The Elks Send a Message to the CFL by Beating the Alouettes

The Montreal Alouettes suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday night in Edmonton, falling 32-29 in overtime to the Elks in a hard-fought game played in steady rain.

The game featured two quarterbacks who know each other well. Cody Fajardo, the Alouettes' former quarterback during their 2023 Grey Cup victory, faced off against Davis Alexander, who had served as his backup at the time. This time, Fajardo had the last word.

Montreal got off to a strong start, however. Kicker José Maltos Díaz opened the scoring with a 50-yard field goal before Travis Theis added a touchdown in the second quarter. An interception by Nate Beauchemin then allowed the visitors to add three more points and take a 13-0 lead.

The Elks, however, refused to give up. Just before halftime, Fajardo connected with Austin Mack in the end zone to cut into the lead. After the break, Justin Rankin completely turned the game around with two long touchdown runs of 36 and 47 yards.

Edmonton kept up the momentum in the fourth quarter, but the Alouettes found a way to get back into the game. After a field goal by Maltos Díaz, Davis Alexander reignited his team's momentum with a spectacular 34-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Snead. Moments later, the Montreal kicker tied the game with a field goal just as regulation time expired.

A Historic Streak Comes to an End

In overtime, Montreal initially took the lead thanks to another field goal by Maltos Díaz. However, after a play that favored the Elks following a fumble by Justin Rankin, Cody Fajardo crossed the goal line himself on a six-yard run to seal the game's outcome.

This loss brings an end to Davis Alexander's impressive streak; it was his first defeat as a starting quarterback in the regular season. The Alouettes now have a 2-1 record and will look to bounce back on June 28 against the Ottawa Rouge et Noir.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.