The Montreal Alouettes dropped their second-to-last regular season game of the 2026 campaign, 16-12, to the Roughriders in Regina. The Als, who have already clinched a first-round bye in the CFL postseason, battled hard but ultimately came up short in the dying moments of the game.
The Alouettes decided to sit many of their top players in this game. Davis Alexander served as the third quarterback and didn’t see a single snap. The top two receivers in the CFL, Tyson Philpot and Tyler Snead, were both held out. As was running back Stevie Scott III. Starting cornerback Lorenzo Burns missed the game due to injury.
Despite the loss, there were positives to take from this defensive road battle at Mosaic Stadium.
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First, the defence played extremely well. They made life difficult for Riders quarterback Trevor Harris and the rest of the offence. Saskatchewan got their first and only touchdown of the game with 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. They had been limited to three field goals until that point.
Defensive coordinator Noel Thorpe’s unit also managed to bottle up running back AJ Ouellette, who had just 31 yards rushing on seven carries.
“I’m definitely very proud,” defensive back Wesley Sutton, who intercepted Harris in the second quarter, said of the defence’s effort. “We knew the situation and the circumstances we were fighting against. We didn’t really have anything to play for outside of pride and the love of the game. I think we definitely showed that. (The Riders) had every starter out there. They were fighting for everything.”
Another positive was the play of the offensive line and the running game. Rookie Shomari Lawrence got the start with the team resting Stevie Scott III and Travis Theis sidelined due to injury.
Lawrence had an explosive outing, as he managed to rush for an impressive 109 yards on 16 carries.
“I’m just going to keep doing my thing,” Lawrence said after the game. “I’m still a rookie. I’m still learning and I’m going to keep pushing forward to get better each and every day.
“I feel like (my play) has been elevating at a really fast pace. Obviously, I played a full game in the preseason before, but in all honesty, I haven’t showed what I’m capable of.”
Jason Maas’ team will now head to Toronto to take on the Argonauts in the final game of the regular season next Friday night.
The Alouettes will then enjoy a bye week during the opening weekend of the CFL playoffs before they host the Eastern Final at Percival Molson Stadium on Saturday, November 7.