The Edmonton Elks faced the Montreal Alouettes with the task of extending their winning streak from three games to four. Little Mac looked like he may defeat Mike Tyson during a Punchout moment, but the defending Grey Cup champs prevailed 21-17 in the following rounds. My thoughts about the game are below.
warm initial half
With Kevin Brown back for the running game and the offensive line carrying on from its recent strong play, Edmonton got off to a strong start.
Three of Brown’s runs were longer than ten yards, and it was entertaining to watch the guards pull frequently to create openings. Former first-overall CFL draft pick Shane Richards provided a few strong upfield blocks to ignite the explosive back, while 305-pound fullback rookie Jakub Szott was an entertaining addition. Brown had 105 yards on 16 carries by the end of the game.
In the first half, McLeod Bethel-Thompson also showed off his explosiveness by throwing two touchdown touchdowns. When it came to finding his hot routes under duress, he was spot on with his reads. The offense marched the field, building an 11-point lead at the half, and the defense had time to catch its breath. It was an effective performance and excellent complementary football.
It was just the kind of start you would expect when playing on the road against the reigning Grey Cup champions. Next, though…
Breakdown in the second half
The Elks haven’t had a good third quarter this season. Although it’s unclear if this is a result of adjustment issues or a lack of confidence after a strong first half, the former is most likely the case, it’s still an area that need work.
Edmonton was kept off the scoresheet in the third quarter for the sixth straight game. The Elks have only managed 19 third-quarter points in their 11 games this season, so this is hardly a new pattern. It genuinely baffles me how such excellent preparation can precede such a terrible game.
Montreal capitalized on the Green and Gold’s third-quarter slump with two long-drive touchdowns. Edmonton countered with a total of three two-and-outs as McLeod Bethel-Thompson was forced to the check down on every second down and the run game was neutralized. Add in the return of some Elksplosion plays and some inexcusable penalties and the 11-point lead built in the first half evaporated.
Interim head coach Jarious Jackson has a lot to work on to improve that production.
Wide right (again)
Boris Bede missed yet another field goal. The Laval product, brought in as a major free-agent addition this off-season, continues to struggle. If not for the challenges of Brett Lauther in Saskatchewan, Bede would be the only kicker under 80 percent on his field goals in the CFL. It appears that money was not well spent.
Timing is everything and the miss this week was a back-breaker. After finally moving the ball effectively and down four points, the kick came from the 41-yard line and sailed wide right. It was returned out of the end zone by James Letcher Jr. for no points.
The miss came with nine minutes remaining and the Elks didn’t get the ball back until the 5:28 mark of the fourth quarter. It killed any momentum the team had working against arguably the best defence in the league.
Own worst enemy
A common theme for Edmonton, outside of the third-quarter foibles, was penalties coming out at the worst possible times.
This was epitomized by Kai Grey taking an uncalled-for unnecessary roughness penalty. Edmonton would have had Montreal in first-and-20 on a holding call but Grey lowered his shoulder into Cody Fajardo as he was out of bounds. The drive ended in a touchdown for the Alouettes.
Reeling in the penalties has been a priority for the Elks and the overall number has dropped, though the timing of the infractions is making it hard to continue any success.
Challenges are weird
Two challenges in this game could both have gone either way, though you never know these days with the CFL command centre.
Montreal head coach Jason Maas used his challenge in the second quarter as he believed Austin Mack was interfered with by Devodric Bynum. There was certainly a collision on the play, though Bynum recovered and was able to chase down the pass for an interception.
The contact was very close to being in the five-yard legal area, so I understood the challenge. It could also have been considered illegal contact, though that’s no longer challengeable. On a close call, the ruling went with what was ruled on the field.
Early in the fourth quarter, Jackson used his challenge on an incomplete pass that he thought was an interception.
Charleston Rambo and Darius Bratton rolled and the ball ended up in between them with the latter coming up with the ball. It initially appeared close and the Elks needed the momentum, so the challenge was understandable.
In the end, it wasn’t close as Bratton clearly didn’t secure the ball. In hindsight, whoever called for Jackson to throw his challenge flag probably erred in doing so.
The old run around
Kevin Brown rushing for 100 yards in his return has raised the question of how Edmonton will handle its three running backs when Javon Leake is healthy.
Tre Ford’s return will only improve the run game, which is a nice problem to have given that all three of them are producing. In my opinion, they do indeed return to Brown and Leake. There’s a capable individual to step in if anyone falters. In addition, they might switch up the lineup for the forthcoming Labor Day series in order to expedite the process.
Next.
The Elks will play in the annual Labour Day Classic in Calgary next, which is a crucial series for the team as they attempt to recover from their terrible start and get back into the postseason.
