MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes and BC Lions opened the season as two of the favourites to reach the 111th Grey Cup. After 13 weeks, their seasons have taken different directions.
The Alouettes have confirmed their favouritism by winning 10 of their first 11 games behind a strong defence and an efficient offence capable of withstanding injuries to their star players. Even without Cody Fajardo and Tyson Philpot, the Als have continued to win game after game by showcasing a depth at key positions that very few teams can match.
BC meanwhile started the season on fire, winning five of their first six, but were unable to overcome injuries to players like Vernon Adams Jr. and Ben Hladik before going on a five-game losing streak. The sequence finally came to an end last weekend with a win over the Ottawa REDBLACKS on Touchdown Pacific.
Quarterback Nathan Rourke registered his best game since returning to the CFL, opening up an intriguing matchup against the Alouettes on Friday.
CFL.ca brings you three matchups to watch on Friday Night Football.
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This is an easy one. The Lions pivot is always an intriguing piece in any game he takes part in, while Beverette is as versatile a defender as you’ll find in the league.
The two might meet in both the running and passing game, as No. 26 patrols the middle of the field looking to clog passing lanes while also being able to fill in rushing lanes to stop Rourke from taking off.
The quarterback currently boasts the best rushing grade (80.3) among starting pivots and is coming off a game that saw him use his mobility to create all sorts of problems for the Ottawa REDBLACKS. Beverette meanwhile boasts a 76.1 run defence grade as one of the best hybrid linebackers in the CFL.
How about the top dual-threat running back of 2024 going against an excellent coverage linebacker?
Fletcher simply leads all players (including receivers) in receiving grade (90.0) as the best pass-catching running back of the season. The tailback has registered a whopping 21 receiving first downs, forced 22 missed tackles on receptions while catching 62 passes for 461 yards (419 after the catch) and two majors.
Lee meanwhile has helped the Lions keep opponents under 100 rushing yards per game (94.4) while also contributing in coverage with a 72.0 coverage grade according to PFF. He’ll have one of his toughest assignments on the season with Fletcher coming out of the backfield at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.
Peters is still one of the best defensive backs in the CFL and could be added to any intriguing matchup in this game. That’s because he’s one of the only defenders in the CFL to grade above 80 in both coverage (80.8) and run defence (86.1).
We’ll take a look here at the matchup between him and quarterback Cody Fajardo though, who has taken yet another step forward in his second year with the Alouettes and has positioned his team for a second post-season run.
Fajardo returned to the lineup in Week 12 after spending weeks rehabbing an injury and immediately threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns. The pivot also registered three big-time throws to only one turnover-worthy play in the Week 12 win over the Elks, shaking off any rust to keep the Alouettes offence firing on all cylinders.
The Lions meanwhile have struggled somewhat to contain the pass, allowing 293.3 passing yards per game in 2024. The unit is coming off one of its best games of the season though, keeping Dru Brown and the REDBLACKS in check to the tune of 206 yards and only 12 points. If BC wants to handle Montreal its second loss of the season, Peters and the rest of the defence is going to have to stop Fajardo from throwing it all over the yard.