Argos host Als in Eastern showdown Week 17 finale

TORONTO — The Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes meet on Saturday night at BMO Field to close out Week 17.

Toronto has lost three of its last four but still has second place on its mind in a competitive East Division.

Montreal locked up a home playoff date with their win over Ottawa in Week 16 and now turns its attention to a division title.

For the Argos, the game serves as an opportunity to see where they stand as the playoffs approach and quarterback Chad Kelly will be looking for a strong performance against a team that held him in check in last year’s Eastern Final.

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Kelly comes into the game with 1,630 passing yards in five starts but has yet to face the Als’ talented secondary this season. He’ll need receivers Makai Polk and DaVaris Daniels, who pulled down 118 yards last week in their loss to Hamilton, to find open space downfield.

Lining up against a pass defence allowing an average of 254.8 yards per game makes doing so a challenge. Dionte Ruffin and Arthur Hamlin both had an interception against the REDBLACKS, while Wesley Sutton and a freshly-returned Marc-Antoine Dequoy are capable of defending the best receivers in the league.

In the middle of a tough stretch, Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie understands the importance of a win this week.

“Our backs are against the wall right now,” Dinwiddie told reporters.

“We have to win at least two, probably, maybe, might be three. We have to win some football games. I think we just have to find a way to get in the playoffs. Our goal is just to go 1-0.”

The last time the two teams met back in Week 6, running back Ka’Deem Carey managed 90 yards on 16 carries. In the two games against the Als this season, he’s averaging over six yards per carry.

The play of Carey and the offensive line, led by Dejon Allen and Peter Nicastro, will be key against a defence that ranks eighth against the run.

It’s a unit that’s shown the ability to make an impact, though. Defensive linemen Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund and Mustafa Johnson each had a sack against Ottawa. They’re also supported by two of the best linebackers in the CFL in Tyrice Beverette and Darnell Sankey.

With the defence focused on keeping points off the board, Cody Fajardo and the offence aim to put them on.

Charleston Rambo, Kaion Julien-Grant and Tyler Snead are Fajardo’s main targets. Rambo will likely overtake the injured Tyson Philpot this week as the Als’ receiving yards leader as he needs just 14 to surpass Philpot’s 772.

Alouettes’ head coach Jason Maas should be willing to let Fajardo air it out against a secondary surrendering 295.5 yards a game. DaShaun Amos has arguably been their best defensive back with five interceptions and Benjie Franklin has knocked down 10 passes.

Running back Walter Fletcher, as he’s been all season, is a threat in multiple facets of the Als’ offensive playbook but Maas is hoping for more out of him on the ground. Aside from his 90-yard game in Week 15 against Calgary, he’s averaged just 31.3 yards in four of his last five.

In order to take pressure off his team’s pass game, he has to navigate an Argos’ front seven that’s been one of the best through 16 weeks.

In their two previous games against Montreal, Robbie Smith stood out on the defensive line and with Wynton McManis at linebacker, they’ve held Als rushers to 110 yards.

Dinwiddie knows the challenge that’s ahead but is expecting his team to be ready.

“They’re the best team in the league,” Dinwiddie told reporters.

“They’re playing good football so we have to have our best performance. We have to rise to the occasion. Home games we have to win. No one’s feeling sorry for us. We sure can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We have to go find ways to play better and go win this game.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Fans in Canada can tune in on TSN and RDS, while American and international viewers can find the game on CFL+.

— With files from Argonauts.ca