It was the worst case scenario for the Canadian Football League. There were three games on the schedule on the last day of the regular season, Saturday, but none of them had the slightest impact on the standings, including the first of the day between the Alouettes and the Argonauts in Toronto.
Posted at 5:54 p.m.
There were almost as many reserves on the field as in a typical preseason game at BMO Field. However, that did not prevent the two teams from totaling 71 points, 24 more than the previous week when the two teams met at Percival-Molson Stadium.
After taking a comfortable 21-7 lead early in the game, the Alouettes held on and prevailed, 38-33, a victory that allowed them to finish the season with a .500 record (9-9 ) for the second season in a row (7-7 in 2021).
Trevor Harris was granted leave, which allowed Dominique Davis to make his first start in an Alouettes uniform. Mostly used in a three-and-one situation this season, Davis scored his 13e touchdown of the season this way, but it was his excellent work as a passer that caught the eye on Saturday afternoon.
PHOTO NICK IWANYSHYN, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Race by Walter Fletcher (25) in the first quarter
Davis completed his first 10 passes for 150 yards on 1er quarter. Two of those were good for majors of 53 and 31 yards to Cole Spieker and Kaion Julien-Grant.
The 11e The 33-year-old quarterback’s pass was intercepted by Shaquille Richardson, but before being replaced by rookie Davis Alexander after the first half – as Danny Maciocia and the Alouettes had expected – he hit the target on 13 of his 14 shots for 166 yards.
Known as an imprecise passer with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Ottawa Redblacks, the towering 6-foot-4 quarterback looked great against the Argos. We understand better why Maciocia holds him in high esteem.
Playing in a regular CFL game for the first time, Alexander struggled more than Davis. The Als’ lone touchdown in the second half came by Jabari Ellis after he blocked a John Haggerty punt.
Alexander completed 8 of 13 passes for 89 yards and one interception. He also scored a one-yard touchdown in the first half.
In addition to Harris, receivers Eugene Lewis and Jake Wieneke and linemen Landon Rice and Kristian Matte were released for the final game of the season on offense. On defense, tackle Almondo Sewell and linebacker Micah Awe did not play.
William Stanback is one of the veterans who were in uniform with the Alouettes, who obviously wanted to give him a little more playing time before the start of the playoffs. The running back gained 23 yards on 4 carries before getting bye. Stanback looked sharper and quicker than in previous matches, which bodes well for what’s to come.
Jim Kelly’s son
Like the Als, the Argonauts rested several of their key players, including quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who finished first in the league in passing yards with 4,731.
It was rookie Chad Kelly who took the place of Bethel-Thompson. Kelly is the son of former Buffalo Bills star Jim Kelly, who notably played in four Super Bowls as that team’s quarterback.
PHOTO NICK IWANYSHYN, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly (12)
While Davis and Alexander shared the work for the Alouettes, Kelly played the entire game and overall played well in his first CFL start. He completed 23 of 35 passes for 264 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception, and he added 35 yards and a rushing major.
Place in the Eastern Semi-Final
Thanks to their 11-7 record and their divisional championship, the Argos will get a bye in the first round of the playoffs and play their next game on November 13. They will then host the Eastern Finals at BMO Field.
It will be the Alouettes or the Hamilton Tiger-Cats who will play this game in the Queen City. The two clubs will fight for this place, next Sunday (1 p.m.), in the semi-final of the East at the Percival-Molson stadium.
Maciocia’s men will be relatively healthy for this game. Receiver Reggie White Jr., defensive end Nick Usher, center Sean Jamieson and defensive back Raheem Wilson all fell in action over the past month, but all teams are dealing with their share of injuries.
During the season, the Alouettes have won two of their three games against the Tiger-Cats. They had, however, suffered elimination at the hands of the same Tiger-Cats in the Eastern semi-finals last year. This game, however, took place at Tim Horton’s Field in Hamilton.