Ottawa Redblacks start on right foot with win over Montreal, but still need work

The 2015 CFL season started in extremely auspicious fashion for the Ottawa Redblacks, as they beat the Montreal Alouettes 20-16 on the road. That victory puts Ottawa halfway to the two wins they recorded in their inaugural 2-16 campaign last year, and it gives their fans something to be excited about heading into their home opener next Saturday against the B.C. Lions. There were also definite bright spots for them, especially as they hung on to the lead late with a great drive. However, the Redblacks didn't answer a lot of the questions about their team in this one, and they benefited from poor play and injuries on Montreal's side. While this win's something to be proud of, they'll still have a lot of work to do if they want to keep winning, as this kind of overall performance isn't often going to leave them victorious.

There were a couple of very impressive moments for the Redblacks in this one. One crucial stretch came on the opening drive of the second half, when they were trailing 13-5. Quarterback Henry Burris orchestrated an 11-play drive, including a fake punt and a field goal, that ended with a nice touchdown pass to Ernest Jackson. Ottawa went for two, and Burris called his own number, sneaking just across the line before getting hit to tie the game up at 13. That gave the Redblacks momentum; Montreal only managed a Boris Bede field goal after that point, and a fourth-quarter Jovon Johnson interception for Ottawa set up yet another long drive, with running back Jeremiah Johnson punching the ball in for the crucial points.

Perhaps even more important was the Ottawa drive to clinch the game, though. The Alouettes pinned them deep inside the final three minutes on a punt and forced a second and eight, but Burris hit a surrounded Chris Williams on a screen, and Williams found a way to spin away for a first down. Montreal's defence made some plays and forced another second and six, but Burris came through again, finding sure-handed target Brad Sinopoli over the middle. With a minute left, the Alouettes again forced a second and eight and looked to have a chance to get the ball back, but the Redblacks fooled them with a run call and Chevon Walker picked up the needed yardage to seal the game.

Despite all that, this shouldn't necessarily be seen as a sign that the Redblacks are going to be dramatically better this year. The biggest caveat this win comes with is that Montreal lost both starting quarterback Jonathan Crompton and backup Dan LeFevour to injuries; Canadian pivot Brandon Bridge played most of the second half. Bridge showed promise at times, and he certainly has an impressive arm, but third-string quarterbacks don't get a lot of practice reps, and that showed as well. Bridge did reasonably well for a CFL rookie, completing five of 10 passes for 62 yards, but he did throw that interception and he airmailed some crucial throws late. He may get better, but he wasn't great in this one, and with a more experienced hand on the controls, the Alouettes may well have been able to force a comeback.

The Redblacks have offensive questions of their own, too. He was a second-half hero, but Burris got off to an awful start, throwing two first-half interceptions and missing receivers numerous times. He finished the day with a respectable 263 yards and a decent 63.8 per cent completion mark, but he only threw one touchdown pass, and while he certainly looked better with some good receivers around him (a key offseason focus for Ottawa this year), he wasn't dazzling enough to answer all the questions about how well he'll do at 40 this year. The ground game was also largely missing in action; Walker had 52 rushing yards on the night, but needed 16 carries to get there, an awful average of 3.25 yards per carry. Johnson added 14 yards on five carries, a not-much-better average of 3.75. The Redblacks did enough to come out of Montreal with a season-opening win, but their offence in particular is going to have to step it up if they want to keep winning. This is a good start, but this level of play won't win them many games.