Montreal Alouettes head coach Jason Maas knows his team faces a tough challenge against the CFL’s only remaining undefeated team.
But a win for the Alouettes (2-2) would be that much sweeter heading into a bye week as they host the Toronto Argonauts (3-0) in a rematch of last year’s Eastern final on Friday night.
"(The Argos are) the best in the East right now. There's no denying that, the record states that,” said Maas on Thursday at Olympic Stadium. “They're defending Grey Cup champs and they're defending it right now. It's a tough opponent and to beat them would be great.
“When you win, everything feels better, everything tastes better, you sleep better. When you lose, conversely, it's a lot different. I don't think anybody in our building wants to lose and have a three-game losing streak and go into a bye week thinking about it.”
Montreal is back at .500 after opening the CFL season 2-0. Toronto, meanwhile, has the chance to start the season 4-0 for the first time since 1983, when the Argos won the Grey Cup to end a 31-year drought.
The Alouettes are also facing an extra obstacle due to a short turnaround and a trip through three time zones after playing Sunday in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions, while the Argos are well-rested coming off a bye week.
“If we had an opportunity to pick the schedule, we probably wouldn't do that,” Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo said. “But we don't have that power.”
Because of the short week, Montreal only had one practice to address some issues from the last week and prepare for Toronto.
The Alouettes offence hasn’t exactly been excelling. The team only has five offensive touchdowns in four games and had trouble completing downfield passes for most of last week’s 35-19 loss.
Fajardo noted that finishing in the red zone and getting running back William Stanback more involved are two things the Alouettes are looking to address.
"We want to get Stanback going, he's one of the best players on our team," said Fajardo of the 2021 CFL rushing leader, who only had six carries for 17 yards last week. "We can't (get him the ball) when we're down multiple scores, so being able to be in a little bit of a tighter position will help us be able to be more two-sided instead of so one-dimensional.
"It's the defending Grey Cup champs, right? If you get one-dimensional against the Grey Cup champs, it's going to be a long day at the office."
Montreal also continued having problems defending the pass rush last week, allowing seven sacks on Fajardo, who’s fighting through a few “lingering things” but says he feels healthy enough to play.
The team’s season total of 22 sacks allowed is nearly half of last season’s 47 and on pace for 99, four shy of a CFL record set by the Argos in 1986.
Toronto linebacker Adarius Pickett, who returns to Montreal after being named the Alouettes’ top defensive player last season, believes his former team is still figuring things out.
"Doesn't seem like the running back and the (offensive) line are always on the same page,” he said. “And sometimes I wouldn't even say it's just the line's fault. I feel like sometimes the quarterback, he holds the ball a little long as well ... Maybe not trusting his offence a lot.”
Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie is hoping his team can exploit that Montreal weakness. Toronto’s defence flexed its muscles by picking off Lions QB Vernon Adams Jr. six times in a 45-24 rout last time out.
"It starts with keeping (the Alouettes) in second and long and stopping the run,” said Dinwiddie, who’s coaching his first game since signing a multi-year extension earlier this week. “When we do get them in second and long, we have to make sure we make Cody uncomfortable.
"That's kind of what we're looking for. If we can get that established and make his day be a long one, we should be fine.”
While the Alouettes are having trouble getting in the end zone, the Argonauts offence is lighting up the scoreboard.
Under first-year starting QB Chad Kelly, Toronto has scored touchdowns on a league-best 26.2 per cent (11 of 42) of its drives this season.
The Argos have also committed a league-low four turnovers and have a CFL-best plus-nine turnover differential.
"He has done a great job,” said Dinwiddie of Kelly. “We're going to continue to grow with him and give him more each week. He's been able to manage football games, which is all we're asking him for, and make the plays when they're there to be made and take care of the football."
Toronto also leads the league with 136.7 rushing yards per game and even when the Argos don't reach the end zone, they are finding ways to produce. Kicker Boris Bede, formerly of the Alouettes, is six-for-six on field goals this year.
The Argos are 5-2 coming out of a bye week with Dinwiddie as head coach, but are also 1-6 in their last seven visits to Molson Stadium.
It's the first of three meetings this season between the top two teams in the East Division to date.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2023.
— With files from Dan Ralph in Toronto.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
