The Montreal Alouettes headed to Ottawa to play their first away game of the season on Friday night. Charleston Rambo and Nick Callender didn’t dress, but the team didn’t miss a beat with a 39-18 win.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Alexander, the pocket passer
After last week’s season opener, head coach Jason Maas admitted he didn’t want to see Davis Alexander run and get hit as much as he did. The quarterback also admitted he should have stayed in the pocket more to deliver throws. That lesson was learned as Alexander only ran the ball once and still succeeded through the air, finishing 23-of-32 for a career-high of 344 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception.
Alexander kept his cool under pressure and was patient all night. He went through his progressions and let his receivers and running backs do the work after the catch. He also showed his arm strength with deep throws to Tyler Snead and Austin Mack.
His only interception was a pass that Tyson Philpot tipped. The Redblacks scored a touchdown immediately, but Alexander responded with a six-play, 55-yard drive that ended with James Letcher Jr.’s touchdown.
It is worth noting that the quarterback appeared to be in little discomfort when he escaped the pocket on two different occasions. However, per a source, he’s fine.
The good news for Als’ fans: Alexander hasn’t played his most complete game yet. When he does, Montreal will reach an even higher level, as crazy as that sounds.
Another dominant performance
Noel Thorpe’s defence is special. Year after year, he finds ways to reach new levels with the same core but different complements. This year, general manager Danny Maciocia gave him a defensive line upgrade with Shawn Oakman and the return of Lwal Uguak. The whole unit looks dangerous and, most importantly, complete.
The Redblacks started four drives in Montreal territory in the first half. The end result of each of them for Ottawa? A turnover on downs, a punt, and two interceptions. It doesn’t get better than that.
After playing their “worst” quarter of the season by allowing 14 points in the third, including seven with a short field to work with, Thorpe’s defence followed with a pick-six and three forced punts in the fourth. The unit has high standards and knows how to respond when it needs to.
The defensive line steals the show
Last year, the only defensive weakness was the defensive line. The unit couldn’t stop the run or consistently apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks. This year, the revamped unit has been able to get home with different players, with Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund and Lwal Uguak taking the spotlight on Friday night.
Adeyemi-Berglund was everywhere. Although he only finished with two defensive tackles and one sack, he was the catalyst for multiple stops on defence, including the ones at the goal line. He played at a high level in Calgary but has taken it to new heights since he joined the Als, following his nomination for Most Outstanding Canadian in 2024 with two impressive outings in 2025.
Uguak has been building up his game since training camp started. He said multiple times he didn’t like how his last season ended and wanted to return to his 2023 form. After two games, he has taken a significant step toward that goal with another dominant performance on the edge. He recorded an interception with an impressive grab and added four defensive tackles. He disrupted Ottawa’s backfield and broke up multiple runs with his quickness.
Interceptions trend
The Als can create turnovers in many ways. The latest trend has been batted passes turning into interceptions. Last week, Tyrice Beverette made a great adjustment after a tip to record an interception and on Friday night, Montreal added three more in the same fashion from the hands of Uguak, Geoffrey Cantin-Arku and Wesley Sutton.
The heights of Shawn Oakman and Uguak — six-foot-eight and six-foot-four, respectively –are the main reasons why all these plays became possible. They get a lot of hands in passing lanes.
Austin Mack responds
Charleston Rambo missed Friday’s game to attend his wedding. He was put on the suspended list, but the Als expect to see him back when they start preparing for their next game.
James Letcher Jr. took his place on offence, but the Als needed another receiver to step up and catch the balls in the intermediary and deep zones. Austin Mack answered the bell and made plays that resembled the ones he made in 2023. He finished with 103 yards on five catches, including a 47-yard grab in the fourth quarter.
Mack appears to have a different role than he had two years ago. While the Als try to exploit Rambo and Philpot in the deep area, he runs intermediary routes and finds holes in the opponents’ zone coverages. So far, he has executed his job very well and has led the team in receiving yards in both games.
After ripping the TSN Top 50 CFL players voters for his omission, he has responded as the third most productive receiver in the league with two games remaining this week.
Travis Theis keeps winning points
Since Travis Theis arrived at training camp, he has impressed with his ability to break tackles and bounce off defenders for extra yardage. Friday night, he was given more opportunities and seized them.
Theis ran 12 times for 75 yards, including a 32-yarder to close the game. His size doesn’t seem a problem, and his performance might have won him the starting job for next week.
Jose Maltos delivers
Jose Maltos didn’t kick a field goal during the two preseason games. He didn’t have a lot of competition for the starting position either, but he has silenced the critics since the beginning of the season.
The Mexican national was perfect on six attempts against Ottawa, including a 49-yarder and a 50-yarder. His most important kick came when time was winding down at the end of the first half. Had he missed, he would have given a chance to star player Demonte Dedmon for a dangerous return.
What’s next?
The Alouettes will be on the road once again next week as they’ll face the Edmonton Elks on Thursday night. Kickoff is slated for 9:00 p.m. EDT.
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