Davis Alexander hasn’t thrown a pick all season, and a shorthanded Hamilton secondary walks into Molson Stadium as a serious problem.

Game Details

Odds

Spread: Montreal Alouettes -11
Moneyline: Montreal Alouettes -600, Hamilton Tiger-Cats +440
Over/Under: 56

Montreal has covered in four of six games this year and has gone over the total in all six — this offense simply doesn’t play low-scoring football. Hamilton sits at .500 against the spread (3-3) and is split evenly on totals at 3-3, a sign of just how up-and-down life has been since Bo Levi Mitchell went down.

Overview

The Alouettes are rolling. At 5-1 they’re a half-game back of Edmonton for top spot in the league and they’ve won three straight, including back-to-back shootouts with Calgary that saw them score 37 and 38 points. Davis Alexander is playing as well as any quarterback in the CFL right now — 154-of-216 for 2,181 yards, 11 touchdowns and, remarkably, zero interceptions through six games. That kind of ball security paired with this receiving corps is exactly why Montreal ranks No. 1 in net offense at 459 yards.

The Tiger-Cats have found a way to survive without their franchise quarterback. Since Mitchell’s ankle injury, Hamilton has leaned on Tre Ford’s legs and a defense that’s kept them in every game, and it paid off last week with a 24-23 escape act against Toronto. Ford ran for 109 yards in that win and gives Hamilton a dimension Montreal has to account for, but this is still a team ranked ninth in the league in points scored (24.8 per game) trying to slow down an Alouettes offense averaging 34.7. That math doesn’t favor the visitors.

Montreal already beat Hamilton once this year, a 30-27 squeaker back in Week 1 in Hamilton before either team had really found its identity. Six months later, this looks like a different gap. The Als have scored at least 37 points in four of their last five games, and Hamilton’s defense — even with Stavros Katsantonis and Julian Howsare playing well individually — hasn’t faced anything like this pace. The edge here is Montreal, and it’s not particularly close.

Key Players

Davis Alexander (Montreal Alouettes, QB) — Zero interceptions on 216 attempts and 2,181 yards through the air, the most efficient quarterback in the league right now.
Tyson Philpot (Montreal Alouettes, REC) — Leads the CFL with 50 catches for 807 yards and is Alexander’s clear go-to target.
Tyler Snead (Montreal Alouettes, REC) — 38 catches, 583 yards and four scores, giving Montreal a second true burner alongside Philpot.
Tre Ford (Hamilton Tiger-Cats, QB) — Ran for 109 yards last week and is Hamilton’s engine on the ground while the passing game finds its footing.
Julian Howsare (Hamilton Tiger-Cats, DL) — Hamilton’s top pass rusher and the guy who has to disrupt Alexander’s rhythm for the Ticats to have a shot.

Keys to the Game

Montreal needs Alexander to keep protecting the football — the zero-interception streak is the backbone of this offense’s efficiency.
The Alouettes defensive front, led by Mustafa Johnson, has to contain Tre Ford’s scrambles and force Hamilton into obvious passing downs.
Philpot and Snead need to keep winning early against a Hamilton secondary that’s had to shuffle personnel with injuries up front.

Injury Report

PlayerTeamStatus

DeVonte Dedmon (WR)Montreal AlouettesAvailable — Hamstring
David Dallaire (FB)Montreal AlouettesOut — Knee
Gabriel Lessard (LB)Montreal AlouettesOut — Knee
Justin Lawrence (OL)Montreal AlouettesOut — Ankle
Des Holmes (OL)Montreal AlouettesOut — Back
Jerreth Sterns (WR)Montreal AlouettesOut — Hand
Alexander Hollins (WR)Montreal AlouettesAvailable — Not Injury Related
Kabion Ento (DB)Montreal AlouettesAvailable — Hamstring
Tyrell Richards (LB)Montreal AlouettesAvailable — Neck
Donovan Manuel (LB)Montreal AlouettesAvailable — Hip
Najee Murray (DB)Montreal AlouettesAvailable — Hamstring
Shomari Lawrence (RB)Montreal AlouettesOut — Hamstring

Depth Chart

Montreal Alouettes starters by position, built from the club’s official current-week depth chart. Note this is projected and may shift with late-week roster moves.

PositionMontreal Alouettes

QBDavis Alexander (Terry Wilson, Dustin Crum)
RBTravis Theis (Rushawn Baker)
FBJacob Mason (Régis Cibasu)
REC/WRTyson Philpot, Tyler Snead, Cole Spieker, Marco Dubois, Kaseem Ferdinand (DeVonte Dedmon, Alexander Hollins)
OLNick Callender (OT), Pier-Olivier Lestage (G), Cyrille Hogan-Saindon (C), Donny Ventrelli (G), Tiger Shanks (OT)
DLKylan Guidry, Lwal Uguak, Mustafa Johnson, Joshua Archibald (Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund)
LBAlexandre Gagné, Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, Arthur Hamlin, Tyrell Richards (Najee Murray, Tyrice Beverette)
DBWesley Sutton, Gemon Green, Lorenzo Burns, Robert Kennedy III, Faion Hicks, Jonathan Sutherland (Nate Beauchemin)
KJose Maltos Diaz
PJoseph Zema
LSLouis-Philippe Bourassa
RETDeVonte Dedmon

Score Prediction

Montreal Alouettes 34 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats 23. The Als have hit at least 37 points in four of their last five games and Hamilton’s offense, ranked ninth in scoring at under 25 points a night, isn’t built to keep pace. Tre Ford will make it competitive for stretches, but Alexander’s turnover-free streak and this receiving corps carry Montreal to a comfortable cover.

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