The Alouettes host the Toronto Argonauts Friday night after losing in Toronto 39-10 last week. It is the third and final meeting between Montreal and Toronto for the regular season. In their other meeting, the Argonauts won in Montreal in week 6 by a score of 35-27.
Montreal Alouettes (6-6): The Montreal Alouettes look to end a 3-game losing streak that saw them lose to each of the top 3 teams in the CFL including the Blue Bombers, the Lions, and recently the Argonauts. Montreal is 0-6 against the CFL’s top 3 teams while being 6-0 in all other games. Montreal will have linebacker Darnell Sankey in their lineup for his first game as an Alouette following the recent signing.
Toronto Argonauts (10-1): The Argonauts can clinch the top seed in the East division if they win Friday. Toronto has won the East Division the last 2 seasons. If Toronto wins it will also be their first time having an 11-1 record. Toronto will be without defensive back Robertson Daniel and wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. who have both been placed on the 6-game injured list.
Other Articles:
Mike Mitchell’s CFL Week 15 Power Rankings
CFL 2nd Period All-Star Team (Weeks 8-14)
U Sports Canada West Football: Week 1 Team of the Week
Canadians in the NFL Preseason Performances, Final Cuts
CFL Midseason All-Star Team, Awards
First Period CFL and Divisional All-Stars
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Game Details:
Date/Location: Friday, September 15 /Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, Montreal, QC
Kickoff Time: 7:00 PM ET, 4 PM PT
Channel: TSN (Canada), CFL+ (USA, International)
Odds:
Spread: Montreal +6.5 (-105), Toronto -6.5 (+115)
Moneyline: Montreal +250, Toronto -310
Over/Under: 52.5 (Over -115, Under -105)
Alouettes Keys to the Game
Establish the Run
The Alouettes need to establish the run. Last week they only handed the ball off to their runningbacks 7 times as Walter Fletcher had 5 carries for 10 yards and William Stanback had 2 carries for 6 yards. A pattern this season is abandoning the run and 7 run plays compared to 30 pass attempts was another example of this pattern. Montreal will need to get the ground game going without William Stanback as he is on the 1-game injured list.
Quick Progressions From Fajardo
Cody Fajardo completed 21 of his 24 passes last week for 236 yards and a touchdown. Austin Mack was ejected early into the game and Fajardo was forced to use other options. Often in the season, Fajardo has been locking onto receivers often forcing it to Austin Mack who has been very good. Perhaps playing without Mack could have been beneficial for Fajardo in a way to get used to targeting other receivers.
Stop the Run
In addition to it being Darnell Sankey’s first game as an Alouette, Montreal is also getting multiple defensive players back from injury. Avery Williams is back after missing 6 games due to injury and is starting at middle linebacker. Wesley Sutton is back at halfback after missing 2 games due to injury. With his return, Reggie Stubblefield is moving from halfback to cover linebacker. Last week Stubblefield was recognized as the run defender of the week by Pro Football Focus.
Tight Pass Coverage
Chad Kelly has been very good at generating deep passes downfield. Montreal’s secondary will need to play very well to avoid getting burned by the talented Argonaut’s receiving core.
5 Alouettes to Watch
WR Austin Mack
2nd in yards in the CFL with 971 on 60 catches as well as 4 touchdowns. So far Austin Mack is a strong candidate for rookie of the year.
WR Kaion Julien-Grant
Julien-Grant is back in the lineup after missing 6 games due to a hand injury. Prior to his injury, he had 31 catches for 486 yards in 6 games.
DT Mustafa Johnson
Johnson has been great at generating pressure on the quarterback and has 4 sacks on the season. Last week he had the 8th highest pass rush grade by PFF among defensive linemen.
LB Darnell Sankey
Sankey joins Montreal for his first game as an Alouette. He was a member of the Arlington Renegades earlier in the year who won the XFL Championship. He set the record for most tackles by a Roughrider in a single season in 2022 and was a CFL All-Star in 2021 with Calgary.
LB Reggie Stubblefield
Stubblefield will be starting at cover linebacker after starting at halfback for the past 6 games. He has been named to the Pro Football Focus Team of the Week twice during that span once as a halfback and once as a cover linebacker.
5 Argonauts to Watch
QB Chad Kelly
Kelly recently became the highest-paid player in the CFL and has 2,881 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions so far this season.
RB A.J. Ouellette
A.J. Ouellette has been frequently recognized as the runningback to force the most missed tackles in the CFL and has 815 rushing yards on 143 carries averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
DE Folarin Orimolade
Orimolade has 6 sacks, 17 tackles, and a forced fumble over his last 6 games.
LB Wynton McManis
McManis has 60 tackles, a sack, an interception, and 3 passes defended over 11 games.
LB Adarius Pickett
Pickett has 4 sacks, a forced fumble, 3 passes defended and a team-leading 62 tackles on the season.
Injuries, Depth Chart Changes From Last Week:
William Stanback is on the 1 game-injured list this week due to a hand injury. Walter Fletcher will start in his place at running back.
Avery Ellis will miss this game with on the 1-game injured list. Lwall Uguak will start at the defensive end in his place.
Chris Moore (last week’s 2nd string linebacker), Tysen-Otis Copeland (last week’s 3rd string safety), and Kabion Ento (last week’s starting cornerback) were all moved to the practice roster.
Dionte Ruffin is back starting at cornerback after missing 6 games due to a hip injury.
Wesley Sutton is starting at halfback after missing 2 games due to a head injury.
Darnell Sankey enters the lineup for his first game as an Alouette and is listed as a 2nd-string middle linebacker behind Avery Williams who is returning after 6 games due to an elbow injury.
Kaion Julien-Grant is back starting at receiver after missing 6 games due to a hand injury.
Depth Charts:
Score Prediction:
Montreal has some weapons returning for them in this game. Until Montreal commits to the run and has a well-balanced offense I don’t see them realistically beating one of the top 3 teams in the CFL. I could see Montreal winning this game if they run the ball but they have demonstrated that running the football is a low priority so far this season and for that reason, I predict Toronto to win this game by a score of 27-20.
