Davis Alexander aims to maintain his perfect record as a starting quarterback when he leads the Montreal Alouettes into Thursday’s road contest against the Edmonton Elks.
Alexander is 6-0 all-time as a starter after leading the Alouettes (2-0) to consecutive wins to start the campaign. He is two victories away from tying legendary Danny McManus for the CFL record for best start to a career.
Alexander has completed 72.4 percent of his passes for 549 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions to help Montreal win its first two games by an average of 19.5 points.
Alexander, 26, is in his fourth season with Montreal. The franchise committed to him as the starter in the offseason when it gave him a three-year deal through the 2027 season and traded veteran Cody Fajardo to Edmonton.
“You’re starting to see someone grow in this offense,” Alouettes receiver Austin Mack said of Alexander. “The way he has taken command of everything, taken ownership of that role. You’re seeing a guy with confidence. You can see it in his aura.”
Montreal has been opportunistic in its two wins with five interceptions. Defensive back Wesley Sutton grabbed one and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown in last week’s 39-18 win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
If that weren’t enough, in Montreal’s season-opening 28-10 triumph over the Toronto Argonauts, defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund ran back a fumble recovery 18 yards for a score.
“That’s the identity of our defense,” said Alouettes safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy. “We want to provoke turnovers.”
Edmonton (0-1) is coming off a bye after being routed 31-14 by the host BC Lions in Week 1. The Elks haven’t made the playoffs since 2019 and haven’t posted a winning record since 2017, so there’s a bit more urgency than might be expected for a team that has lost just one game.
“I feel like starting this week, this is the time to get over that hump instead of just saying, ‘OK, we’re going to do it,'” said Elks linebacker Nick Anderson. “Let’s start with this week getting over that hump, being able to finish close games, and get a win at home in front of these fans.”
Quarterback Tre Ford completed 18 of 27 passes for 178 yards and one interception against BC in his first game under new head coach Mark Kilam and new offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic.
“He’s one of 12. The offense doesn’t work unless all 12 are doing their jobs,” Kilam said about Ford. “That’s just like defense. That’s just like special teams. We all want to be responsible for our 12s, and we all have things that we need to correct.”
Montreal has won the past four meetings.
–Field Level Media
