LIVE STREAM – Follow the Eastern final between the Argonauts and the Alouettes on RDS and RDS.ca
SUMMARY – Argonauts 7, Alouettes 13 (2nd quarter)
They are the same actors as in 2023, but not in the same role.
This time, it is the Montreal Alouettes who welcome the Toronto Argonauts for the Eastern final with a ticket to the Gray Cup game at stake.
Both quarterbacks lacked precision in the first moments of the game
On the Toronto side, Chad Kelly was intercepted by Najee Murray, but after a long run by the latter, he was tackled and dropped the ball which the Argos were able to recover and save. Kelly threw an interception for the first time in his last 99 passes attempted.
Walter Fletcher was also the victim of a fumble and the turnovers ended up being costly. Cody Fajardo desperately threw a short pass to Fletcher and juggled the ball as it leapt into the hands of Benjie Franklin, who returned it 23 yards for the defensive touchdown.
Despite the fact that the Alouettes have difficulty finishing their offensive sequences, they are not doing too badly. Jose Maltos made a 38-yard field goal and added another early in the second quarter to cut the lead to 7-6.
The good news for the locals is that the Argos are still looking for themselves in attack and they can therefore regain the ball quickly. Slowly but surely, the Montrealers seem to be stabilizing and this is confirmed with Kaion Julien-Grant’s touchdown which gives them a first lead.
Pre-match notes
Last year, Jason Maas’ men caused a surprise across the league by overthrowing the Argonauts on their home field by a score of 38 to 17. We know the rest of the story with the Alouettes lifting the precious trophy the week following. Montrealers have no intention of letting the Argos take revenge and play the trick on them in front of their fans.
The defense once again hopes to annoy quarterback Chad Kelly. During the Eastern final in 2023, the Argonauts player was the victim of four interceptions. On his way to that chance of revenge, Kelly threw for 358 yards and four touchdowns in a 58-38 win over the Ottawa Redblacks last week.
On the other hand, Cody Fajardo hopes to recapture his magic from the recent playoffs. He particularly distinguished himself during the Gray Cup game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to obtain the title of MVP of this confrontation.
Leaders in the East this season with a 12-5-1 record, the Alouettes will want to prove that problems at the end of the regular season are a thing of the past.
The winner of this clash will be waiting for the winner between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Blue Bombers. The match will follow that of the Alouettes on RDS.
