“Toronto’s extremely talented at home and does a really good job of finding ways to win,” Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo said.
Through three games, all wins, Montreal’s starting quarterback has passed for 916 yards and seven touchdowns, tied for the CFL lead. He has been intercepted only once and has completed 73.1 per cent of his attempts.
While Fajardo’s free-agent options appeared limited following the 2022 season — at least if he wanted to remain a starter — he was swayed to sign with the Als because of Maciocia’s trust. The GM had said he believed Fajardo was capable of winning a Grey Cup. Maciocia’s faith in Fajardo proved to be justified when Montreal upset Winnipeg in the championship game.
“I think I’m playing at a high level, but there’s lots of room for improvement,” Fajardo said. “Last week, I left a lot of plays on the field, although I’m my own worst critic.
“To have that praise from (Maciocia) means a lot to me.”
Fajardo will attempt to keep the mojo going Friday night (7:30 p.m., TSN1, TSN5, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM), when the Als meet the Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field.
Montreal has won 11 consecutive games, playoffs and Grey Cup included, since losing at home to Toronto last Sept. 15. The Als’ previous franchise record of 10 was established over the course of the 1949-50 seasons. The eight consecutive regular-season victories ties a franchise record set between June 25 and Aug. 15, 2002.
But establishing a new mark is the furthest thing on the mind of Als’ head coach Jason Maas.
“My short answer to that is I don’t care; we just want to win,” he said. “We take care of business each and every week and worry about us. Good things happen when you win. We’re not going to shy away from that. It would be a great accomplishment, but it’s not something we’re focused on.
“We never take winning for granted in this organization.”
The Argos also are undefeated following two home games. Toronto didn’t lose at home last season until getting thumped 38-17 by Montreal in the East Division final. The Argos are riding an 11-game home winning streak during the regular season.
“Toronto’s extremely talented at home and does a really good job of finding ways to win,” Fajardo said. “They’ve won tight games. When you win tight games there’s a bond that’s formed. This is a tough test for us … a tough challenge. We’re excited for that challenge and that measuring stick to see where we stack up against them.”
With Argos starting quarterback Chad Kelly suspended a minimum of nine games by the CFL for violating its gender-based violence policy, Cameron Dukes has filled in admirably. The second-year pro, only 25, has passed for five touchdowns this season and has yet to be intercepted.
“He’s very poised and he’s making plays, whether he does it in the pocket or gets out,” said Maas, himself a former CFL quarterback. “He has a ton of energy he plays with and, it seems, a ton of passion for the game. He’s making really good decisions, throwing the ball accordingly. And he’s tough. It looks like he has put a lot of work into it.
“People are looking at him as a backup, but he took all the reps as a starter during camp. That helps going into a season, knowing you’re the guy and it’s on your shoulders. It looks like he’s doing his job as a very high rate.”
Argos tailback Ka’Deem Carey, signed as a free agent after four seasons at Calgary, had 19 carries for 104 yards with one touchdown in last week’s victory against Edmonton. While it’s still too early to determine the strength of the Als’ run defence, they limited Winnipeg’s Brady Oliveira to 38 yards on 11 carries in the season opener. Oliveira had a league-leading 1,534 yards in 2023 and was the CFL’s outstanding Canadian.