The Montreal Alouettes won a close game over the Calgary Stampeders by a score of 30 to 26. The Toronto Argonauts are coming off their 2nd loss of the season after falling 23-30 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders last week. It is the 2nd meeting of the season between these 2 clubs as Montreal won 30 to 20 over Toronto in week 4.

Game Details:

Date/Location: Thursday, July 11 /Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, Montreal, QC

Kickoff Time: 7:30 PM ET, 4:30 PM PT

Channel: TSN (Canada), CFL+ (USA, Global)

Odds: 

Spread: Montreal -6.5 (-120), Toronto +6.5 (-102)

Moneyline: Montreal -320, Toronto +255

Over/Under: 50.5 (Over -108, Under -112)

Montreal Alouettes: The Alouettes were trailing 26 to 15 heading into the 4th quarter and proceeded to put up 30 points in the final quarter while not allowing any in the win over the Calgary Stampeders last week. Cody Fajardo completed 35 of his 42 passes for 374 yards and 2 touchdowns with 2 interceptions in the win. Tyson Philpot led the team in receiving with 134 yards over 12 receptions. Running back Walter Fletcher had 56 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 5 rushes (11.2 average) and 104 receiving yards over 9 receptions.

Toronto Argonauts: The Toronto Argonauts look to bounce back after a 23-30 loss on the road against Saskatchewan. It was a tough game for Cameron Dukes as he threw 4 interception passes without a touchdown as he completed 19 of his 33 passes although the first interception was the result of a drop. It was a game in which Toronto greatly struggled in pass protection against the Roughriders. The Riders also presented a challenge to the offensive line in getting the run game going as Ka’Deem Carey was held to his lowest yards per carry so far this season after rushing 11 times for 39 yards. 

Alouettes Keys to the Game

Pressure Cameron Dukes

Saskatchewan laid out the perfect defensive blueprint last week for how to cause problems for Toronto’s offense and it began with frequent pressure on the quarterback. Dukes was pressured on 2 of his interceptions last week.

Stop Ka’Deem Carey

Another factor in the struggles for Toronto’s offense was the run game being limited. This led to too much falling on the shoulders of Cameron Dukes and may have been a factor in the interceptions from the young quarterback.

Quick Passing Plays

Toronto’s defensive line has a lot of players capable of causing problems although Jake Ceresna will miss this game due to injury. It will be important to have a lot of plays designed to get the ball passed quickly.

Spread the Targets Around

Last week Tyson Philpot was targetted 13 times which was tied for the most targets in the league in week 5. Philpot had a monster game but it is without a doubt that Toronto will be preparing to defend particularly against him. This will likely result in some defensive weak spots being present to create opportunities for successful plays to other receivers on the team in this matchup.

5 Alouettes to Watch

#17 WR Cole Spieker

Spieker led the team in receiving yards in week 4 and had a touchdown last week. After Philpot’s monster game last week, he may find some opportunity for more big plays this week as the defense focuses on Philpot.

#11 Kaion Julien-Grant

KJG had a touchdown last week but as he caught 4 passes for 20 yards. He is second on the team in receiving yards currently and in receptions with 26 for 288 yards.

#26 Tyrice Beverette

Beverette led the team in tackles last week with 9 including 3 for a loss. He currently leads the team in tackles with 34 and also has a sack, an interception, and 2 forced fumbles.

#94 DT Mustafa Johnson

Last week Toronto struggled to prevent pressure, particularly from the interior. Johnson is one of the best pressure generators in the CFL among interior defensive linemen and could cause major problems for Toronto this week.

#48 CB Kabion Ento

Kabion Ento has 8 tackles and an interception on the season. He does not always make it to the top of the stats sheet having only 8 tackles so far this season but it’s largely due to him not allowing receivers to get open. 

5 Argonauts to Watch

#88 WR Rasheed Bailey

Bailey leads the team in receiving with 16 catches for 176 yards and 2 touchdowns so far this season.

#86 WR Damonte Coxie

Coxie led the team in receiving last week with 5 catches for 76 yards but he did have 2 drops including 1 that resulted in an interception. He will look to bounce back this week against a strong defense against the pass.

#67 LG Gregor Mackellar

Last week Mackellar had a tough week with frequent pressures going past him. He will look to bounce back this week but it won’t be easy against the likes of Mustafa Johnson, Dylan Wynn, and Derek Wiggan.

#33 HB Amani Dennis

Dennis will be making his first CFL start on Thursday. He played for the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL over the last 2 seasons where he recorded 54 solo tackles, 18 assisted tackles, 5 interceptions, and a touchdown.

#40 DT Robbie Smith

Last week Robbie Smith had 1 tackle which came on a run stop and had 7 quarterback pressures.

Injury Report:

Depth Charts:

Score Prediction:

I am predicting a hard-fought defensive match with Montreal coming out on top. Montreal 24-20.

@JonathanClink on Twitter