The Montreal Alouettes hosted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Eastern semi-final on Saturday. Davis Alexander, who made his CFL playoff debut, alerted the league with his stellar play and sent his team to the Eastern Finals.
Below are my thoughts on the game.
The Chosen One
It's been 12 years since Anthony Calvillo retired from the CFL. It's been so long since the Alouettes had a franchise quarterback they could build around for a few years. The drought is over as Alexander has officially become Als' that guy. After a perfect 11-0 regular season, he showed he's ready for the playoffs. He completed 24 of 34 passes for 384 yards, one passing and one rushing touchdown.
The 27-year-old made a few mistakes, but when the lights were brightest, he delivered. It all started with his first three drives, which resulted in a field goal and two touchdowns. In each of them, he rode across the field easily, without being at all afraid. His best throws included a 41-yard pass to Charleston Rambo and a 48-yard pass to Tyson Philpot. He had 246 passing yards by halftime.
Then things went south early in the second half. Alexander threw an interception as the Bombers scored three touchdowns and suddenly the visitors took the lead. How did he respond? Driving down the field for a touchdown.
Finally, with Winnipeg looking to get the ball back with time remaining, he calmly took over the deciding play. Alexander used his legs on second and fifth downs, beating Kyrie Wilson in the open field for an 18-yard gain.
This is what great defenders do, not good ones, but great ones. Asked after the game to compare Alexander to other legendary quarterbacks he's been around (Mike Reilly, Ricky Ray), head coach Jason Maas said his quarterback will have to be consistent for years to reach his level. However, he insisted he has the mentality to do great things in the CFL.
Start strong
It was clear that if Montreal wanted to win the game, the Alouettes needed to stop Brady Oliveira. Given the limited resources on the defensive line, their best chance was to take an early lead, and that's exactly what they did.
It all started with a coin toss: the Als won. Maas decided to take the ball and play the game on his own terms. Alexander and his offense showed promise, leading to the first three points of the game. The defense followed with a two-and-out, setting up Alexander for another punt that led to Tyson Philpot's first touchdown of the game. The defense then quickly gave the ball back to their quarterback as Alexander hit Philpot 48 yards to give the Als a comfortable 17-0 lead.
Oliveira played practically no role from there. He ended up carrying the ball just eight times for 38 yards on the ground. The Als' mission is completed.
We study from 2024
Maas has been saying it all week: The team has learned lessons from the 2024 East finals. In this game, the Als took the win to the Toronto Argonauts with a lot of turnovers and several explosive plays.
There were shades of this game early in the second half, when Winnipeg scored three straight touchdowns after two Als turnovers. However, Montreal kept their cool and played their best football since then. The Alouettes played the type of football needed in tight playoff games: nothing spectacular, but really effective.
Stevie Scott III shines again
Travis Theis was named the Els' Most Outstanding Newcomer. After being sidelined with an injury, he returned as a full participant in practice and was widely expected to reclaim his role as the starting running back.
However, Maas decided to continue playing with Stevie Scott III, and it paid off. He rushed 18 times for 133 yards and two touchdowns. He added 29 yards on three catches. Like every good running back, he imposed his will in the second half, especially in the final three minutes. He finished the game with a 39-yard run that put the Alouettes deep in Winnipeg territory.
Scott III was expected to be the starting running back early in the season, but he was injured in training camp and was forced to miss some time. He has steadily improved since his return to the squad and Saturday's game was his best. Alexander called Scott III the “Derrick Henry of the CFL.”
Recipients delivered
Alexander had the most productive game of his CFL career in terms of passing, but his receivers also helped him. Charleston Rambo, Austin Mack and Philpot finished with over 90 yards.
Rambo started the game with two big catches on the sideline. He hasn't been as dominant this season as he was last year, but he made his presence felt from the start.
Then it was Philpot's turn to demonstrate his abilities. Alexander connected with him on a 48-yard pass to open the scoring in the first quarter. Ironically, he beat Demario Houston, the same quarterback he beat in the 2023 Gray Cup, for the game-winning touchdown. Philpot has been doubled up a lot in previous games, but when he goes one-on-one he is hard to stop.
Mack has battled through some injuries this season and we've really seen the best version of him over the past month. On Saturday afternoon, he made his team's biggest catch of the season. After the Bombers scored the go-ahead touchdown, he made a wild attempt to gain a 50-yard gain to put his team in scoring position. The ball wasn't placed perfectly, but that didn't matter.
A Tale of Three Tales
Defensively, the Als started off strong. Montreal didn't allow Oliveira and Zach Collaros to find a rhythm and contributed greatly to their 25-6 lead at halftime. The defenders were at their best in terms of coverage and the pressure continued.
Then some trouble started in the third quarter. Some defenders were simply outplayed by Winnipeg's receivers as Noel Thorpe insisted on three-man passes. I still can't wrap my head around that play, when Collaros was under pressure and he was forcing shots.
However, after the Als retook the lead, the defense returned to a high level and managed just two field goals against the visitors.
Passing defense will be key for the Als' matchup in Hamilton on Saturday. Bo Levi Mitchell will look to exploit Montreal's defenders if he spends too much time in the pocket.
End of an era?
I must end this column by talking about the great years the bombers experienced. Five straight Gray Cup appearances is an incredible achievement. However, I feel like this is the end of an era. The core group is aging and its level is not the same as in previous years.
Collaros, Willie Jefferson, Pat Neufeld and company wanted to give him one last chance, knowing that the Gray Cup would be played on their home field.
I feel there are a lot of changes coming and they could benefit the team in the long run.
What's next?
The Alouettes hit the road to face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Saturday's Eastern Finals, scheduled to tip off at 3:00 pm ET.
