The Als hit the road looking to finish off a season sweep of the league's highest-scoring team, and Davis Alexander's interception-free run is the story nobody's talking about.
Game Details
- Matchup: Montreal Alouettes at Calgary Stampeders
- When: Saturday, July 18 at 4:00 PM ET
- Where: McMahon Stadium, Calgary
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Montreal Alouettes -1
- Moneyline: Montreal Alouettes -125, Calgary Stampeders +105
- Over/Under: 63
Montreal comes in 3-2 against the spread with five overs in five games, while Calgary sits 2-2-1 ATS with the same perfect over trend — five overs, zero unders. Bet the total with confidence; bet the side knowing this series has been razor-thin.
Overview
Six days after outlasting Calgary 37-30 in a track meet at Molson Stadium, the Alouettes (4-1) head west for the rematch, and the roles flip: Montreal's the road team now, and Calgary gets its shot at revenge in front of the McMahon Stadium crowd. This is the first completed season series in the CFL this year, and the Stamps (2-3) desperately need to even it up if they want to keep pace in a crowded West.
Montreal's been the model of consistency, winning four of five with only a Week 3 loss to Edmonton blemishing the record. Davis Alexander has thrown for 300-plus yards in every single start this season and still hasn't thrown an interception — 184 attempts and counting, the only qualifying starter in the league besides Vernon Adams Jr. without one. That's the headline stat of this whole matchup. Calgary, meanwhile, has scored 30-plus in four straight games and leads the CFL at 38.8 points per game, but the same defense that's given up chunks all year let Montreal hang 37 on them last week, with Marquel Lee racking up a game-high eight tackles in what was still a losing effort.
The history says take the road team seriously here — Calgary's all-time mark against Montreal sits at a near dead-even 43-44-2, and per the Stamps' own game notes, they're 35-19 all-time in the second game of a back-to-back over the past 25 seasons, including 2-1 against the Als specifically in that spot. That's a real trend working in Calgary's favor. But Montreal's the better, more balanced team right now — fourth in the league standings gap aside, the Als have the tighter defense (154 points allowed vs. Calgary's 176) and the healthier depth chart. Give the edge to Montreal, but barely.
Key Players
- Davis Alexander (Montreal Alouettes, QB) — 129/184 for 1,779 yards, 8 TDs, zero interceptions; has topped 300 passing yards in all five of his starts this year.
- Tyson Philpot (Montreal Alouettes, WR) — Leads the CFL with 719 receiving yards and 45 catches, and his four touchdowns pace the Alouettes.
- Tyler Snead (Montreal Alouettes, WR) — 31 catches for 470 yards and 3 TDs, and even threw a touchdown pass last week against this same Calgary defense.
- Vernon Adams Jr. (Calgary Stampeders, QB) — Threw three touchdowns last week and, like Alexander, has yet to throw a pick this season across 145 attempts.
- Dedrick Mills (Calgary Stampeders, RB) — 394 rushing yards on the ground for Calgary, and the game notes flag him needing just one rushing TD for 20 in his career.
Keys to the Game
- Keep leaning on Alexander's no-turnover streak — Montreal can't afford to hand Calgary short fields against an offense scoring 38.8 a game.
- Get Philpot and Snead going early; both torched Calgary's secondary last week and there's no reason to expect that defense has fixed anything in six days.
- Mustafa Johnson and the front need to speed up Adams Jr., who's been nearly untouchable through five weeks without an interception of his own.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| DeVonte Dedmon (WR) | Montreal Alouettes | Out — Hamstring |
| Stevie Scott III (RB) | Montreal Alouettes | Out — Hamstring |
| Hakeem Harris (WR) | Montreal Alouettes | Out — Hamstring |
| Cole Spieker (WR) | Montreal Alouettes | Available — Ankle |
| David Dallaire (FB) | Montreal Alouettes | Out — Knee |
| Gabriel Lessard (LB) | Montreal Alouettes | Out — Knee |
| Justin Lawrence (OL) | Montreal Alouettes | Out — Ankle |
| Des Holmes (OL) | Montreal Alouettes | Out — Back |
| Jerreth Sterns (WR) | Montreal Alouettes | Out — Hand |
| Arthur Hamlin (DB) | Montreal Alouettes | Available — Knee |
| Kabion Ento (DB) | Montreal Alouettes | Out — Hamstring |
| Don Callis (DB) | Montreal Alouettes | Out — Ankle |
| Alexander Hollins (WR) | Montreal Alouettes | Questionable — Hip |
| Najee Murray (DB) | Montreal Alouettes | Available — Hamstring |
| David Perales (DL) | Montreal Alouettes | Out — Adductor |
| Mustafa Johnson (DL) | Montreal Alouettes | Available — Back |
Depth Chart
Montreal Alouettes starters by position, built from the Montreal Alouettes depth-chart data provided. This table covers the Alouettes ONLY — the Stampeders' chart isn't included here.
| Position | Montreal Alouettes |
|---|---|
| QB | Davis Alexander (starter), Dustin Crum, Anthony Brown Jr. |
| RB | Travis Theis, Liam Talbot |
| FB | Jacob Mason, Régis Cibasu |
| WR/REC | Tyson Philpot, Tyler Snead, Cole Spieker, Mario Alford, Terique Owens, Kaseem Ferdinand, Marco Dubois |
| OL — Tackles | Nick Callender, Donny Ventrelli (Sage Doxtater, backup) |
| OL — Guards | Pier-Olivier Lestage, Tiger Shanks (Braydon Noll, backup) |
| OL — Centre | Cyrille Hogan-Saindon |
| DL | Joshua Archibald, Kylan Guidry, Lwal Uguak, Daniel Wise, Mustafa Johnson, Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund |
| LB | Tyrell Richards, Tyrice Beverette, Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, Micah Awe, Donovan Manuel, Alexandre Gagné |
| DB | Wesley Sutton, Robert Kennedy III, Gemon Green, Lorenzo Burns, Arthur Hamlin, Najee Murray, Jonathan Sutherland, Nate Beauchemin, Faion Hicks |
| K | Jose Maltos Diaz |
| P | Joseph Zema |
| LS | Louis-Philippe Bourassa |
| RET | Mario Alford |
Note: this is a projected/official current-week chart and may shift as game-day inactives are finalized.
Score Prediction
Montreal Alouettes 32 - Calgary Stampeders 31. Another shootout feels inevitable given both offenses and the Over/Under sitting at 63, but Montreal's turnover-free quarterback and a slightly deeper secondary give the Als just enough to survive Calgary's home crowd and complete the sweep by a single point, same as last week's final margin nearly suggested.
CFL Standings | Full Schedule | League Leaders
Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.