The defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes were in dominating form in their season opener and look to tack on another strong outing when they visit the Edmonton Elks on Friday night.
Montreal posted a solid 27-12 road victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a Grey Cup rematch in Week 1, displaying the form it did last season when it surprisingly emerged as the champions.
Now everyone views the Alouettes (1-0) as the team to beat entering the clash with the Elks (0-1).
“We want to keep the momentum going,” Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo said. “We have a tough task against an Edmonton team that’s extremely better than where they were last year. It’s not going to be easy and being out west again, back-to-back road trips is always difficult. I think guys are ready for the challenge.
“If people want to talk about us being the best team in the league, we have to go out there and be consistent and do it, each and every week. We can’t have a week off. That’s not what the best teams do.”
Fajardo, the Grey Cup MVP, began this season by completing 20 of 28 passes for 254 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Tyson Philpot had both scoring catches as part of a standout showing that included 10 receptions for 141 yards.
However, Montreal lost linebacker Reggie Stubblefield for the season with a torn ACL in his knee.
Edmonton’s opener was disappointing as it held a 21-8 fourth-quarter lead before the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders scored 21 unanswered points to notch a 29-21 victory.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson is the Elks’ new quarterback, and he was 33-of-42 passing for 336 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The 35-year-old Bethel-Thompson previously started 47 games with the Toronto Argonauts (2017-19, 2021-22) and passed for a league-best 4,731 yards in 2022.
He’s looking to help the Elks make strides after last season’s 4-14 campaign.
“We know what this organization has been through and this is maybe what we needed, right?” Bethel-Thompson said of the fourth-quarter meltdown. “Are we going to say, ‘Here we go again?’ Or are we going to step up to the challenge and see the potential and step up this week?
“Losses test your soul. So see what kind of men we have in this locker room and how we bounce back.”
Edmonton will be without receiver Kyran Moore for the rest of the season after he sustained a torn ACL in his knee in practice last week. He led the Elks with 69 receptions last season.
