TORONTO – The Alouettes are struggling to compete with the top clubs in the Canadian Football League. And it’s even more obvious without the presence of Austin Mack, who was ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct before the end of the first quarter on Saturday afternoon in Toronto.
After the first quarter, the Alouettes had already scored 20 points Saturday afternoon at BMO Field. The strong Argonauts won easily with a score of 39 to 10.
• Also read: Austin Mack is ejected from the match
Even before Mack’s expulsion, the Argos were already showing their dominance. Quarterback Chad Kelly is one to impress. Kelly, the reigning Gray Cup champions’ leading man, also received warm applause when his recent three-year extension with Toronto was shown on the big screen.
Kelly certainly has qualities that Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo doesn’t have, but more importantly, we need to admit better depth in Toronto’s favor at many other positions, be it on offense or defense.
Chandler Worthy spectacular!
If there’s one aspect of the game where the Alouettes have nothing to envy the Argonauts, it might be the kick returns.
Despite the loss, Chandler Worthy still had a good game. He also came very close to running the entire field and scoring a touchdown in the first quarter. Stopped by an opponent in a gesture of desperation, Worthy still crossed 79 yards to set the table for Cole Spieker’s touchdown a few moments later.
Spieker scored after a 19-yard pass from Fajardo, but he paid dearly for it when he was thrown off guard by the tackle. Spieker was able to stay in the game. In Mack’s absence, Worthy was also one of the players who could have served as a target for Fajardo.
Still second in the East
Despite a third straight loss, the Alouettes remain in second place in the East Division standings with a record of 6-6, ahead of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5-7). When analyzing the calendar, it was clear that the Montreal club’s balance sheet would suffer midway through the season.
The Alouettes and the Argos also meet next Friday in Montreal. Head coach Jason Maas’ squad will then come up with a more favorable schedule for the rest of the season. In particular, they will face the Ottawa Redblacks (3-9) twice and the Edmonton Elks (2-10) once until mid-October. It could potentially boost player and fan morale!