Alouettes drop home decision to Riders on Saturday
There’s no getting around it, that one was tough.
The Alouettes dropped a 34-6 decision to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday night. The Als, quite simply, were never in it. Performances like this happen in pro football. Give the Riders credit, they came into Montreal and played really well.
Not much worked from an Als perspective. Everything seemed to be out of sync in all three phases of the game.
Is it time to panic? No. But they need to put this loss behind them as quickly as possible because they host the Edmonton Elks on Friday night.
“We didn’t play our best,” receiver Tyler Snead, who finished with seven receptions for 88 yards, said. “We didn’t play to the standard that we normally hold ourselves to. Next week’s practices will be good for us just to prepare and ready to go.
“(My dad) always told me to keep the 24-hour rule. You can sulk and sit in it for 24 hours, but when that 24 hours is over, it’s done, and we’re on to the next week and the next game.”
Maltos does it again:
Let’s start with some positive news. Jose Maltos nailed two more long field goals on Saturday night, as he made a kick from 56 yards and another from 54 in the rain. The Global also made a 58-yard field goal which proved to be the game-winning points in last week’s victory over the Calgary Stampeders.
Think about this: Prior to last week’s game, no kicker in Alouettes’ history had made a field goal longer than 54 yards. Maltos has done it in back-to-back weeks. He also made a 53-yarder in Calgary last year.
The 33-year-old had to patiently wait for his opportunity to become a regular, but since taking over as the primary place-kicker with the Als, he’s been nothing short of clutch. He’s one of the most accurate kickers in the league.
He now has the two longest field goals in Als history and he also has a share of the third longest kick.
Penalties, Penalties, Penalties:
The Alouettes did themselves no favours in the penalty department, especially in the first half. They took four penalties for 50 yards in the opening 30 minutes, and it really helped the Riders offence with field position.
The Alouettes were called for two 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and they were clipped for too many men on the field.
It was just one of those nights where nothing clicked, and discipline went out the window when the game was still tight. As frustrating as it might be, those things happen on occasion. The Alouettes aren’t usually an undisciplined team, so you have to give them the benefit of the doubt going forward, but there’s no doubt that the penalties hurt on Saturday night.
Injuries continue to pile up:
The team was already several key players, including starting quarterback Davis Alexander, star receivers Tyson Philpot and Austin Mack, defensive back Najee Murray, returner James Letcher Jr. and defensive end Joshua Archibald. On Saturday, they lost All-CFL safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy on the first drive of the game and starting centre Justin Lawrence in the second quarter. Neither player returned.
