The unbeaten Toronto Argonauts will put their 3-0 record on the line when they head to Percival Molson Stadium on Friday night to take on the Montreal Alouettes.
Toronto heads into the East Division showdown coming off of their second bye of the young season, while Montreal attempts to snap a two-game losing skid after a loss to the BC Lions to close out Week 5.
The Argos’ offence has averaged 40 points a game and the production has come from all over the field. They’re also no stranger to facing strong defences like the one they’ll line up against on Friday, as they put up 45 points against the Lions in their most recent win.
Quarterback Chad Kelly and running back AJ Ouellette have combined for seven rushing touchdowns and will face a defensive front that’s holding their opposition to under 100 yards per game.
While Kelly and the offence have relied heavily on the run game, the quarterback has options when he drops back, as DaVaris Daniels and Kurleigh Gittens Jr. both had four catches against the tough Lions defensive backs.
Add in the playmaking ability of Damonte Coxie and Dejon Brissett and Kelly should be able to look multiple ways downfield.
Alouettes head coach Jason Maas needs his offensive line to do a better job protecting Cody Fajardo if his offence hopes to excel against the Argos.
Fajardo has taken his fair share of hits on the season and was sacked seven times against the Lions. His line has allowed a league high 22 in four games.
When Fajardo is given time to make plays, he’ll look downfield for rookie receiver Austin Mack, who brought down 10 catches for 72 yards last week.
With Quartney Davis and Tyler Snead also emerging as viable targets and the likes of veteran Kaion Julien-Grant being able to make big plays, Fajardo will try to spread the Argos across the field.
The receiving corps will need to deal with an Argos’ secondary that’s coming off a six-interception game, of which Robertson Daniel had three.
Fajardo believes another tough opponent and the short week is something his team is relishing.
“The nice thing about the short week is you get an opportunity to right your wrongs,” Fajardo told reporters.
“I think that opportunity for the guys has us excited and motivated. Obviously we’re not where we need to be but we’ve gone against two of the top teams in the league and now a third top team. As a young team this is very beneficial for us to have it early on in the year.”
Fajardo has been helping his own cause by showing his ability to be mobile in the pocket. With William Stanback coming off another down rushing game, look for him to call his own number if the situation presents itself.
The Argos are allowing a league low 57.7 yards on the ground per game thanks to a defensive line of Thomas Costigan, Folarin Orimolade and Shawn Oakman, along with a linebacker corps held down by Wynton McManis, so finding yards on the ground will be a challenge yet again.
Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie knows his team will need to bring a strong defensive effort to shut down the Alouettes’ playmakers.
“These guys are grinders,” Dinwiddie told reporters.
“They understand the process of it. They’re process driven, each day they have to find a way. Our pass rush has been really good the last two weeks. We have to keep everything in front of us and make them throw some balls in tight windows. We have to stop Stanback from getting going and make him one dimensional.”
On defence, the Als will want to prove that their first three games are more of what people can expect than the 35 points they surrendered last week.
Much of their success will depend on defending against the legs of Kelly, Ouellette and Andrew Harris, an assignment that will be given to offensive linemen Jamal Davis, Almondo Sewell and linebacker Tyrice Beverette.
The secondary will add a big piece in the return of Ciante Evans, who is tied for the league lead with three interceptions. Evans, along with Marc-Antoine Dequoy and Dionte Ruffin will be responsible for shutting down the pass game.
It’s a unit that failed to record an interception a week ago but has six on the season, three behind the league leading Argos.
The Argos can further distance themselves from the rest of the East Division with a win, while the Alouettes can move into a tie for first if they come out victorious.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States and on CFL+ for international viewers.
