Article content material
The Edmonton Elks are the final ones needing to plan a parade this season.
Nevertheless it rained on theirs anyway on Saturday, within the type of 32 unanswered factors.
Article content material
In reality, in a wholly saturated season of rain that’s already seen them eradicated from playoff competition, it all-out poured — proverbially, that’s — in a 35-21 loss to the Montreal Alouettes in entrance of twenty-two,822 at Commonwealth Stadium, the place the house aspect coughed up an early 21-3 lead and wouldn’t rating once more.
Commercial 2
Article content material
In a span of three:21 to observe, the Alouettes answered again with 23 straight factors to take a 26-21 lead into halftime and by no means look again on their option to sitting 10-7 and guaranteeing themselves a successful document, whereas, extra importantly, securing a house playoff date.
“It’s the identical factor. Similar track, about eighth verse this 12 months,” mentioned Elks head coach and normal supervisor Chris Jones. “The place you leap out and also you play some good soccer at instances, and you then flip round and play 1 / 4 and a half to 2 quarters of unhealthy soccer, which ends up in a loss.
“So, yeah, I’m fairly annoyed proper now.”
And after extending their successful streak to 4 video games, the Alouettes are the most popular group down the playoff stretch. Edmonton dropped their third recreation in a row to fall to 4-13, with their season finale set for Saturday in Winnipeg (5 p.m., TSN, 630 CHED).
Cody Fajardo accomplished 23 of 29 passes for 258 yards, a landing and an interception, whereas James Letcher Jr. returned a missed discipline aim 125 yards for a landing, and defensive sort out Mustafa Johnson scored on a fumble restoration.
Tre Ford accomplished 21 of 30 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns, whereas including 47 yards on 5 carries within the loss.
Headline Information
Article content material
Commercial 3
Article content material
Edmonton acquired up early with touchdowns on three of their first 4 possessions, starting with a 13-yard reception by Kyran Moore for a seven-play, 64-yard drive that took 3:32.
After a 50-yard discipline aim by Montreal’s Jose Maltos, the Elks added one other landing on second-and-one, which short-yardage quarterback Taylor Cornelius prolonged right into a six-yard sweep to cap a seven-play, 67-yard drive in 2:58.
One other landing reception by Moore, this one for 18 yards to shine off an eight-play, 58-yard drive that took 4:24, put Edmonton forward 21-3, earlier than Montreal strung collectively 23 straight factors.
Fajardo hit Tyson Philpot for Montreal’s first landing of the day, an eight-yarder to path 21-10.
However the very subsequent offensive snap confirmed the Elks are removed from having cured their woes with regards to discovering new and creative methods to lose. It resulted in a strip sack on Ford by none apart from Edmonton product Lwal Uguak, which put the ball on the turf to be scooped up by fellow Alouettes defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson.
He trundled 38 yards into the tip zone with the diminutive Elks quarterback clinging on from behind, piggyback model, to path 21-17. Montreal would then pull inside one level of Edmonton’s lead with a 24-yard discipline aim.
Commercial 4
Article content material
“They positively acquired lots of momentum from the strip-sack, it put them again in it,” mentioned Ford, who’s 4-5 since taking up the beginning function this season. “They’re a very good soccer group, they will come again from anyone. Undoubtedly, that play was unlucky, put us behind and gave them a bit of head begin.
“They usually had all of the momentum from that time, I really feel like. And we have been simply by no means capable of come again and execute.”
However the collapse wasn’t fairly full there.
The Elks lined up for a discipline aim of their very own, solely to see Dean Faithfull miss from 41 yards out. Letcher took his cue to return the missed kick 125 yards the opposite means, weaving out and in of Elks would-be tacklers to see Montreal take their first lead of the day, 26-23, into halftime.
They added to it with a 36-yard discipline aim to open third-quarter scoring to go forward 29-21, and shut it with a 33-yarder to take a 32-21 lead into the ultimate body.
With Montreal driving deep, Edmonton acquired a breath of life within the type of a 25-yard penalty in opposition to Montreal left guard Pier-Olivier Lestage for spitting, earlier than an interception by security Marloshawn Franklin Jr. gave them the ball at their 49 yard-line.
It was short-lived, nonetheless, because the Elks did not seize any momentum for the reason that strip-sack landing within the second quarter, which took any remaining wind they may have had out of their sails.
Montreal added one ultimate discipline aim, a 16-yard chip shot with 97 seconds left, to push their result in 14 factors.
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
Article content material
Feedback
Postmedia is dedicated to sustaining a energetic however civil discussion board for dialogue and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Feedback might take as much as an hour for moderation earlier than showing on the positioning. We ask you to maintain your feedback related and respectful. We now have enabled e mail notifications—you’ll now obtain an e mail if you happen to obtain a reply to your remark, there’s an replace to a remark thread you observe or if a consumer you observe feedback. Go to our Neighborhood Pointers for extra info and particulars on the best way to regulate your e mail settings.