TORONTO — With the Toronto Argonauts hot on their heels in the East Division, the Montreal Alouettes opened up the gap with a 21-19 win at BMO Field on Friday night.

In a game dictated by defences, big fourth-quarter plays allowed the Als to hold on and improve to 7-7.

Without Nick Arbuckle, the Argos didn’t have much going against the imposing Montreal front. They fell to 5-8, still fighting to overcome a slow start and secure playoff position.

CFL.ca brings you three key stats that defined Montreal’s win over Toronto.

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» Game Notes: Alouettes at Argonauts

1 — TORONTO TOUCHDOWN

The Alouettes’ defence played three quarters of perfect football. Through the first 45 minutes, they held Toronto’s offence out of the end zone and to just 102 total yards, and they had to be stingy after three first-half interceptions thrown by McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Toronto had its opportunity to run away in the first half, but the Als’ defence limited the damage and went into halftime trailing by just two points. Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, Mustafa Johnson and Shawn Oakman all tallied sacks to disrupt Toronto’s rhythm on offence as they held Jarret Doege to seven two-and-outs on the night.

1 — WESLEY SUTTON INTERCEPTION

 

Despite losing the turnover battle 3-1, Wesley Sutton’s clutch interception came at the right time. With the Argos marching into Lirim Hajrullahu‘s field-goal range late — threatening a third-straight win by way of a walk-off kick — Sutton emphatically shut it down with a diving catch over the middle. Doege had been composed all game, but in desperation, Montreal’s defence came up with its biggest play of the night.

51 — TYLER SNEAD FOURTH-QUARTER YARDS

 

It wasn’t always pretty on offence for Montreal on Friday, but when they needed a spark, Tyler Snead delivered. After the offences exchanged fruitless possessions to start the fourth, Bethel-Thompson loaded up deep and found Snead for a 46-yard gainer along the sidelines. It was the longest play of the game for Montreal, and exactly what they needed against a late-charging Argos team. Snead struck again, beating his defender on a crisp route to the back of the end zone for a six-yard touchdown, giving Montreal a crucial two-possession lead.