The Montreal Alouettes travel to Calgary to take on the Stampeders on Saturday following a 23-37 loss to BC last week. Calgary is looking for their first win in four games and are coming off a 16-37 loss to Edmonton. Montreal has not lost back-to-back games since September 15. Montreal has won the last 3 meetings between these teams with the last time Calgary came out on top being in week 1 of 2022.

Game Details:

Date/Location: Saturday, September 14 /McMahon Stadium, Calgary, AB

Kickoff Time: 7:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM MT

Channel: TSN (Canada), CBS Sports (USA), CFL+ (Global)

Odds: 

Spread: Montreal -5.5 (-115), Calgary +5.5 (-105)

Moneyline: Montreal -240, Calgary +195

Over/Under: 50.5 (Over -105, Under -105)

If you do place bets please do so responsibly and if you may have a gambling problem please seek help.

Montreal Alouettes: Last week Cody Fajardo completed 27 of his 37 passes for 240 yards with 1 touchdown and an interception. Cole Spieker caught 6 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Walter Fletcher rushed 6 times for 21 yards. Fletcher also caught 8 passes for 72 yards, 69 of which were YAC. Fletcher had 12 carries in each of the first 3 games but since then has only rushed an average of 6.7 times per game as Montreal has been a pass heavy offense. 

Calgary Stampeders: The Calgary Stampeders need to get their passing game back on track in this game after a difficult outing in each of the last 2 games. Week 13 saw Jake Maier have 1 touchdown with 4 interceptions. Last week Calgary started Logan Bonner and he had 5 interceptions without a touchdown. This week Jake Maier will start at quarterback once again and will be up against a strong pass defense.

Alouettes Keys to the Game

Don’t Allow Jake Maier to Find His Mojo

As a defense, Montreal will do well to prevent Jake Maier from getting back his mojo. Last time they met Montreal’s pass defense held him to just 3.8 yards per attempt as he made 18 completions on 28 attemps for 106 yards and a touchdown with an interception. 

Stop Dedrick Mills

Last week Mills played his first game since late July after stepping away from the team for personal reasons. He rushed 14t times for 65 yards, 4.64 yards per carry. Montreal will want to prevent him from having a dominant game as he is a running back capable of making a very big impact.

Commit to the Run

Calgary had trouble against the run week as they allowed 213 rushing yards in the loss against Edmonton. This would be a great week to commit to the run and get the ground game going again. Perhaps a 1-2 punch of Fletcher and a mix of Canadian running back Jeshrun Antwi who has been criminally underutilized this season. Last year Antwi averaged 5.87 yards per carry on 39 rushes, the year before he rushed 106 times for 600 yards, 5.66 yards per carry. This year Montreal has only given him 8 carries.

Contributions From Returning Receivers

Tyler Snead and Kaion Julien-Grant are back in the lineup and will join Cole Spiekr, Reggie White Jr., and Charleston Rambo among the starting receivers.

5 Alouettes to Watch

#85 WR Tyler Snead

Snead only appeared in 1 game this season which saw him catch 2 passes for 62 yards. Last year he caught 56 passes for 788 yards and 5 touchdowns.

#11 WR Kaion Julien-Grant

Last season Kaion Julien Grant was highly impactful over his first 6 games as he recorded 30 catches for 469 yards before injuries caused inturuptions to his season. He has 26 catches for 288 yards and a touchdown this season. His stretch of dominance last year happened to be when Tyson Philpot was sidelined to injury. Now Montreal will need him to once again fill a major role.

#95 DT Derek Wiggan

Derek Wiggan, Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, and Titus Wall were all with Calgary last season. Saturday they will make their return to Calgary this time as the visitor. Wiggan amassed 19 sacks and 160 tackles playing in over 100 games for Calgary from 2015 to 2023.

#91 DE Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund

Adeyemi-Berglund has 25 tackles and 4 sacks on the season and will face his old team Saturday. He played for Calgary from 2021 to 2023 where he recorded 14 sacks and 45 tackles.

#33 S Arthur Hamlin

Hamlin will get his first CFL start on Saturday. He was the Alouettes third-round pick this past offseason.

5 Stampeders to Watch

#84 WR Reggie Begelton

Begelton is 5th in receiving in the league having caught 65 passes for 810 yards and 3 touchdowns.

#85 WR Jalen Philpot

Philpot has 40 catches for 451 yards and a touchdown this season.

#26 RB Dedrick Mills

Mills has rushed 92 times for 471 yards this season, 5.12 yards per carry.

#41 DT Mike Rose

Rose has 14 tackles, 4 sacks, an interception, and a touchdown this season.

#6 CB Demerio Houston

Houston has 4 interceptions, a sack, and 34 tackles this season.

Injury Report:

Depth Charts:

Score Prediction:

I predict Calgary to play well in this contest as they look to end their losing streak but for Montreal to win a close one 24-20

@JonathanClink on Twitter