2025 East Division Finals
Visiting Team: Montreal Alouettes (10-8, 2nd in the East Division)
Home Team: Hamilton Tiger-Cats (11-7, 1st in the East Division)
Game Location: Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton, ON
Date and Time: Saturday, November 8th at 3 pm EST
Where to Watch: In Canada, TSN/TSN 2/RDS/CTV In the US and International, CFL+
DraftKings Betting Line: Montreal Alouettes (-2.5), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (+2.5), O/U 53.5
During the 2025 regular season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats went 2-0 against the Montreal Alouettes. Those two victories propelled the Tiger-Cats to become the East Division's top team. However, Hamilton's regular-season dominance over Montreal holds little predictive value for the outcome of the East Finals.
The missing factor in those games was Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander. Alexander missed both regular-season matchups between the Tiger-Cats and Alouettes. With Alexander under center, Montreal is undefeated. To secure a spot in the 2025 Grey Cup, the Tiger-Cats must deliver their strongest performance yet and attempt to hand Alexander his first CFL loss.
This week’s East Finals between the Tiger-Cats and Alouettes promises to be one of the most compelling games of the 2025 CFL season.
The CFL Injury Report for the 2025 Finals week shows the Hamilton Tiger-Cats entering the East Finals with lingering injuries on the defensive line. Isaiah Bagnah (foot), Luke Brubacher (shoulder), and TyJuan Garbutt (knee) are still sitting out practice despite the team’s bye. Montreal also has three who did not practice: David Dallaire (knee), Jesse Gibbon (knee), and Pier-Olivier Lestage (neck). Four Alouettes, Austin Mack (leg), Mustafa Johnson (shoulder), Ciante Evans (ankle), and Scott Hunter (foot), were limited in practice this week.
Montreal Alouettes Depth Chart
Hamilton Tiger-Cats Depth Chart
Key to Victory #1: Tiger-Cats All-CFL Players Must Stand Out
This week, the CFL announced the 2025 All-CFL team, and not surprisingly, the Tiger-Cats had five players named as All-CFL All-Stars. While it is an impressive achievement for Brandon Revenberg, Kenny Lawler, Julian Howsare, Stavros Katsantonis, and Jamal Peters to receive regular-season recognition, it does not matter in the postseason. Hamilton needs their best players to show up in the East Finals game and play their best football. If Hamilton's All-CFL players can show up and play their best football, the Tiger-Cats will be a very difficult team to beat.
Key to Victory #2: Tiger-Cats Must Start Hot Offensively
Earning a bye week before the most critical game of the season is usually an advantage for CFL teams. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats also gained the chance to host the East Finals, benefiting from a supportive home crowd. However, a bye week can disrupt a team's momentum, something Hamilton, an inconsistent offensive team led by quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, must avoid. To defeat Montreal, the Tiger-Cats need to start strong on offense and sustain that energy for all four quarters.
Key to Victory #3: Pressure Alouettes QB Davis Alexander
Montreal has advanced to the East Finals in Hamilton largely because of 1st-year starting quarterback Davis Alexander. The Alouettes are 11-0 with Alexander under center, including last week's playoff win over Winnipeg. To hand Alexander his first CFL loss as a starter, the Tiger-Cats must disrupt his rhythm. Hamilton's elite pass rushers, Julian Howsare and Casey Sayles, hold the key: consistent pressure could prevent Alexander from settling in the pocket or exploiting blitzes, giving Hamilton their best chance to win.
Key to Victory #4: Force Turnovers
On paper, the Montreal Alouettes have a distinct advantage over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats when it comes to establishing their run game on the offensive side of the ball. Alouettes' running back Stevie Scott III had a huge game last week against Winnipeg, powering Montreal to a hard-fought home win. Defensively, the Tiger-Cats struggle to stop their opponent's running game because their defensive front is built primarily for pass rushing. Because Hamilton's defensive linemen tend to be smaller, faster players, they struggle when a team can run the ball straight at them. The solution to Hamilton's defensive weaknesses is to force the Alouettes to turn the ball over and then make Montreal pay on the scoreboard for those mistakes.
Key to Victory #5: Touchdowns > Field Goals in the Red Zone
During the regular season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have often played a conservative style of football when they enter the red zone. That tends to result in Hamilton settling for field goals rather than taking some chances to get the ball in the end zone. In this matchup, the Tiger-Cats must do all that they can to score touchdowns rather than field goals when they get into the red zone against the Alouettes. The worst possible situation for Hamilton is to get into an offensive shootout with Montreal, rather than settling for field goals and taking calculated risks to get the ball into the end zone when they are close to the goal line.
Game Prediction:
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 34, Montreal Alouettes 32
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