Preview: Chase for first place continues Thanksgiving Monday
The Montreal Alouettes have some ground to make up, but they’re still in the hunt for first place in the East Division. The door was left wide open for them when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats dropped a home decision to the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday afternoon. For the Alouettes to finish first, they need to win their final three games (home to Ottawa, away in Ottawa, away in Winnipeg) and they need the Ticats to lose their final game (home to Ottawa).
There’s still a long way for the team to go, but it’s always nice to play meaningful games late in the season. A win on Monday afternoon (1 p.m. ET – TSN, RDS, TSN 690, 98.5 FM) would extend the Als’ winning streak to four games and continue to give them hope in the chase for first.
Tyler Snead closing in on milestone
Alouettes receiver Tyler Snead missed practice on Friday due to an illness, but he was back on the field with the starting offence on Saturday. He will suit up in Monday’s game.
Snead is closing in on his first career 1,000-yard season. The 25-year-old needs just 20 yards to reach that mark.
“I haven’t really thought about it throughout the year until you start getting closer,” Snead said of the milestone. “This week, a couple of people came up to me and told me I was 20 yards away. I’m excited to go out there and try to get it. This would be the first one of my career. It’s a big milestone for me and I’m excited to go out there and do it with my brothers.
“It would mean a lot [to reach that number]. This season had ups and downs, and I tried to stay consistent. The 1,000-yard mark will be a testament to that. I couldn’t have done it without any of my brothers who’ve been out there with me. From the offensive line to the quarterbacks and everybody who has been there.”
What makes his season even more impressive is that he’s played with four different starting quarterbacks in 2025. Davis Alexander, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Caleb Evans and James Morgan have all slung passes Snead’s way this year.
Davis Alexander looks to go 10-0
Alexander set the CFL record for most consecutive wins to begin a career, with nine. He’ll look to extend that record down the stretch.
The 26-year-old returned to the lineup in the last game against the Stamps after missing more than 70 days with a hamstring injury. He put together an incredible performance, as he finished 26-for-36 for a season-high 350 yards, one touchdown pass and no interceptions.
“(The streak) is in the back of my mind a little bit just because it gets brought up a lot,” Alexander said on Saturday. “I want that record to always be untouchable so that all of us can share that memory. Ultimately, it’s about going 1-0 and playing our best football going into the playoffs.”
Lineup changes:
The Als will only be making a couple of changes going into this game on Monday.
2025 second-rounder Nate Beauchemin will return to the lineup after suffering an upper-body injury in Calgary back on July 24. The former Calgary Dino, who can play weak-side linebacker and safety will take Riley MacLeod’s spot.
American linebacker Caleb Johnson will make his CFL debut. He’ll enter the lineup for defensive end M.J. Sherman.
The bye week did some good for Canadian linebacker Tyrell Richards, who appeared to suffer an injury in the Calgary game. Richards is first in the CFL in special teams tackles, with 25. He’ll be able to take on Ottawa on Monday.
Kick returner James Letcher Jr. will miss a second consecutive game due to injury. He was seen performing individual drills at practice throughout the week, but he obviously isn’t healthy enough to play right now.
Expect Tyson Philpot and Snead to handle the return duties.
Honouring Legends:
The Alouettes will be honouring a pair of legends at halftime, as centre Bryan Chiu and receiver Jeremaine Copeland will take centre stage. Both players were inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame this fall.
Quick stats:
During this three-game winning streak, the Alouettes offence is nine-for-10 in the red zone. More touchdowns and less field goals are always a recipe for success.
Jason Maas’ team has taken just 34, 41, 64 penalties in each of the last three outings against the Roughriders, Argonauts and Stampeders. Just to put that number in perspective, that’s 139 yards in penalties over three games, while the Stamps took 123 yards in penalties in a single game against the Als two weeks ago.
Receiver Charleston Rambo has scored touchdowns in back-to-back games.
Tyrice Beverette has 23 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception in his last three outings.
