The Montreal Alouettes come off the bye week to host the Ottawa RedBlacks on Monday to close out Thanksgiving weekend for their final at home regular season game. The Alouettes have won their last 3 games, with the most recent being a 38-20 win over the Calgary Stampeders. Ottawa, on the other hand, has lost their last 3 games and are coming off a 13-20 loss to Saskatchewan.
Game Details:
Date/Location: Monday, October 13 / Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, Montreal, QC
Kickoff Time: 1:00 PM ET, 10:00 AM PT
Channel: CTV, TSN, RDS (Canada), CBS Sports (USA), CFL+ (Global)
Odds:Â
Spread: Montreal -13.5 (-122), Ottawa +13.5 (-100)
Moneyline: Montreal -850, Ottawa +570
Over/Under: 51.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
If you place bets, please do so responsibly in moderation.
Montreal Alouettes: The Montreal Alouettes currently sit 2 games behind Hamilton in the standings in the chase for first in the East. Hamilton holds a 10-7 record, having lost yesterday to Calgary. Should Montreal win the next 3 games and Hamilton lose their final game, then Montreal will finish first in the East. However, Hamilton holds the tiebreaker if they finish with tied records.
Ottawa RedBlacks: With Ottawa sitting in last place in the league, they do not have much to play for anymore other than pride and strengthening as a team for next season.Â
Alouettes Keys to the Game
Contain Dustin Crum
Crum is a dual threat quarterback who can make you pay with his legs. Montreal will need to be sure they pressure him in a fashion that does not allow him to escape and make big gains on the ground.
Avoid Turnovers
Ottawa has been a slow starting team offensively this season. Montreal will want to avoid turnovers that could help provide an opportunity to kick-start Ottawa’s offense.
Healthy Mix of Screen Plays
Montreal does this often already, and it will likely be more beneficial this week against Ottawa. The RedBlacks have the lowest rush yards allowed per carry at 4.6. Screen plays will allow Montreal to add some balance to the offense if the rushing game struggles.
5 Alouettes to Watch
#10 Davis Alexander
Alexander rose to 9-0 as a starter, making it the longest unbeaten streak to begin a CFL career in history. Last week he had a career high mark of 350 passing yards on 36 attempts.
#85 WR Tyler Snead
Last game saw Snead catch 8 of his 12 targets for 115 yards. By my count, he had 4 missed tackles forced in the game.
#26 LB Tyrice Beverette
Last game saw Beverette rack up 9 tackles, including a sack. He also had an interception and a pass breakup.Â
#91 DE Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund
Adeyemi-Berglund had 3 sacks in the last 2 games and 7 in his last 7 games, bringing his total up to 11.
#68 RG Donny Ventrelli
Last week, Ventrelli did not allow a single pressure by count.
5 RedBlacks to Watch
#18 QB Dustin Crum
With Dru Brown being out this week with a knee injury, Dustin Crum will get the start. Dustin Crum is 5-14 as a starter thus far in the CFL but his caliber of play is arguably much higher than the record would indicate. He has completed 147 of his 205 passes this season for 1,609 yards and 6 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. He has also rushed 71 times for 393 yards and 11 touchdowns.
#31 RB William Stanback
Stanback has rushed 118 yards for 549 yards and 3 touchdowns (4.7 average). Stanback won a Grey Cup with Montreal in 2023 before being released the following offseason for salary related reasons.
#2 WR Justin Hardy
Hardy is on track to have his third straight 1,000 yard receiving season. He has 73 catches for 937 yards and 8 touchdowns on the season.
#87 WR Eugene Lewis
Lewis is on track to have his 4th 1,000 yard receiving season in the last 6 years (2 of the seasons were shortened by injuries). He has 68 receptions for 953 yards and 5 touchdowns.Â
#SLB Adarius Pickett
Pickett is currently third in tackles in the league at 86 (including 12 special teams tackles). He also has 2 sacks and an interception.
Injury Report:
Depth Charts:
Score Prediction:
I predict Montreal to win 30-20.
