Walter Tychnowicz/CFL.ca
EDMONTON — Week 2 has already started with a thrilling Ottawa REDBLACKS win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday setting the stage for the weekend.
The excitement continues when the Montreal Alouettes travel to Edmonton to face the Elks on Friday Night Football.
The Alouettes haven’t lost a game since September 15 of last year and will present an enormous challenge for the Double E. It all starts with an aerial battle between a revamped Elks passing game and a lockdown Montreal secondary.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg though as there are several different matchups that could end up being the defining factor in this game.
CFL.ca brings you three matchups to watch on Friday Night Football.
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Alouettes pass-defence vs. Elks passing game
If we had to narrow it down to ONE matchup to watch in this game, this would be it. It’s easy to highlight how dominant the Als have been with their pass-defence. After being the only team to allow under 60 per cent of passes to be completed in 2023, Montreal doubled it down in Week 1 by allowing only 60.6 per cent of completions by none other than Zach Collaros. To put it in perspective, the next best team was Edmonton itself, which allowed 71 per cent of passes to be completed in the first week of the season.
That means that McLeod Bethel-Thompson will have the challenging mission of taking down a unit led by Marc-Antoine Dequoy, Kabion Ento and Najee Murray. That’s not to talk about linebackers Darnell Sankey and Tyrice Beverette, who also excel in coverage and locking down the short passing game.
To succeed in that mission the Double E will rely on a powerful receiving corps. Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Eugene Lewis, Dillon Mitchell and Hergy Mayala feature a four-headed attack that is capable of taking the top off against all kind of defences. The Elks finished second in passing yards in Week 1 after ranking second-to-last in 2023, showcasing an improvement that needs to continue if they want to have a chance to take down the current champions.
Walter Fletcher vs. Elks defensive front
Running back William Stanback left in free agency and the Als turned to Walter Fletcher as his immediate replacement. The veteran wasn’t able to find success rushing the ball in Week 1 against the Blue Bombers as Montreal relied on its passing game to do the job. Fletcher had only 12 carries for 36 yards as the Als finished tied for seventh in rushing yards per attempt. The only team that had a lower average than them was the Saskatchewan Roughriders who had trouble establishing the run against the Elks.
Linebackers Nyles Morgan and Nick Anderson both finished Week 1 with top-six run defence grades according to PFF and should once again force the Alouettes to turn to Cody Fajardo and Tyson Philpot to attempt to win the game for them, which leads us to…
Cody Fajardo vs. Kai Gray
The 110th Grey Cup Most Valuable Player goes against the 2023 West Division Most Outstanding Rookie. A duel between quarterback and cornerback is always an intriguing game of chess that requires patience on both sides to get the best of each other.
It’s fair to say that Fajardo and Gray are picking up things where they left off last season. The pivot had a stellar Week 1 that saw him complete 20 of 28 passes for 254 yards and two majors while guiding his team to a dominant win. The defensive back meanwhile had the third best coverage grade of the week, allowing only 10 yards on passes thrown in his direction while coming down with an interception against Trevor Harris and the Roughriders.
If the Elks successfully stop the Alouettes running game, this could end up being the battle that decides the outcome of the game.
