Alouettes aim for perfect home record in Thanksgiving clash with Roughriders

MONTREAL · The Montreal Alouettes host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Thanksgiving Day, with a chance to finish the regular season with a perfect 9-0 record at home. Montreal has already clinched first place in the East Division and will host the Eastern Final on Nov. 7. The Alouettes secured the top seed last week with a 37-10 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. A victory over Saskatchewan would mark the third time in franchise history the team has gone undefeated at home, a feat previously accomplished in 1954 and 2009.

Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander said achieving a perfect home record would be an honour. "The important part is just finding a way to get a win, having our fans enjoy the game and getting ready for the playoffs," Alexander said. Head coach Jason Maas credited the team's passionate fanbase for creating a formidable home-field advantage at Percival Molson Stadium. "I think they make it extremely hard and difficult for opposing teams to come in here and play," Maas said. The Thanksgiving Day game is expected to be a sellout.

Maas said the team is focused on maintaining its intensity despite having already locked up the division. He noted that several players were part of the 2024 Alouettes squad that clinched top spot with three games left but then lost three of its next four, including an East Final defeat. "Quite a few of us were part of that 2024 team so obviously finishing strong down the stretch is important," Maas said. "Staying healthy is important as well. Ultimately, it’s about competing every single day, staying focused on the day-to-day tasks and not thinking too far ahead."

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders enter the game looking to snap a three-game losing streak and bolster their playoff position in a tight West Division race. Saskatchewan is tied with Winnipeg and Calgary with 16 points, but holds a game in hand on the Blue Bombers and two on the Stampeders. Both Winnipeg and Calgary, however, own the tiebreaker over the Roughriders based on their season series results. "I know perhaps the implications may not be 'win and you’re in' this week, but we control the narrative," Roughriders head coach Corey Mace told reporters. "You’ve got three games left in the season. If you win each one, you’re putting yourself in good (position). Right now, we’re focused obviously on the task at hand out there on Thanksgiving Day against a good opponent."

To win their first road game since Aug. 1, the Roughriders will need to contain Montreal's offensive stars. Alexander is 146 yards shy of 5,000 passing yards this season, while receiver Tyson Philpot leads the CFL with 1,735 receiving yards and 119 receptions. "Philpot is a great deep threat," said Saskatchewan cornerback Tevaughn Campbell, who returns after missing eight games with a forearm injury. "He has great ball judgment. He goes up and gets it. You’ve just got to limit that." Saskatchewan will be without its top receiver, KeeSean Johnson, who is out with an ankle injury. Johnson ranks fourth in the CFL with 1,243 receiving yards and second with 101 receptions.

Monday's game is the first meeting between the clubs since Saskatchewan defeated Montreal 25-17 in last November's Grey Cup. Maas acknowledged the lingering disappointment from that loss but said his team is focused on the present. "We talk about faceless opponents so we could care less who we’re playing, but any athlete will tell you they look for added motivation," Maas said. "I know last November it sure didn’t feel great leaving that stadium at the end of the year. It’s just unfortunate it took 11 months to get an opportunity to play them again, but we’re looking forward to playing them on Thanksgiving in front of our home crowd and playing Alouette football." The two teams will complete a home-and-home series when they meet again on Saturday in Regina.

With files from The Globe and Mail and Sportsnet