The Montreal Alouettes and Hamilton Tiger-Cats will go head-to-head at Percival Molson Stadium on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. The Als will go into this game trailing the Ticats by two points in the standings. Hamilton is currently first in the East while Montreal is in second place.
Both teams have struggled over the last month, as the Als have lost four in a row while the Ticats have dropped three straight games.
There is good news on the way for the Alouettes though! Let’s discuss:
Healthy bodies!
The Alouettes are about to get an influx of healthy bodies back ahead of this huge game against the Tiger-Cats. Look for Tyson Philpot, Austin Mack, David Dallaire, Mustafa Johnson, Marc-Antoine Dequoy and James Letcher Jr. to return on Saturday.
Johnson is the only one who has yet to play a game this season. He suffered a knee injury during a late-season practice in 2024 and has been working towards returning ever since.
The 26-year-old was one of the best players at his position in the CFL before the injury, so he should give the interior of the defensive line a huge boost going forward. The veteran defensive tackle commands a lot of double teams from opposing offensive linemen and is able to apply pressure up the middle.
Philpot, Mack and Thomas Erlington will all reintegrate the starting lineup on offence, which should help quarterback James Morgan out quite a bit.
More prep time for Morgan
Morgan will be making his second career start and his third consecutive appearance. The 28-year-old didn’t have much time to get ready for his first two appearances. He entered the game in Vancouver after a first-half injury to Caleb Evans and he dealt with a short week prior to the last game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
This week, Morgan will get a full week of practice to get himself ready for the Tiger-Cats.
“It’s definitely different when you get more than just one day of practice,” Morgan said this week. “In terms of the game plan, we can go over the reps and the looks over and over again. I’m thankful for that. I just want to take advantage of every single day and attack it and get ready for this week.”
Defensive stats
23.5: The Alouettes defence leads the East Division in offensive points allowed per game and they’re third in the CFL. Not bad for a team that’s been decimated by injuries in all three phases of the game.
The defence has also spent quite a bit of time on the field during a four-game losing streak, so the fact that they’ve been able to keep their number respectable is impressive.
They’re also second in the league in net offensive yards allowed at 349.1 per game.
Give defensive coordinator Noel Thorpe credit because he’s had to shift things around with his group, especially in the secondary.
26: Canadian defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund is first in quarterback sacks heading into Week 13 and the Als are second in that category. Only the Saskatchewan Roughriders have gotten to the quarterback more often (33).
Berglund has already tied his career-high in sacks, with 8. He’s been a force since joining the Als last season. He was named the Most Outstanding Canadian in the East Division in 2024.