Preview: Als look to push win streak to 5 games on Friday night

The Montreal Alouettes will look to push their winning streak to five games when they take on the Redblacks in Ottawa at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday night.

The Als have defeated the Redblacks in 12 straight contests, and they haven’t dropped a decision in Ottawa since July 29, 2022.

Earlier this season, the Alouettes edged the Redblacks, 37-35, in Montreal. Quarterback Davis Alexander passed for 345 yards and two touchdowns while receiver Tyson Philpot had 198 receiving yards on 12 receptions.

Head coach Jason Maas will be making one change to the lineup that took down the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last Sunday night. Rookie cornerback Faion Hicks, who exited the last game with an injury, is coming out of the lineup for veteran Kabion Ento, who has missed the last four outings due to a hamstring injury.

The biggest challenge for the Alouettes will come in the form of rest – or a lack of it. The Als will be playing on short rest (five days between games), while the Redblacks are coming off a bye week.

“You don’t take anything for granted,” Maas explained. “We have to prepare a certain way to believe that we can win every week. That’s why we have a lot of belief in our room because we respect our opponents. The way you respect an opponent is by putting the work in. Some weeks you get full weeks and some weeks you only get one day to do that. We believe the work we put in will translate.”

The Redblacks (0-6-0) won’t just be searching to snap their 12-game losing skid against the Alouettes, they’ll be looking for their first win of 2026.

“I could care less that they’re 0-6,” Maas said. “Each week is a new week. That’s just the way we play it. There’s a lot of respect for this league and the way we do things here. We know we need to be at our best and the only way to do that is by staying where your feet are every single day and putting the work in.”

Alexander heads into this week leading the league in passing yards, with 2,368, but it’s the running game that has grabbed all the headlines over the last two weeks.

Second-year tailback Travis Theis has rushed for 279 yards on 38 carries over the last two weeks. He’s gone over the 90-yard rushing mark in four of his last five outings and he’s also scored a rushing major in five consecutive games.

The 25-year-old is one of only four CFL running backs to be over the 500-yard rushing mark. He currently sits fourth in yards on the ground, with 538. He’s also tied for second in rushing touchdowns.

“I think it’s just opportunities,” Theis said of his recent success. “I think there have been running lanes. I think teams are fed up of being torched by our wide receivers, so they’re going to try to cover those guys and that’s going to open up a lot of running lanes.

“I expect to be the best. It’s a blessing, but I’m trying to be the best and I expect to be the best.”