The Montreal Alouettes look to prove that last season’s shocking playoff upset over Toronto was not a fluke when they visit the Argonauts in a clash of unbeaten rivals Friday night.
The Argonauts were 9-0 at home and had swept their three regular-season meetings before the Alouettes cruised to a 38-17 victory in the East Final on Nov. 11.
This season, defending Grey Cup champion Montreal is off to its first 3-0 start since 2011. The Als have an 11-game winning streak dating back to last September.
Cody Fajardo has passed for 916 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception, while Tyson Philpot is second in the CFL with 340 yards (23 catches) and three scores.
The Montreal defense is allowing only 17.7 points per game.
“They create turnovers and create opportunities,” Alouettes head coach Jason Maas said of his defense, per the Montreal Gazette. “I’m not surprised when we get turnovers. I’m not surprised when we hit people hard and things happen for us That’s how we play.”
Montreal posted a lopsided 47-21 win against Ottawa last week. The Alouettes led 30-1 at halftime in their home opener.
Toronto enters after a 2-0 start despite quarterback Chad Kelly serving a lengthy suspension for violating the league’s gender-based violence policy. Kelly, last season’s CFL Most Outstanding Player, was intercepted four times with two returned for touchdowns in the postseason loss to Montreal.
Cameron Dukes has taken over under center for the Argos and has passed for 468 yards and five touchdowns with no picks. Former All-Star Ka’Deem Carey is fourth in the CFL with 169 rushing yards despite only playing two games.
“He’s living up to what I expected,” Toronto coach Ryan Dinwiddie said of Carey, per the Toronto Observer. “… He’s doing everything it takes. He wants to win.”
Toronto edged Edmonton in a high-scoring affair last week, winning 39-36 on a 37-yard field goal by Lirim Hajrullahu as time expired.
The Alouettes will see a familiar face in Toronto. Two-time All-Star offensive lineman Landon Rice, who played for Montreal from 2018-23, signed with the Argonauts on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
