The Montreal Alouettes received unexpected good news before heading to Hamilton for the first of back-to-back meetings with the Tiger-Cats on Friday night.
Quarterback Cody Fajardo, the reigning Grey Cup MVP, was activated from the injury list on Tuesday after missing only one game with a hamstring injury.
Barring any setbacks in practice, Fajardo is expected to lead the Alouettes (6-1) against the Tiger-Cats (2-5). The East Division rivals will then reconvene the following weekend in Montreal.
Fajardo was hurt during the Alouettes’ 37-18 loss to the Toronto Argonauts on July 11. After a bye week, Montreal bounced back with a 20-16 win last Thursday against Saskatchewan.
Caleb Evans started in Fajardo’s place against the Roughriders but was replaced at halftime by Davis Alexander, who rallied the Alouettes from a 16-3 deficit.
“Obviously, Davis was ready to play and provided the spark,” Alouettes coach Jason Maas told the Montreal Gazette.
“… Some things weren’t entirely on Caleb. Other things I know he can do better. I know it’s not ever always on the quarterback. It’s really difficult to pull a quarterback, but it’s a team game. Sometimes it’s a spark that needs to be provided.”
Fajardo has completed 77.5 percent of his passes for 1,636 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions in six games this season.
Last season, Fajardo led Montreal to a four-game sweep of Hamilton, including a 27-12 victory in the East semifinal in the CFL playoffs.
The Tiger-Cats started 0-5 this season before winning their past two. They are coming off a 44-28 victory at winless Edmonton on Sunday, with Bo Levi Mitchell throwing for 316 yards and a career-high five touchdowns.
“It felt like the first time this year where we’ve come together on offense, defense and special teams, and played well on each side. Hopefully that is an example of what we can do when we bring all three phases,” Tiger-Cats coach Scott Milanovich said, according to the Canadian Press.
“It’s just given us confidence. That locker room is feeling a lot different than it was three weeks ago.”
–Field Level Media
