The Montreal Alouettes made it three wins from three to kick off their 2025 season, playing the role of spoiler in the Edmonton Elks’ home-opener on Thursday night. Three touchdown passes from Davis Alexander helped the Als get into a healthy lead before Montreal’s starter was forced from the contest in the third quarter. With McLeod Bethel-Thompson at pivot for the remainder of the contest, the Als did enough to hang on despite a 22-point fourth quarter from the Elks, leaving Commonwealth Stadium with a 38-28 victory.
Alexander’s three scores went to three different receivers as Montreal went into halftime with a 24-6 lead. Their suffocating defence kept Edmonton out of the end zone through three quarters and kept the pressure on Tre Ford throughout the contest, coming away with four sacks on the Canadian quarterback.
Alexander was 20-24 through the air before leaving the game, going for 254 yards. Playing with a lead, Bethel-Thompson wasn’t asked to do too much in the second half, finishing the contest with six completions on eight attempts for 77 yards.
Tyson Philpot led the way for Montreal’s receiving core, ending the game with 96 yards on eight receptions. Tyler Snead caught four balls for 64 yards and a touchdown, while fullback David Dallaire grabbed a six-yard score on Montreal’s opening drive.
Ford finished his day 27-36 with 308 yards passing, two touchdowns, and an interception. He added another touchdown on the ground on 31 yards rushing.
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Photo: CFL.ca/Timothy Atticus
It would be the hosts who put the first points on the board after a pair of first-down rushes from the always active Ford, and then running back Justin Rankin. And after missing both of his kicks in Edmonton’s Week 1 loss, Vincent Blanchard made no mistake from 42 yards out.
After watching Ford use his legs on the opening drive, Alexander answered back with an 11-yard scamper of his own, breaking to his left to pick up the first down. Alexander and company worked down the field over the course of 10 plays, capping it off with three straight completions, the last of which landing in the hands of fullback Dallaire who caught the six-yard touchdown.
Back in the lineup after missing Week 2, Charleston Rambo was on the end of the game’s first big play late in the first quarter. Alexander delivered a picture-perfect ball to his receiver who came down with a 54-yard catch. On the next play, Alexander stayed hot, finding Philpot in the back left of the end zone to make it two touchdowns on two drives to start the game.
After a stop by Tyrell Ford on Philpot forced Montreal into their first punt, Edmonton was able to put together their most complete drive of the first half. 10 plays took the Elks 36 yards, with Javon Leake producing 19 yards himself. Marc-Antoine Dequoy brought the home team to a halt after he came into the pocket untouched and swatted Ford’s attempted pass. Blanchard knocked in his second field goal of the game to make it 14-6 midway through the second quarter.
First down for pass interference. Alexander looking to connect with Rambo on another deep ball. Leonard Johnson breaks up an end zone look going the way of Austin Mack. Instead, Jose Maltos would make an 11-yard chip shot to bring the Montreal lead back to 13.
Getting the football back after a Shawn Oakman sack, Alexander was able to extend a play while under pressure to produce a 38-yard strike to a wide-open Tyler Snead in the end zone.
The Alouette defence stood strong before halftime to prevent the Elks from finding their first touchdown of the ballgame. Ford pushed the ball downfield to Zach Mathis who looked like he had a grab in the end zone in the final seconds of the half. Instead, Kabion Ento stole the ball away to punctuate a dominant first half by the Als.
Alexander was forced from the game midway through the third quarter after a non-contact injury, grabbing his left hamstring as he completed a shovel pass to Jacob Mason. McLeod Bethel-Thompson entered the fray for the final quarter and a half, not before a Joseph Zema rouge made it 25-6 with 5:30 left in the third.
Another crushing sack, this time by Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund set the Elks back 13 yards and forced the home team into back to back punts to begin the second half. Staying in the game in place of the sidelined Alexander, Bethel-Thompson helped the offence to more points, combining with Philpot for a 37-yard gain and following that up with another pass to Rambo for 16 plus 10 more after a penalty against the Edmonton defence. Maltos drove in a 26-yard field goal to extend the Montreal lead to 22 late in the third quarter.
Desperate for their first touchdown of the game, Ford came up with his team’s biggest play of the game with a 40-yard bomb down the right sideline to Steven Dunbar Jr. With the third play of the fourth quarter , Ford showed off his speed, finding the end zone on an 18-yard scramble. A successful two-point try cut Edmonton’s deficit to 14, keeping the home side in the contest with 13:18 to go.
An unsuccessful onside kick gave Montreal the football at Edmonton’s 42 and then a roughing the passer call against Jake Ceresna on Bethel-Thompson pushed the Als’ offence 15 yards forward. Maltos’ 32-yard field goal went through the uprights, making it a three-possession game at 31-14.
The punishing Montreal defence came up with their fourth sack of the game, this time forcing the turnover on the play. Tyrice Beverette came around the back of Ford to strip the ball and then Adeyemi-Berglund hopped on it to give the Alouettes possession at the Elks’ 36. Not long after, Sean Thomas Erlington made Edmonton pay by breaking free down the left for a 23-yard touchdown run, essentially icing the game for Montreal with just over 9 minutes on the clock.
Two Ford touchdowns to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and then Kaion Julien-Grant brought the Elks to within 10 after the game’s three-minute warning but despite their 22-point fourth quarter, Montreal was able to hang on for their third successive win.
The Elks are back for another Thursday night showdown in Week 4, travelling to take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday, June 26. The Als meanwhile will look to stay undefeated when they go up against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on the road on Friday, June 27.