Stampeders fumbles away lead, fall to undefeated Alouettes
The Calgary Stampeders will wonder how they let this one get away. At halftime against the undefeated Montreal Alouettes (5-0), the Stamps (2-2) were rolling. They looked like they were in control. And then, well, whatever was working for their offence wasn’t working anymore. At all. The Alouettes came alive, sure, but even the slightest sign of life on offence likely would have been enough for the Stamps to hold on to the 11-point lead they had going into the fourth quarter. Instead, nothing. The Alouettes fought their way back into the game and the Stampeders did nothing of-note to stop the bleeding, eventually surrendering by a 30-26 scoreline. Losing to the Alouettes is not, in-and-of itself, the end of the world. They are the reigning Grey Cup champions, after all, and haven’t lost a game all season. It’s the way Saturday evening game played out in Montreal that is a concern, though. Being almost entirely unable to move the ball in the second half and getting out-scored 18-3 after halftime just isn’t going to cut it. Good football teams put their foot down and finish opponents off when they get out in front the way the Stamps did against the Alouettes. But the Stamps did just the opposite. They seemed to let their foot off the gas and reverted to the same underwhelming offence fans have been complaining about for the better part of a season-and-a-half now. Quarterback Jake Maier ended the game having completed 18-of-28 passes and did throw a touchdown. But he also threw for only 106 yards and tossed an interception on the final drive as the Stampeders were trying to salvage the game. He didn’t get great protection from the offensive line, but on the passing plays that the Stamps did manage to complete, they only managed an average of 3.8 yards. Maier’s counterpart on the Alouettes, Cody Fajardo, averaged 8.9 yards per completion. Fajardo was far from perfect – he threw two interceptions – but he did complete 35-of-42 passes for 374 yards and two touchdowns and was able to execute when the Alouettes needed him and the game was on the line. There were some decent performances elsewhere on Saturday. Peyton Logan looked dynamic at running back, running the ball six times for 65 yards, while Tommy Stevens also ran the ball six times for 49 yards and two touchdowns. And this loss certainly doesn’t fall on the shoulders of the defence. While they couldn’t stop the Alouettes’ late rally, they weren’t being given much time to rest with the offence unable to stay on the field. Micah Awe led the way with nine tackles, while Tre Roberson and Bentlee Sanders each had an interception. But the focus will be on the Stampeders’ offence, as it’s been for a while now. There’s too much talent on the field for things not to be clicking, but that’s how it’s felt for far too long now. There have been flashes of improvement through four games this year, but far too many stretches where the Stamps have struggled to provide any offensive spark. It cost them a winnable game on Saturday night. daustin@postmedia.com www.twitter.com/DannyAustin_9