Tyson Philpot reeled in a pair of landing passes because the Montreal Alouettes remained excellent on the 12 months with a 38-28 victory over the Edmonton Elks on Thursday.
“We obtained in a gap,” Elks head coach Mark Kilam stated after the sport. “The fellows saved combating however we couldn’t get out of our personal approach.”
Montreal is 3-0 to start out the present marketing campaign, and 9-0 in June over the previous three seasons. Quarterback Davis Alexander handed for 210 yards and three touchdowns earlier than leaving the sport within the third quarter with an harm.
Edmonton is off to a different poor begin to the season, dropping to 0-2. The Elks had been 0-7 to start out final season and 0-9 in 2023.
“I believed offensively we took a step from every week in the past,” Kilam stated reflecting on the positives. “We nonetheless have a protracted solution to go. I believed we did some higher issues within the run recreation, we gotta get some extra chunks on the offence earlier, and our defence we gotta play higher earlier.”
The Elks struck on their opening drive as Vincent Blanchard kicked a 42-yard discipline aim, welcome information after lacking each makes an attempt in his group’s first recreation.
Montreal answered proper again on its first possession as Alexander marched down the sphere earlier than connecting with Philpot on a six-yard landing move.
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The Alouettes added to their lead late within the first quarter as a 54-yard move to Charleston Rambo arrange a second strike to Philpot, this time a 13-yard TD reception.
Edmonton obtained a second discipline aim from Blanchard, from 32 yards, six minutes into the second.
Montreal nearly had a 3rd main after a protracted move interference name towards the Elks, however was pressured to simply accept an 11-yard Jose Maltos discipline aim.
The Alouettes continued to dominate with a 38-yard bomb from Alexander to a wide-open Tyler Snead within the end-zone with two minutes to play within the first half.
The Elks appeared poised to chop into the lead simply earlier than the tip of the primary half however a protracted move by beginning quarterback Tre Ford into the tip zone was intercepted by Kabion Ento to maintain it 24-6.
There was particular trigger for concern halfway via the third as Alexander clutched his thigh whereas working after delivering a ball and went down. He left the sport and didn’t return, with McLeod Bethel-Thompson coming in as his alternative.
After a punt single, Montreal added a 26-yard Maltos discipline aim to shut out the third.
The Elks lastly gave their crowd a purpose to cheer to start out the fourth as Ford took it in himself for an 18-yard dashing TD, including a two-point convert move to Justin Rankin.
“I feel it was actually good for us.” Ford stated when requested concerning the takeaways from the sport. “With all the brand new items we’ve got, I feel it was good for us to form of have that second half and transfer the ball and put some factors up on the board.”
Maltos responded together with his third discipline aim from 32 yards earlier than Montreal added a 23-yard dashing main from Sean Thomas-Erlington.
To its credit score, Edmonton saved pushing as Ford discovered Kurleigh Gittens Jr. for a 33-yard landing with six minutes left after which went even deeper with a 51-yard TD bomb to Kaion Julien-Grant with 2:35 to play.
NOTES
Alexander is now 7-0 as a beginning QB, tying Jeff Garcia and Bo Levi Mitchell for the second-best begins in CFL historical past. Danny McManus holds the document with an 8-0 document to launch his profession … Ford handed the 300-completion and 4,000-yard marks for his profession.
UP NEXT
Alouettes: Go to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday, June 27.
Elks: Are in Winnipeg to face the Blue Bombers on Thursday, June 26.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
