Zurkowsky: Jose Maltos caps Alouettes' rally with 57-yard field goal
Montreal hadn't won without him this season, but veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson changed that with his first victory in three starts.
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Bethel-Thompson completed 30 of 40 passes for 280 yards and a second-quarter touchdown to Cole Spieker. While Bethel-Thompson was intercepted by Greene in the opening quarter, he settled down. He released the ball quickly, relied on mostly short passes to various receivers and was sacked only once.
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While it was far from a perfect performance — especially during the third quarter, when Montreal didn't score and ran only eight offensive plays — his numbers would have been better had several receivers not dropped passes.
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Bethel-Thompson used seven receivers, but his favourite target was Tyler Snead, who caught seven passes for 103 yards — including a 42-yard flea flicker from backup Caleb Evans. The Als had 22 first downs, 362 yards' net offence, ran 64 plays and controlled the ball for slightly more than 34 minutes.
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'It feels great to finally play my role for this team,' Bethel-Thompson said. 'I'm just so grateful to have done my job. That was an unbelievable kick at the end by Jose.
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'I'll get better. I'll continue to improve. That's the fun part. I was dialed-in on doing my job and putting the team in position to make the kick. There are things I can get better at. I'm just excited to do my role.'
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The Als played like a team with a chip on their shoulders after critics said they couldn't win without their franchise quarterback, but Bethel-Thompson, 37, won a Grey Cup with Toronto in 2022.
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'You can't buy what we just went through,' Maas told journalists in Calgary. 'It's such an incredible feeling and moment. It's something you'll never forget the rest of your life.
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'He (Bethel-Thompson) deserved it. Any time you've been doubted, like he was this week. And the last few weeks, whether we could win with him? That's a hard cross to bear in my opinion when you're a quarterback. You've got to have confidence when everyone's telling you, you can't do it. I thought he played tremendous. I'm very happy for him.'
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Adams completed 15 of 25 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown, while tailback Dedrick Mills gained 78 yards on 14 carries and scored twice. But Walker failed miserably after being inserted, completing only three of seven passes for 20 yards. The Stamps, uncharacteristically, took 11 penalties for 121 yards.
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