CFL 2024 Season Week 17 Game Preview: Montreal Alouettes at Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts try to inch closer to a postseason-clinching moment as they take on East Division rivals Montreal Alouettes on Saturday night.
After not winning their last two games, the Alouettes (11-2-1) got back on track with a 12-point win over the Ottawa Redblacks last week. That win clinched a home playoff game for the Alouettes as they are locked into the postseason. The concern with Montreal has been on offense; they have dropped to the worst unit in the CFL, averaging just 349 yards per game.
Toronto (7-7) lost a heartbreaker last week to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on a last-second field goal. The season has been a mixed bag for the Argos, as quarterback Chad Kelly has been inconsistent, and the team faces multiple injuries on the offensive line. Despite last week's 33 points allowed, Toronto's defense is the second-best in the CFL in total defense, with 353.6 yards allowed per game.
Preview
Game Information
Line: Alouettes -1.5, O/U 52
Date/Location: Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario
Kickoff Time: 7:00 pm EST
Weather Forecast: Mostly Cloudy, 18 Degrees Celsius
TV/Streaming: TSN, RDS, CFL+
Injury Reports/Inactives
The good news for the Alouettes is that the injury report doesn't look bad for the team. Backup quarterback Caleb Evans is the only player listed as out, but he is not expected to return this season.
Toronto will have five players out for the game, including defensive back Quincy Mauger (knee), wide receiver Richie Sindani (ribs), offensive linemen Isiah Cage (oblique/hip), Darius Ciraco (hip) and Gregor Mackellar (toe).
Keys to Victory
Montreal has to keep leaning on the running game and needs Walter Fletcher Jr. to be more consistent. Wide receiver Charleston Rambo has stepped up as the team's new big-play pass catcher, and Cody Fajardo needs to keep feeding him the ball. The defense for Montreal has carried this offense over the last three games and will need more of that as this is a defense that has made Kelly's life miserable in recent memory.
Kelly has been known for his slow starts this season, turning the ball over early and putting the Argos behind the eight ball the rest of the game. Establishing a running game could help take some pressure off of Kelly. The defense dominated the Alouettes earlier in the season with a 37-18 win back in July thanks to the team shutting down the running game and forcing two interceptions. Toronto will need to replicate that success on Saturday.
Prediction
The difference in Montreal between that July loss to Toronto and now is that Fajardo was knocked out of that game early and Evans finished at quarterback. Montreal still has injury concerns at wide receiver, but Fajardo is starting to figure out how to move the ball down the field with the weapons he has to work with. Toronto is hard to trust despite being the home team as the Alouettes are the better team from top to bottom.
Montreal Alouettes 26, Toronto Argonauts 24
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