MONTREAL — Cody Fajardo and the Montreal Alouettes looked out of sync with a 17-6 halftime deficit against the Edmonton Elks on Sunday night, but head coach Jason Maas wasn’t sweating it.
Fajardo, wide receiver Cole Spieker and an unwavering Alouettes defence led a second-half comeback as league-leading Montreal defeated Edmonton 21-17 in nail-biting fashion for its fifth straight victory.
"We don't ever give up on anything, and we just learn,” Maas said. “We know it's a 60-minute game no matter what the score says at halftime, you got to play for 60 minutes in this league and finish games.
"We do an incredible job of doing that.”
Fajardo, who returned from missing four games with a hamstring injury, threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Spieker for his third reception of a six-play, 100-yard drive to open the third quarter.
The Alouettes (10-1) carried the momentum from there. Spieker just barely stayed in bounds on a 22-yard catch for his second TD of the game with 3:37 left in the third. The reception capped a nine-play drive that was sparked by a 30-yard catch-and-run by Walter Fletcher as Montreal took an 18-17 lead.
"Cole Spieker had a hell of a game,” Fajardo said. “It seemed like any time I threw the ball his way, he came down with it.
“We made great adjustments at halftime. Also, I felt like it gave me time to recoup. I came out just a little rusty, but I think that's what happens when you miss five weeks.”
Fajardo threw for 336 yards on 22-for-34 completions to go with two touchdown passes, while Spieker caught two TDs and totalled 107 receiving yards on five receptions, all in the second half, before an announced crowd of 19,048 at Molson Stadium.
But those efforts wouldn’t have mattered without the Alouettes defence fending off Edmonton twice in the red zone late in the game.
“To shut them down in three-down football as well. I mean, I can't say enough about it,” Maas said. “I mean, that's incredible."
Down 21-17, the Elks reached the Montreal 12-yard line with 1:24 remaining, but only advanced six yards as the Alouettes defence forced a turnover on downs.
Edmonton then advanced all the way to the Montreal 20 in the dying seconds of the game, but Montreal’s defence stood tall again as the Elks failed to reach the end zone.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, Elks kicker Boris Bede missed what turned out to be a pivotal 41-yard field goal attempt. He was 1-for-2 on the night.
“It's tough. It's tough right now, as far as having the loss happen this way,” Elks interim head coach Jarious Jackson said. “At the end of the day, you're playing against the best team in the league right now, and you gotta take advantage of your opportunities when they come.”
All-star receiver Austin Mack made three receptions for 32 yards in his 2024 debut after rejoining the Alouettes this week following a stint with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. Montreal kicker Jose Maltos went 3-for-3 on field goals.
Elks QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson went 21-for-33 for 200 yards and two TD passes in his second consecutive start as Edmonton’s (3-8) three-game win streak came to an end.
Running back Kevin Brown, back from a shoulder injury, rushed for 105 yards.
The Alouettes also edged the Elks 23-20 in a Week 2 matchup in Edmonton.
The Alouettes didn’t score a touchdown in a tough first half that included a turnover, dropped passes and difficulty establishing the run. Montreal was also without two offensive linemen with Philippe Gagnon a late scratch before Pier-Olivier Lestage exited early in the first.
Meanwhile, Bethel-Thompson connected with Eugene Lewis in the end zone on a six-yard pass with 4:59 left in the first quarter as Edmonton took a 7-3 lead.
The Elks added to their lead 1:19 into the second to go up 14-3. This time Bethel-Thompson found Kurleigh Gittens Jr. through a crowd for an eight-yard TD.
Edmonton’s Devodric Bynum intercepted Fajardo’s deep pass targeting Mack 5:27 into the second.
The Elks added a field goal in the dying seconds of the first half to take a 17-6 lead after two quarters, but the second half was a different story.
“They definitely took the momentum in the second half,” Brown said. “Towards the end, we kind of got it back, but it was just a little too late."
LEGENDS IN THE HOUSE
The 1974 Alouettes were honoured at halftime to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their Grey Cup championship. The home side also sported throwback jerseys with the Alouettes’ 1974 logo during the game. Montreal defeated Edmonton 20-7 at Empire Stadium in Vancouver for its third title in franchise history.
UP NEXT
Alouettes: Head into a bye week before hosting the B.C. Lions (5-6) on Sept. 6.
Elks: Visit the Calgary Stampeders (4-6) on Labour Day (Sept. 2).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2024.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press