Montreal Alouettes Host Saskatchewan Roughriders on Thanksgiving Day
The Montreal Alouettes look to secure a ninth home victory on Thanksgiving Monday as they host the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Percival Molson Stadium, tsn.ca reported. With the top spot in the East Division already locked up, Montreal enters the matchup with a 12-3 record, while Saskatchewan arrives at 8-7 seeking to break a three-game losing skid in a tight West Division playoff race.
Playoff Tune-Up at Percival Molson Stadium
The Alouettes secured the division’s first seed last week with a 37-10 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, earning a direct berth to the Eastern Final on Nov. 7. Despite having their playoff position secured, Montreal head coach Jason Maas stressed the importance of maintaining intensity down the stretch. A win on Monday would push the Alouettes to a perfect 9-0 at home, a feat achieved just twice before in franchise history in 1954 and 2009, and only eight times across the history of the Canadian Football League.
“It’s definitely an honour and a privilege,” Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander told tsn.ca regarding the team’s home success. “The important part is just finding a way to get a win, having our fans enjoy the game and getting ready for the playoffs.”
Maas credited the loud Percival Molson Stadium crowd for creating a difficult environment for visiting opponents ahead of the expected sellout Thanksgiving clash. However, the team remains mindful of late-season drops in recent years. In 2024, Montreal clinched the top seed with three games remaining but dropped three of their final four contests, including an East final loss to the Toronto Argonauts.
“Quite a few of us were part of that 2024 team so obviously finishing strong down the stretch is important,” Maas told tsn.ca. “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.”
Saskatchewan Seeks West Division Ground
Saskatchewan arrives in Montreal tied with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Calgary Stampeders with 16 points in the standings. The Roughriders hold a game in hand over Winnipeg and two over Calgary, though both rivals hold the tiebreaker advantage via season series.
“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 in Saskatchewan, as reported by tsn.ca. “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.”
The Roughriders will look to snap their three-game losing streak and secure their first road victory since Aug. 1. To do so, Saskatchewan must contain an explosive Montreal offense led by Alexander and star receiver Tyson Philpot. Alexander stands just 146 yards short of reaching 5,000 passing yards for the season, while Philpot paces the CFL with 1,735 receiving yards and 119 receptions.
“Philpot is a great deep threat,” Saskatchewan cornerback Tevaughn Campbell told tsn.ca. “He has great ball judgment. He goes up and gets it. You’ve just got to limit that.”
Campbell returns to the Roughriders lineup after missing eight games with a forearm injury. Meanwhile, Saskatchewan will play without top receiver KeeSean Johnson, who is sidelined with an ankle injury after ranking fourth in the CFL with 1,243 receiving yards and second with 101 receptions.
Grey Cup Rematch Looms on Thanksgiving
Monday’s contest marks the first meeting between the two franchises since Saskatchewan defeated Montreal 25-17 in last November’s Grey Cup game. Maas acknowledged the lingering frustration from that championship defeat while emphasizing that his squad treats the Roughriders as a faceless opponent for the current campaign.
“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 told tsn.ca. “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.”
Following Monday’s game in Montreal, the two clubs travel to Regina to complete their home-and-home series on Saturday.