Photo: Reuben Polansky/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Montreal Alouettes had a chance to win their second Grey Cup in three years as they faced the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Winnipeg. It came down to turnovers, and the Als committed too many of them en route to a 25-17 defeat.

Below are my thoughts on the game.

Shaky start, then a bounce back

Davis Alexander didn’t look like himself in the first half. He didn’t like his first reads and couldn’t connect with his receivers. The plays Jason Maas called kept him in the pocket, where he just didn’t seem comfortable.

He started to run at the end of the first half, but it wasn’t enough for the Als to close the gap before halftime. At that point, he was nine-of-fourteen for 97 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions, one of which came on a Hail Mary to end the second quarter.

His start interception to the third quarter wasn’t any better as his offence went two-and-out, then he threw an interception on the ensuing drive while forcing the ball into traffic.

With the Riders up by 17, Alexander found some of his swagger. He started finding his receivers and let running back Stevie Scott III work his magic. As a team, the Als battled back to make it a one-possession game late. It just wasn’t enough — turnovers sank the ship once again.

The turnovers

After this game, people will remember Shea Patterson, who fumbled the ball at the Saskatchewan two-yard line. The reality is that the Als lost the turnover battle 4-0. In any football game, you can’t expect to win when you make that many mistakes.

Yes, Alexander threw three interceptions, but the defence couldn’t create any turnovers either despite having multiple chances. Kabion Ento should have scored a pick-six on the Riders’ first drive after Trevor Harris never saw him while attempting a pass to A.J. Ouellette. The ball was tipped by Ento and ended up incomplete, but at that point, Montreal should have been leading by seven.

It was the same story as last year’s East Final as the Als turned the ball over far too often. It will once again be a recurring theme in the offseason as Montreal looks ahead to 2026.

Strong start, no follow-up

Noel Thorpe’s defence took flight in the last third of the season and remained sharp in the playoffs, outside of six minutes of the East Semi-Final. The unit was dominant on Sunday until the start of the second quarter.

The beginning of the game was perfect. The first two Riders’ drives went nowhere, and with the help of Joseph Zema, the Als started their third drive at midfield, something that didn’t happen once in the entire first half last week.

The key was removing Trevor Harris’ first read, which they did brilliantly in the first quarter. Harris was looking but couldn’t find his primary option.

Things then went south in the second quarter as the Als started losing the physical battle. A.J. Ouellette led the charge with his runs and catches out of the backfield — he could have been the game’s Most Valuable Player. The offensive line carried him and his receivers helped, too. Ajou Ajou had a big showing in run-blocking as well.

It needs to be said: there were way too many tackles missed by the Als. The defensive line didn’t put enough pressure on Trevor Harris, either. On that last point, a lot of credit goes to Saskatchewan’s offensive line, which was stellar.

The woes continued at the start of the second half. Mario Alford returned a punt into Als territory, and Ouellette ran with authority for a first down. A couple of plays later, Tommy Stevens punched it in for another touchdown.

The Als’ defence had no answer for the Riders until it was 25-7. It was a better showing from there, but in the end, it was too little, too late.

Game-time decisions

Receiver Austin Mack and defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson were both listed as game-time decisions by the team. In the end, both played despite hamstring and shoulder injuries, respectively, though they didn’t have the impact they wanted.

Mack was targeted twice but didn’t record a catch and told 3DownNation postgame that he was 95 percent. Johnson made some plays but wasn’t as effective in run defence.

The call

On the Riders’ first drive of the second quarter, it seemed the Als had made a stop on third down after Kabion Ento knocked down a pass at the goal line. Saskatchewan challenged and there was pass interference.

It was a 50-50 situation, it could have gone either way. The contact was there before the ball arrived, but I’m not sure it was enough for pass interference. The command centre decided it was enough. I would have stayed with the call on the field because I don’t think it was a clear and obvious mistake by the referee.

Interesting choice

The Riders won the coin toss. With almost no wind at Princess Auto Stadium, I expected them to take the ball immediately to put pressure on the Als and Davis Alexander. Instead, they deferred their choice to the second half, giving the Als’ quarterback the first shot. They won their bet as Marcus Sayles picked off Alexander right away.

The Riders decided to receive the second-half kickoff, a strategy that paid off. Trevor Harris drove the field, leading to Stevens’ game-winning touchdown.

Hats off to Trevor Harris

Like Cody Fajardo two years ago, Trevor Harris had maybe the only remaining opportunity of his career to win a Grey Cup as a starter. He definitely didn’t miss his date with glory. He was outstanding for the Riders, delivering the ball on time to his receivers.

He was helped by Ouellette, who had an outstanding game, but he deserves the flowers. If he decides to retire, he can say, “Mission accomplished.”

Another great Grey Cup

It needs to be said, both teams offered a great game to the fans in attendance and those watching from afar.

These were the two best teams in the CFL, and they didn’t disappoint. Alexander and the Als battled until the end, but the better team won it all.

Corey Mace completely changed the Riders’ mentality. From the moment he joined the team, they believed they could go all the way and on the biggest stage, they delivered.

This game put a bow on another great CFL season. It’s crazy to think we won’t see another game until May.

What’s next?

The Alouettes head home for players’ end-of-season meetings on Tuesday. Danny Maciocia and Jason Maas will speak to the media on Wednesday.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg by a score of 25-17.

Trevor Harris was named Most Valuable Player after he completed 23-of-27 pass attempts for 302 yards, winning his first Grey Cup as a starter. Samuel Emilus was named Most Valuable Canadian after he made 10 catches for 108 yards, finishing only two receptions shy of tying the Grey Cup record.