Photo: Pascal Ratthe/Montreal Alouettes

The Montreal Alouettes headed home to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday, but it was a one-sided matchup, as the visitors won 34-6. Below are my thoughts on the game.

MBT puts his starting job up for grabs

After two weeks where McLeod Bethel-Thompson gave his team a chance to win, I was expecting a similar performance on Saturday night, especially since the Riders have struggled against deep shots this season.

The complete opposite happened. Not only did MBT not give his team a chance to stick with the Riders through 60 minutes, but he also made costly mistakes that put them further behind.

In the end, he finished 15-of-26 for just 126 yards and one interception. It could have been worse, as the Riders literally dropped three passes that hit them directly in their hands. Rolan Milligan and Nelson Lokombo might owe their teammates extra push-ups next week.

It’s a new offensive system for MBT this year, and he doesn’t seem to have fully picked it up yet. He doesn’t appear in sync with his receivers, and when he holds the ball for too long, he takes too much risk.

His performance might lead to some changes for next week.

A first start for Morgan?

The end result is that we might have a starting quarterback change ahead of Thursday’s game against the Elks.

James Morgan was a standout in training camp, and he deserves a shot. He was kept in the main roster, a rarity for fourth stringers.

While keeping other teams away from him, the Als had to pay him a salary for each game he didn’t dress this year, as he was put on the one-game injured list.

All these factors, combined with the CFL’s worst team coming to town, might be a good mix to see Morgan for the first time as a starter.

Help needed (ft. the receivers)

Bethel-Thompson wasn’t the lone person responsible for the offensive issues during the game.

Receivers had issues creating separation from coverage. Hats off to the Riders’ defensive backs, who did a great job, but Charleston Rambo, Cole Spieker and Hakeem Harris needed to create more open looks for MBT.

That being said, it is inconceivable not to see a single ball thrown at Rambo. He was the team’s most explosive receiver last season, but he and MBT don’t seem to connect. Even on the trick play attempted by Caleb Evans, Tyler Snead was the intended receiver instead of the faster and taller Rambo.

Injuries are piling up, but where is the next man?

It is a reality across the league: injuries are piling up, especially around midseason.

The Alouettes were already without Davis Alexander and Tyson Philpot last week; they added Austin Mack, Nate Beauchemin, Najee Murray and Kabion Ento to the list before Saturday.

Then, during the first half against Saskatchewan, the Als lost starters in safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy and centre Justin Lawrence. 

It led to multiple changes on both sides of the ball, but it doesn’t justify the lack of fight from the team, especially in the first half. The gap between the two teams was too wide; they didn’t seem to be playing in the same league.

Bad start defensively

For two years, it’s been really difficult to criticize Noel Thorpe and his defence, but the reality is that the start of games haven’t been sharp lately.

On Saturday night, the unit let Trevor Harris take flight with a long 6:44 drive to score the first touchdown of the game. 

The main issue during the drive was the lack of pressure. Whether three, four or five players were trying to get to Harris, none succeeded. Before the game, Harris was averaging 70 percent of passes completed over his last seven starts, so getting to him was a priority. They never did.  

Help please (ft. the defence)

With the way MBT and his offence were playing, the defence needed to find a way to build some momentum for the team. However, after every Als field goal score (their only points of the game), Montreal allowed Saskatchewan to drive the field quickly to restore the lead. Two stops might not have changed the end result, but it would have given some life to an offence that badly needed it. 

Most of general manager Danny Maciocia’s salary cap is dedicated to the defensive side of the ball. It’s normal to expect more from a unit that was ranked the best in the CFL before the season started. 

They can’t do it alone, but their pressure strategies and one-on-one coverages need to be looked at. Dionte Ruffin and Lorenzo Burns got beaten on double moves, which gave the Riders huge gains on critical second-down plays.

Maltos and Snead, two bright spots

In the demolition, Jose Maltos Diaz and Tyler Snead stood out for the Als. The former added two bombs to his field goal resume, with a 56-yarder and a 54-yarder. His confidence seems to be at an all-time high as he makes those field goals seem easy. He is showing week after week to head coach Jason Mass that he’s trustworthy from distance. 

Snead was probably the best player wearing an Alouettes jersey on Saturday night. He finished with seven catches for 88 yards and does a little bit of everything. He helps with the protection, in addition to being a reliable quick receiver. 

Still no panic

Saturday marked the second missed game by franchise quarterback Davis Alexander. The Als are 1-1 over that stretch, and the Elks are coming to town. It is not the time to panic, especially only eight games into the season. 

The Als are still not in trouble as the Redblacks and the Argos have yet to make a push. However, adjustments need to be made now in order for the team to stay afloat and carry enough momentum when Alexander comes back. 

The well-deserved leaders of the West

The Als’ poorly executed game shouldn’t take anything away from the Saskatchewan Roughriders.  

They are 7-1 for a reason, and again on Saturday, they started strong on both sides of the ball. Corey Mace has done a great job of preparing his teams for kickoff, and for once, they didn’t allow the opponent to make the finish interesting. 

We’ll see where it goes from here, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see some football in Regina in early November.

What’s next?

The Montreal Alouettes will return to action on Friday night as they will host the Edmonton Elks. The kickoff is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. EDT.