The Montreal Alouettes host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to wrap up both team’s regular seasons. Some may call it a meaningless game as it has no implications on the final standings yet it is one of significant importance as both teams fine-tune their game ahead of playing each other in the Eastern Division Semi-Final the following week.
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Game Details:
Date/Location: Saturday, October 28 /Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, Montreal, QC
Kickoff Time: 4 PM ET, 1 AM PT
Channel: TSN (Canada), CFL+ (USA, International)
Odds:
Spread: Montreal +1.5 (-110), Hamilton -1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Montreal -120, Hamilton +100
Over/Under: 47.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Montreal Alouettes (10-7): The Montreal Alouettes clinched home-field advantage in the East Division Semi-Finals with their win over Edmonton in week 19. Montreal is coming off of their bye week following a 4 game-win streak. Montreal has won all 10 of their games so far this season against teams who are not BC, Winnipeg, or Toronto. However, against those 3 teams, Montreal is 0-7. Montreal will be without wide receiver Kaion Julien-Grant this week due to a shoulder injury but they will have Greg Ellingson available who has been limited to only 1 game this season due to injuries. Cody Fajardo is expected to play 1 quarter against Hamilton in this matchup with Caleb Evans and Davis Alexander expected to handle the majority of the game at quarterback.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8-9): The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are also coming off of a bye week following a 30-33 loss to the BC Lions at home which ended with a walk-off game-winning field goal from Sean Whyte for the Lions. Recently the Tiger-Cats have had both Taylor Powell and Bo Levi Mitchell play at quarterback. It is unclear as of yet if Bo Levi Mitchell or Taylor Powell will play the majority of the game but it will be important for Hamilton to get Bo Levi Mitchell some meaningful reps ahead of the playoffs as he has been limited to only 5 games this season due to injury.
“I honestly don’t have the answer. Sure, you’d like to just even it out and make sure everybody’s ready to go but I’m not really sure which decision we’ll make at this time.” Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ head coach Orlando Steinauer said following their last game regarding who will be playing at quarterback in their regular season finale.
The Tiger-Cats will be without 4 players this week due to injuries according to their injury report notably including defensive back Richard Leonard and wide receiver Duke Williams. They will be resting their standout defensive tackle Casey Sayles in this contest although he was a full participant in practice this week.
Alouettes Keys to the Game
No Injures
Everyone involved in this game will say that it is important to get the win. In truth, the important thing will be to be playing football at a high form and not take on any injuries. There is no such thing as a meaningless game and this will be one for many players to get an opportunity to get some game film of themselves who may not always have as much playing time.
With the game not implicating the final standings and the playoff matchups already being set in stone an injury to a key player will prove more detrimental to either team than losing the game would be.
Strong Pass Protection
Montreal has had an issue in the sacks allowed department this season. Heading into week 18 prior to the game against Ottawa Montreal had allowed the most sacks in the league. So far this season the Alouettes have allowed 58 sacks.
In the Alouette’s most recent game against Edmonton, they allowed 3 sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, their offensive line allowed only a 5.6% pass-rush win rate which was the second lowest in that metric of any team so far this season. An impressive feat considering the talented pass rushers that Edmonton has in Jake Ceresna and AC Leonard.
Embrace the Run
I’ve been writing all season regarding how Montreal’s offense is much more efficient when there is a healthy mix of running the football. Montreal plays best when they are running the ball roughly on 1 third of their offensive plays. When they have abandoned the run oftentimes the offense has become predictable and stagnant. Additionally, this has often been when the offensive line has struggled in pass protection when there are several passing plays in a row without any run plays to keep the defense on their heels.
William Stanback is getting the start at running back after missing some time due to injury. It is his first game since September 30 for the 2021 CFL All-Star.
Quick Progressions From Fajardo
This season there have been times in which Fajardo has either gone slowly in his progressions or has locked on to certain targets. He is only expected to play 1 quarter in this game but it will be a good sign if Fajardo is going through his progressions quickly in his final regular-season appearance.
Montreal has demonstrated this season good depth at the receiving position with a lot of new names to the CFL such as Austin Mack and Tyler Snead. This week’s starting receivers include Austin Mack, Tyler Snead, Shedler Fevius, Cole Spieker, and Tyson Philpot. Regis Cibasu and James Letcher Jr. are listed as 2nd string receivers this weekend.
Strong Run Defense
With James Butler in Hamilton, A.J. Ouellette in Toronto, and Brady Oliveira in Winnipeg, Montreal will need solid run defense in order to make a run for the Grey Cup. The Alouettes limited Devonta Williams to 70 yards on 17 carries over their last 2 games against Ottawa before they faced Edmonton. Against Edmonton, Kevin Brown rushed 10 times for 68 yards.
Montreal has allowed the 2nd least yards per pass attempt at 7.7 yards and the 2nd fewest passing touchdowns this season. There is uncertainty regarding who will be throwing the ball for Hamilton. The danger with this game is that one can consider it to be meaningless which leads to complacency. It will be key for Montreal’s secondary to stay focused and keep playing at the high level they have been performing at heading into the playoffs.
Davis Alexander has only attempted 15 CFL passes so far in his 2-year career completing 9 of those passes for 94 yards with 1 interception which came last year. In his preseason appearances over the last 2 seasons, he has completed 38 of his 52 pass attempts (73%) for 336 yards and a touchdown.
Evans is in his 3rd season in the CFL. Last year he started in 7 games for Ottawa and completed 111 of 178 (62.3%) for 4 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also added 354 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns over the season, many of which were QB sneaks as the short-yardage quarterback.
vans has started in 2 games for Montreal and has completed 38 of his 57 passes (66.7%) for 543 yards and 3 touchdowns with 4 interceptions. He has also rushed 46 times for 180 yards and 8 touchdowns over the season.
Ellingson has only played in 1 game this season due to injuries. Over the 2 previous seasons, he had appeared in 18 games catching 85 passes for 1,285 yards and 4 touchdowns. He had 4 1,000 yard seasons in a row from 2016 to 2019.
Spieker had himself quite a game in week 21 last year catching 6 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown in Toronto. This season he has appeared in 11 games and has 27 catches for 345 yards and a touchdown.