The Montreal Alouettes will host the BC Lions Friday night to kick off Labour Day Weekend at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium. It is the first time we will see Nathan Rourke and Davis Alexander go head-to-head. Montreal is coming off a 28-44 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers that put an end to a 7-game winning streak, while the Lions are coming off a dominant 45-24 victory over the Ottawa RedBlacks.
Date/Location: Friday, September 4, 2026 / Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, Montreal, QC
Kickoff Time: 7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT
Channel: TSN, RDS (Canada), CBSSN (USA), CFL+ (Global)
Odds (If you place bets, please do so responsibly in moderation):
Spread: Montreal -3.5 (-105), BC +3.5 (-115)
Moneyline: Montreal -194, BC +160
Over/Under: 62.5 (Over -105, Under -105)
Montreal Alouettes: The Alouettes are coming off a 28-44 loss to Winnipeg that saw Davis Alexander complete 20 of 31 passes for 257 yards and 4 touchdowns. Travis Theis was slowed down to 31 yards on 8 carries. Tyler Snead led the team in receiving with 6 catches for 107 yards and 3 TDs, while Tyson Philpot had 7 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.
BC Lions: The BC Lions are coming off a 45-24 win over Ottawa. Nathan Rourke completed 22 of 25 passes for 355 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Zander Horvath had a huge game, racking up 164 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns on 24 carries. Jermaine Jackson led the Lions in receiving with 4 catches for 128 yards, while Jevon Cottoy had 4 catches for 62 yards and a touchdown, and Keon Hatcher had 3 catches for 81 yards.
Alouettes Keys to the Game
Keep Davis Alexander Efficient
Alexander threw 4 touchdowns last week despite the loss. Maintaining that high-level passing production and protecting the football will be essential at home. Montreal will also want to ensure they keep him well protected against BC’s pass rushers.
Bring Back the Run Game
Montreal has had a great season on the ground, but that stalled out last week. The Alouettes need to get Travis Theis rolling hard early. Ex-Alouette middle linebacker Darnell Sankey will be looking to prevent this in his first game against Montreal since signing with BC.
Stop Zander Horvath
Horvath rushed for 164 yards and 4 touchdowns last week. Montreal had a tough game last week trying to slow down Brady Oliveira, and they need good run defense in this game. They will have to do so without linebacker Micah Awe, who was just placed on the 6-game injured list.
Lockdown Pass Coverage
The BC Lions have some great receivers and a quarterback in Nathan Rourke who is better than many NFL quarterbacks and can make great plays under pressure. Montreal needs their elite secondary to rise to the occasion and prevent receivers from getting open and limit big plays.
Alouettes to Watch
10 QB Davis Alexander
Alexander leads the league in passing with 3,657 yards and 24 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions over 11 games.
6 WR Tyson Philpot
Philpot leads the league in receiving with 1,316 yards on 90 catches and has a league-leading 10 touchdown receptions.
85 WR Tyler Snead
Snead is 2nd in the league in receiving with 64 catches for 1,089 yards and 9 touchdowns.
17 WR Cole Spieker
Spieker is third on the team in receiving with 23 catches for 349 yards and 3 touchdowns over 7 games.
5 RB Travis Theis
Theis is 3rd in the league in rushing with 819 yards on 128 carries (6.4 average) and 7 touchdowns.
94 DT Mustafa Johnson
Johnson has 20 tackles and 4 sacks over 10 games. Montreal will need a big game from him in the run-stopping department.
Lions to Watch
12 QB Nathan Rourke
Rourke has 2,784 passing yards and 13 touchdowns with 9 interceptions over 9 games.
34 RB Zander Horvath
Horvath has worked his way up to the 5th most rushing yards in the league at 625 on 105 carries (6.0 average) and a league-leading 13 rushing touchdowns. He has 3 100-yard rushing games over the last 5 games.
84 WR Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine Jackson is coming off a 4-catch, 128-yard game. He has 29 catches for 558 yards and 2 touchdowns over 10 games.
86 WR Jevon Cottoy
Cottoy had 4 receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown last week. He has 22 catches for 343 yards and 2 touchdowns over 5 games so far this season.
4 WR Keon Hatcher
Hatcher leads the Lions in receiving with 749 yards on 46 catches and 4 touchdowns.
90 Mathieu Betts
Betts has 16 tackles over 11 games and is third in sacks in the league with 7. Betts and Levi Bell on the other side present a dangerous pass-rushing duo.
Injury Report:
Depth Charts:
Score Prediction:
I am predicting the Montreal Alouettes to win a close game, 34-31. It’s the first head-to-head meeting between Davis Alexander and Nathan Rourke, and I expect this to be a game to remember to open up Labour Day Weekend.