Photo courtesy: Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders for Thanksgiving Day. After a tight first half, the Als ran away with a 44-24 win.
Below are my thoughts on the game.
Revenge in mind
3DownNation Newsletter
Today’s CFL news in your inbox every day at 3 p.m.
By signing up you agree to receive daily emails from 3DownNation, as well as our
terms of service and
privacy policy. Unsubscribe anytime.
1900 Rose St, Regina SK S4P 0A9.
The CFL schedule should have had the Grey Cup rematch much earlier in the season. It finally happened this week and, let’s just say, the Alouettes were ready for it.
Although the Als players and coaches didn’t want to treat it as anything more than a regular-season game, they played with a chip on their shoulders and slowly took control.
At halftime, the Als led by only four points, but all three phases came together in the second half. Saskatchewan disappeared, too.
Alexander on fire (ft. his legs)
I don’t think there’s much more to say about Davis Alexander, but he delivered on a big stage once again. He finished the game 26-of-33 for 403 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception.
It didn’t start well, but from that point on, he looked unstoppable. He used all of his receivers, with the main four (Tyler Snead, Charleston Rambo, Tyson Philpot, and Jerreth Sterns) all finishing with more than 75 receiving yards.
What may have helped him the most was his mobility. I don’t know if he received the green light to use his legs more, but he ran significantly more than he had in previous games.
Yes, the pressure came quicker and more consistently from the Riders, but instead of going down or throwing the ball out of bounds, he escaped pressure and used his speed to pick up first downs.
He even pulled off one of the craziest plays of the year by completing a pass to Stevie Scott III while being dragged to the ground.
The battle for the league’s M.O.P. award will go down to the wire, but Alexander definitely scored some points with that performance.
Charleston Rambo is warming up
When general manager Danny Maciocia brought back Charleston Rambo, he knew exactly what he was getting: someone capable of stretching the field alongside Tyson Philpot.
It allows Tyler Snead to operate more freely in the middle of the field while giving Alexander another weapon on the outside.
Rambo caught only two passes, but turned them into 96 yards and two touchdowns. That’s exactly what he was brought in to do.
Defences will need to make sure he’s covered at all times.
Quick answers
Last November, the Als had issues answering Saskatchewan’s blows, which resulted in a significant deficit. It didn’t happen on Monday, even though the start felt somewhat similar.
Alexander probably had flashbacks to the Grey Cup when Marcus Sayles intercepted an early pass. The Riders then marched down the field and opened the scoring with a field goal.
However, the Als answered in the best possible way with an efficient touchdown drive that featured multiple run-pass options.
From that point on, every time Saskatchewan scored, Montreal had a better response until the Riders simply stopped scoring.
That’s the best way to tilt a heavyweight matchup in your favour.
Fixing issues
Head coach Jason Maas has repeated it multiple times this season: this is not the same team as the one that finished first in the East in 2024 before losing in the East Final.
I’m starting to believe him, as the Als are playing their best football of the season. Unlike two years ago, when everything seemed to fall apart during the final third of the season, Montreal appears to be peaking at the right time.
With last week’s win over Winnipeg and Monday’s victory against Saskatchewan, the Als answered a lot of questions, but they also fixed some issues that were starting to become trends.
The first was their third-quarter performances, which had been a problem for most of the season. In these last two games, the Als have actually run away with things in the third frame. Against Winnipeg, they turned a 24-10 lead into a 31-10 advantage. On Monday afternoon, they turned a 17-13 lead into a 31-16 one.
The Als have also reduced the number of meaningful penalties, which I define as penalties that directly impact the outcome of the game. Mustafa Johnson did take an unnecessary roughness penalty late in the contest, but by then the result had already been decided.
I still have doubts about the special teams, especially the return game. Mekhi Mews has found some holes, but nothing significant enough yet.
We’ll see if the Als decide to make a change at the position in the coming weeks.
Filling the void
One of the biggest departures of the offseason was middle linebacker Darnell Sankey. He had been the leader of Montreal’s defence since 2023, but Geoffrey Cantin-Arku deserved a shot at the position.
So far, he has filled that role very well.
Monday’s game might have been his best yet. He stopped A.J. Ouellette in one-on-one situations, recorded an interception, and finished with six total tackles.
The more he plays, the better Danny Maciocia’s decision to trust him looks.
Besides Robert Kennedy III, who had some tackling issues, the Alouettes’ defensive backs also had a solid game. Lorenzo Burns was tested several times and answered the challenge very well.
What’s next?
The Alouettes will travel to Regina to face the Riders once again next Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. EDT.
Pablo is an Alouettes and CFL reporter based in Montreal.
