touchdowns while Letcher Jr. had two.
“There’s no hate between us,” Letcher Jr. said of Grant. “We go out there and do our jobs. He’s different (than me) …I think he has more of a hit the seem and go, and I have a little more elusiveness where I juke, juke, juke and then go.”
