Former Montreal starting quarterback Cody Fajardo and the Edmonton Elks rallied late in the fourth quarter to stun the Alouettes 23-22 in front of 20,525 fans at Percival Molson Stadium on Friday night.
Fajardo led Edmonton on a game-winning drive, culminating in a 15-yard touchdown drive to Kaion Julien-Grant with just 15 seconds remaining on the clock.
“All week we were talking about how close we were, how close we were, and I kept telling the guys you know what losers say — they say we’re close — let’s just finish it,” Fajardo said.
“And I’m proud of this team. We found a way to finish against a very good Montreal team and a tough atmosphere and hopefully this turns the tide for this team.”
Making his first start against Montreal since being traded by the Alouettes to the Elks for McLeod Bethel-Thompson last December, Fajardo was 27-for-38, throwing for 289 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He was also sacked five times.
Fajardo, who led the Alouettes to the Grey Cup in 2023, was making his third straight start since taking over for Tre Ford in Week 8.
Edmonton (2-6) won for the first time in four tries. It was also their first road win of the season.
“Nothing comes easy for us, we’ve got to earn it every time, but I’m proud of the guys; it took all three phases late in the game to turn that one around,” Elks head coach Mark Kilam said after the win.
Bethel-Thompson, starting his fifth game at quarterback this season in place of the injured Davis Alexander, struggled on offence for the Alouettes. The 37-year-old completed just 10 of his 15 pass attempts, good for a meagre 79 yards, and was intercepted once.
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As a result, Alouettes head coach Jason Maas turned to third-string quarterback Caleb Evans to start the second half. He threw for 113 yards and one touchdown.
Cole Spieker scored the Alouettes’ lone offensive touchdown of the game.
Montreal (5-4), coming off a 34-6 loss at home last week to the West Division-leading Saskatchewan Roughriders, lost to Edmonton for the first time since October 2022.
Julien-Grant, who spent five seasons as a member of the Alouettes (from 2019-2024), accounted for both of Edmonton’s touchdowns. It was the 29-year-old’s first time back in Montreal since signing as a free agent with the Elks in February.
After the Elks picked up a single on a 54-yard punt out of bounds by Cody Grace, the Alouettes’ offence got to work.
Bethel-Thompson orchestrated a 5 1/2-minute, nine-play drive down the field, capped off by a successful 34-yard field goal from Jose Maltos Diaz to give the Alouettes a 3-1 lead.
With time winding down in the first quarter, Fajardo was the victim of a sack deep in Edmonton territory courtesy of Alouettes’ left back Darnell Sankey. Fajardo’s ensuing pass attempt on second down to Steven Dunbar Jr. was incomplete, forcing Grace to punt the ball.
That punt would be returned 80 yards by Travis Theis into the end zone for the game’s opening touchdown with just 47.7 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. It marked Theis’ first career touchdown and the Alouettes’ first by way of a kick return this season.
The Alouettes would get the ball back to open the second quarter, after another sack on Fajardo on the final play of the first quarter, this time from Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, but could generate any points.
Maltos Diaz added a 42-yard field goal with under four minutes to play in the first half to give the Alouettes a 13-1 lead.
The Elks answered back with a drive down the field, which included a 43-yard pass to running back Josh Rankin. However, Fajardo was sacked for a third time on the following play, forcing Edmonton to settle for a short 12-yard field goal from kicker Vincent Blanchard.
Montreal’s ensuing offensive possession late in the first half was short-lived, as Bethel-Thompson’s pass intended for Charleston Rambo was intercepted by Elks’ defensive back Tyrell Ford. The 27-year-old promptly ran it 87 yards into the end zone for his first career touchdown, cutting Edmonton’s deficit to just two at halftime.
Evans quickly rewarded the trust of his coach on just his second offensive drive. The pivot led the Alouettes on a nine-play, 4 1/2-minute drive that would result in a 19-yard touchdown pass to Spieker. It was the Alouettes’ first offensive touchdown in 138:14, dating back to a second-quarter touchdown, also scored by Spieker, in a Week 8 win in Calgary on July 24.
Maltos Diaz’ attempt at the extra point failed, hitting the right post, forcing Montreal to settle for six points and a 19-11 lead.
The Elks benefited from a fumble by Alouettes wide receiver Tyler Snead to get their first offensive touchdown of the game. Fajardo connected with Julien-Grant for a short one-yard touchdown pass to once again cut the Elks’ deficit to two. Edmonton’s attempt to tie the game on a two-point conversion was unsuccessful, preserving the Alouettes’ narrow lead.
Maltos Diaz connected for a 53-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter, his third of the game, to give Montreal a 22-17 cushion over the Elks.
The Alouettes, already without Alexander and receivers Austin Mack and Tyson Philpot on offence, also lost their top running back in Sean Thomas-Erlington. The Montreal native was forced to leave the game after a violent collision with the Elks’ Kordell Jackson in the third quarter. He did not return due to an apparent upper-body injury.
UP NEXT
Elks: Host the Toronto Argonauts on Friday, Aug. 15.
Alouettes: Visit the B.C. Lions on Saturday, Aug. 16.
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