The Montreal Alouettes will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the 2nd time in 2 weeks following their victory on the road in Hamilton 33-16 in week 9. Davis Alexander will get his 2nd career start at quarterback as Cody Fajardo continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

CFL Power Rankings Week 9

Predictions: CFL News Hub Writers’ Week 10 Picks

Game Details:

Date/Location: Saturday, August 10 /Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, Montreal, QC

Kickoff Time: 7:00 PM ET, 4:00 PM PT

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

Odds: 

Spread: Montreal +7 (-110), Hamilton -7 (-110)

Moneyline: Montreal -320, Hamilton +255

Over/Under: 49.5 (Over -110, Under -110)

Montreal Alouettes: The Montreal Alouettes are 7-1 on the season and have won 15 out of their last 16 games including the playoffs. Last week was Davis Alexander’s first career start at quarterback and saw him complete 19 of his 27 passes for 262 yards and a touchdown with 1 interception. Last week Montreal limited Bo Levi Mitchell to just 1 passing touchdown and generated 2 interceptions. So far this season Montreal has allowed the fewest passing touchdowns at 5 and the lowest QB efficiency at 79.4.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Hamilton will look to bounce back after a crushing defeat at home last week to Montreal. Hamilton is far better than their record would suggest and poses one of the most dangerous passing offenses in the league as they lead the league in passing yards (2,548) and passing touchdowns (18). However, Hamilton could do well and focus on the ground game in this matchup given Montreal’s success in shutting down the opponent’s passing game. Montreal has struggled lately in limiting their opponents’ running game as they have allowed the 2nd most rushing yards at 105.6 yards per game and the 2nd longest average yards per rush from their opponents at 5.3.

Alouettes Keys to the Game

Lockdown Pass Coverage

Sorry to sound like a broken record but as long as Montreal maintains this level of play from their secondary they will remain contenders. Montreal’s success defending against the pass has arguably been the most impactful reason that they have been so dominant as offenses just don’t know how to unlock success against them.

Stop the Run Early

Everybody knows that Hamilton has a great running back in James Butler except for perhaps Hamilton themselves. Despite having a reliable back to hand the ball off to Hamilton has the most imbalance offense when it comes to mixing in run plays. Hamilton currently has the most passing attempts in the league at 317 while having the fewest rushing attempts at 122. If Montreal can stop the run game early they should be able to get Hamilton to abandon the run game and play into their hands.

Avoid Mistakes on Offense

Last week Hamilton’s defense scored on a pick 6 and also generated a turnover following a forced fumble against Davis Alexander. Montreal will want to ensure turnovers are avoided and keep things challenging for Hamilton to put points on the board.

Let Walter Fletcher Loose

Montreal’s runningback Walter Fletcher has one of the strongest yards per carry among starting running backs having rushed 65 times for 362 yards and 3 touchdowns, 5.6 yards per carry. However, he currently has the fewest total rushes among starting running backs. Montreal should let him cut loose in this game and give their young quarterback run support.

5 Alouettes to Watch

#10 QB Davis Alexander

Will get his 2nd career start on Saturday. This season he has completed 34 of his 45 passes fro 440 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception.

#6 WR Tyson Philpot

Last week Philpot caught 5 of his 8 targets for 82 yards. He is currently 2nd in the league in receiving with 56 catches for 772 yards and 5 touchdowns.

#14 WR Charleston Rambo

Rambo led the team in receiving last week as he caught 4 of his 5 targets for 86 yards and a touchdown.

#22 LB Tyrice Beverette

Leads the team in tackles with 50 and is third in the league. He also has 2 sacks, an interception, and a league-leading 4 forced fumbles.

#48 CB Kabion Ento

Last week Ento recorded his 2nd interception of the season. Additionally, he has 16 tackles.

5 Tiger-Cats to Watch

#18 QB Bo Levi Mitchell

Bo Levi Mitchell currently leads the league in passing yards having completed 68.1% of his passes for 2,497 yards with 18 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.

#9 RB James Butler

Last week Butler rushed 12 times for 69 yards, a 5.8 average.

#17 WR Shemar Bridges

Bridges led the team in receiving last week as he caught 9 of his 11 targets for 76 yards. He currently has 48 catches for 526 yards and 3 touchdowns on the season.

#12 WR Tim White

White caught 3 passes last week for 45 yards and a touchdown. He has 33 receptions for 419 yards and 4 touchdowns this season.

#25 CB Kordell Rodgers

Rodgers will make his debut as a Hamilton Tiger-Cat on Saturday. He was an impressive rookie last year with Montreal and was a surprising player to be cut during final roster cuts by Montreal this season.

Injury Report:

Depth Charts:

Score Prediction:

My expectations are similar to last week as Montreal being a great pass-defending team are well suited to stop a pass-reliant offense in the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. I predict Montreal to win 27-20

@JonathanClink on Twitter