Philpot’s 198-yard performance leads Als over Redblacks
Fans across the CFL – and in Montreal in particular – know that Tyson Philpot is a legitimate number one receiver. When healthy, he’s been one of the top pass-catchers in the league. But in 2026, he’s clearly taken his game to even greater heights. That continued to be the case during Sunday’s, 37-35, win over the Ottawa Redblacks where Philpot finished with an astounding 12 receptions for 198 yards.
The 198 yards are a season-high for the 25-year-old, but it’s his second straight home game with over 190 yards (he had 193 in the opener against Toronto).
“It’s like that flow state,” Philpot explained after the game. “I’ve been doing this my whole life, but it’s just the team rallying behind me. I don’t know if I can really explain it. I just feel like I’m playing football like I’ve always done. It feels like I’ve taken it to another level this season.
“I always go to the sideline and ask to have the ball in my hands. I’m always ready to make a play. I play with that confidence that no one can stop me. I always love more targets, but at the end of the day, it’s a team effort and I can’t do what I do without the guys around me.”
Through four weeks of action, Philpot is at the top of the leaderboard when it comes to receiving yards, with 587. No other receiver across the CFL has hit 400 (the Als are the only team to have played four games so far this season).
It’s way too early to talk about franchise records and Philpot’s pace, but let’s do it just to put his start into perspective.
He’s currently averaging a ridiculous 146.75 yards per game. Over 18 contests, that’s 2,641.5 yards. The Alouettes’ receiving record is owned by Hal Patterson, who had 1,914 yards in 1956. Jamel Richardson finished with 1,777 back in 2011.
“He’s half man, half amazing,” teammate Alex Hollins, who scored the Als’ first touchdown of the game on a 54-yard pass from Davis Alexander, said. “There’s not a route he can’t run. There’s not a ball he can’t catch. If you put it there, he’s going to catch it. He’s just a big-time player.”
One of the impressive things about Philpot is that he can attack a defence in many ways. He can navigate traffic after catching a screen pass, he can stretch the field and get behind the opposition’s secondary, and he can absorb contact to make a play. He can do it all.
In the opening moments of the second quarter, Philpot caught a 32-yard pass from Alexander but absorbed a heavy hit by Redblacks defensive back Bennett Williams. The contact knocked Philpot’s helmet off, but he hung on to the ball and got up immediately.
“That’s one of those things where you can’t let the opponent get the better of you,” the former Calgary Dino said. “You have to get up and talk your (expletive)! It might have looked like a big hit, but it felt like a regular hit. Davis and I just have that connection. I knew he was going to be able to find me. I got open and found the zone. He gave me the perfect ball.”
The Alouettes will be the final team to enjoy some time off, as they’ll be on a bye week in Week 5. They’ll head into the break with a record of 3-1-0 through four games. All three of those victories came against each of their East Division rivals.
They’ll be back on the field on Saturday, July 11th when they host the Calgary Stampeders at Percival Molson Stadium. They’ll then head to Calgary to take on the Stampeders the following week, which means that Philpot will get to face his brother in back-to-back contests.
“4-0 would sound a lot better (than 3-1), but 3-0 against the East is a great place to be. It was definitely not the way we wanted to win this game, but a win is a win. There’s some stuff to clean up during the bye week. We’ll be ready for Calgary. You know I always have that game circled.”
