The Toronto Argonauts can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the visiting Montreal Alouettes Saturday afternoon.
It will be the first of back-to-back games between the Argonauts (9-1) and the Alouettes (6-5), with the matchup shifting to Montreal next Friday.
Toronto won the first meeting 35-27 on July 14 at Montreal.
The Argonauts are coming off a 41-28 away victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Monday.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly threw two touchdown passes and ran for another TD a mere three days after signing a three-year contract extension. Kelly finished 15-of-23 passing for 201 yards and had two interceptions.
“There’s always pressure but even more so now,” Kelly said. “Everyone is looking at you to be the best player out there.
“I’ve got to prove to them why they did what they did. I’ve got to do better, I’ve got to be a better leader and make sure the team is more focused. … We’ve just got to do better as a team, so we’ll fix that.”
Said Toronto coach Ryan Dinwiddie: “It wasn’t (Kelly’s) best day, for sure. I thought he pressed a little bit and tried to force some balls down the field that weren’t there, trying to be a superhero.”
The Alouettes absorbed a 34-25 home loss to the B.C. Lions last Saturday when they turned the ball over twice and settled for a pair of field goals inside 23 yards.
“The frustration is with turning the ball over in the red zone personally for me because those are opportunities you cannot let go,” Alouettes coach Jason Maas said.
Montreal produced only two touchdowns despite more than 500 yards of net offense against B.C.
“In the CFL, that’s pretty unheard of, to have that (many) yards,” Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo said Thursday. “We moved the ball well, but that hasn’t been our issue. All year we’ve moved the ball well against every team. When we play the top teams in the league, we seem to move the ball. For the most part, it seems the red zone is the issue.”
Fajardo passed for 296 yards against the Lions.
The Alouettes will be without wide receivers Greg Ellingson (knee) and Kaion Julien-Grant (hand), as well as defensive back Wesley Sutton (head).
Toronto wide receiver Dejon Brissett (foot) and defensive backs Robertson Daniel (ankle) and Jamal Peters (quadriceps) were listed as questionable for Saturday, as was punter John Haggerty (knee).
–Field Level Media