Als lose in Winnipeg on Friday night
*Written by Brendan Rubin
The Montreal Alouettes travelled to Princess Auto Stadium on Friday night carrying the momentum of a seven-game winning streak and a league-best 9-1 record.
Facing a fierce Winnipeg Blue Bombers squad on their home turf is hardly an easy task, and despite moments of brilliance on defense and high-octane playmaking from receiver Tyler Snead, the Als dropped a 44-28 decision to move to 9-2 on the season.
Despite the scoreboard ending in Winnipeg’s favour, this game was less about a disappointing ending and more about a gritty performance that showcased the identity of head coach Jason Maas’ team. It fights down to the final whistle and relies on its core leaders when the path steepens.
A Hot Start on Offense
The night opened with early fireworks as Tyrell Richards set a physical tone on special teams, forcing a fumble on the opening kickoff that Winnipeg hardly managed to cover.
Shortly after, linebacker Geoff Cantin-Arku blew through the line to drop Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros for a quick 1-yard loss, moving the Blue Bombers deeper into their own zone.
That set the stage for return specialist Devonte Dedmon, who fielded a 54-yard punt and carved through coverage for a massive 34-yard return down to the Winnipeg 33-yard line.
Taking over the field with shortened field position, star quarterback Davis Alexander immediately dialed up a deep shot, hitting Cole Spieker for a 30-yard completion.
Soon thereafter, Alexander found Tyson Philpot, who hauled in the catch near the 5-yard line and muscled into the end zone to open Montreal’s scoring.
Early in the second quarter, after another solid 21-yard return by Dedmon, the Als’ offense went back to work behind clean pocket protection.
Alexander manufactured a perfectly executed drive, capped off by a touchdown pass out of the backfield to Tyler Snead.
The score put Alexander at a perfect 6-for-6 passing for 96 yards and two touchdowns to begin the outing.
With that drive, Snead officially surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the season, joining Philpot in elite company.
The pair became the first Alouettes receiving duo to achieve dual 1,000-yard seasons since Jamel Richardson and S.J. Green accomplished the feat over a decade ago, in 2012.
“It means everything to especially do it with this group,” Snead said after the game about crossing the thousand-yard milestone for the second straight season. “It’s a tight-knit group, these are my brothers and just going out there and competing with them every day, whether it’s a game or practice. It means everything to me to be able to do it with them again for two years, it’s awesome.”
Red Zone Resilience
After Montreal’s defense held firm in the red zone to force a Winnipeg field goal, the Alouettes answered with what might be the catch-and-run highlight of their season.
On third down, short-yardage quarterback Terry Wilson picked up the conversion up the middle to extend the drive.
Moments later, Alexander loaded up and rocketed a pass to Snead.
Catching the ball in tight coverage, the receiver made a ridiculously athletic play, spinning out of a tackle, stumbling, recovering his balance, and spinning off a third defender right at the pylon to stretch the ball across for a jaw-dropping 36-yard touchdown.
Montreal’s defense continued to perform when backed up against their own goal line.
With under 40 seconds remaining in the half, safety Nate Beauchemin delivered a perfectly placed hit to force a fumble at the goal line, preserving Montreal’s edge as the Alouettes took a knee to close out a back-and-forth first half.
“We were in that quarter’s defense, I see that ball get thrown, and I turn and break on the ball, and I just see a giant hole with their receiver there,” Beauchemin chuckled when recalling his goal-line strip.
“I knew that he’s either gonna score or he’s getting wacked. Honestly, it was just I put my helmet on the ball and hoped for the best! It worked out.”
Adversity Hits in the Second Half
The tide swung wildly coming out of halftime.
On Montreal’s opening drive of the third quarter, a three-and-out was followed by a blocked punt by Winnipeg’s special teams, which was recovered at Montreal’s 1-yard line and quickly punched in for a touchdown.
The situation grew more tense midway through the quarter when Alexander scrambled on a broken play that ended in a wild, bouncing double-fumble.
Alexander went down hard on the play, but limped off the field under his own power.
Though he returned to the game on the very next drive, saving a scary future for the flourishing QB.
Montreal’s defense tried to hold the line, including a clutch red-zone forced fumble by Adeyemi Berglund that was frustratingly overturned upon review.
The Blue Bombers took advantage of the momentum, capitalizing on field goals and extending their lead to 44-21 deep in the fourth quarter.
Fighting to the Final Whistle
Although the Als were faced with a double-digit deficit in the final stages of the game, they refused to mail it in.
Alexander threaded a needle to Kaseem Ferdinand across midfield to keep the offense moving, while Richards delivered a devastating tackle on punt coverage to pin Winnipeg deep.
Montreal capped off the night with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Snead, marking his third receiving touchdown on the night, as well as bringing Alexander’s game total to four touchdown passes, matching his career high.
What’s Next?
Despite the loss, the Alouettes proved their grit under tough conditions in Winnipeg, forcing two crucial red-zone turnovers and displaying the explosive offensive prowess that has defined their 9-2 start.
The Alouettes now head back home to Montreal to regroup and prepare for a night-time clash against the B.C. Lions at Percival Molson Stadium on Friday, September 4th.
