An eastern showdown opens up the final two games of week 13, the Montreal Alouettes looking to hold off the Toronto Argonauts and secure first place and a bit of breathing room should they prevail at Molson Stadium.
For much of the last month the Als and Argos have been trading spots atop the East Division, one jumping forward, one falling back, providing for a particularly interesting race for the East title.
The Argonauts have shown signs that they are finally pulling together all the various parts that were put in place over training camp, a defense that is the stingiest of the East holds the opposition point totals game in and game out, leaving the Argos in the running deep into the fourth quarter for most of the season.
Ricky Ray has generated some impressive stats over the course of the summer, finally settling into rhythm and making better use of his receiving corps and the running game.
Special teams have been a particular highlight for the Double Blue, punt and kick returns an edge of your seat experience that can change the game in the blink of an eye.
The one major problem for the Argos is a tendency to take far too many penalties, a situation that tends to shoot the team in the foot at a most inopportune time, something we imagine the coaching staff is eager to turn around before the Thanksgiving to season end stretch gets under way.
Montreal has been red hot over the last month, a rush up the standings after an early season of struggle, Anthony Calvillo once again appears to be in top form, late game spurts down the field becoming the specialty of the Als, where no deficit seems to much to overcome, when they have to.
Montreal's last month has been a reminder to the CFL that despite an aging roster and the realization that the Calvillo era may be drawing to a close, there is still a lot of life left in the rouge, blanc et bleu.
Beyond the Calvillo magic, the Als have benefited from a defence that seems to have overcome its early season struggles, the last few weeks providing a semblance of the consistency that the coaching staff was looking for during the darker days of the early season.
Sunday's match up obviously has major playoff implications, an Alouette win puts them in the drivers seat for the final stretch of the season, should the Argos prevail, then an already fascinating playoff race gets just a little bit more interesting.
Game Time 1 PM ET, 10 AM PT Molson Stadium TSN
Toronto 10 at Montreal 31 (23,209)
Pre Game
CFL.ca-- Video Preview
Globe and Mail-- Alouettes running back Whitaker out for season
National Post-- Pass blocking key to Argos' success
Toronto Star-- Chad Owens could make bid for CFL MVP
Toronto Sun-- Argos treating Sunday like a "playoff game"
Montreal Gazette-- Emry delivering standout season - and solid hits
Team Backgrounders
Toronto Argonauts
Montreal Alouettes
CFL.ca-- Game Recap
CFL.ca-- Video Highlights
Globe and Mail-- Alouettes cash in on Argonauts' woes
National Post-- Alouettes coast to victory over Argos
Toronto Star-- Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray injured in 31-10 loss to Montreal Alouettes
Toronto Sun-- Argos take a step back
Montreal Gazette-- Pressure eases on Als' special-teams unit
No comments:
Post a Comment