CFL 2024 Season Week 11 Game Preview: Montreal Alouettes at Saskatchewan Roughriders
Under the Friday night lights, the Montreal Alouettes take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a battle of two teams with winning records.
It doesn’t matter who is under center for the Alouettes, who enter the game with an 8-1 record and a three-game winning streak after a 10-point win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week. Davis Alexander will get the start for Montreal at quarterback, but the significant loss is star receiver Tyson Philpot, who was placed on the six-game injured list. The Als have the number two offense and number three defense in the CFL statistically.
Saskatchewan left last week’s 22-22 tie against the Ottawa Redblacks scratching its head, but still on top of the West Division with a 5-3-1 record. Trevor Harris returns at quarterback for the first time in nearly two months and will start in place of Shea Patterson. There’s hope that Harris can give the offense a nice boost as they rank eighth in the league in total offense (341.7)
Preview
Game Information
Line: Alouettes -1, O/U 51.5
Date/Location: Friday, August 16, 2024, at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan
Kickoff Time: 9:00 pm EST
Weather Forecast: Smoky Conditions, 14 Degrees Celsius
TV/Streaming: TSN, RDS, CFL+
Injury Report/Inactives
Montreal is dealing with five players out for the game. In addition to Philpot, the Als won’t have their starting kicker, David Cote, who is dealing with a right quadriceps injury. Other players out include defensive back Cre’von Leblanc (hamstring), linebacker Frederic Chagnon (knee) and defensive back Najee Murray (ankle).
Even though Harris is back at quarterback, the Riders are losing some key guys to injury. Emerging rookie receiver Ajou Ajou is out with a finger injury, and they also won’t have offensive lineman Jacob Brammer, who is dealing with a knee injury. Three defensive players are out with the headline being linebacker C.J. Avery (head). He is accompanied by defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldanado (head) and linebacker Melique Straker (hamstring).
Keys to Victory
The Alouettes have been used to a “next man up” mentality as now they are looking to Charleston Rambo and Cole Spieker to fill in for Philpot. Watch for the kicker position as Jose Maltos takes over for the injured Cote as play calling could be affected by it. Montreal needs to stay ahead of the chains and set itself up with third-and-ones instead of leaning on its backup kicker to bail it out.
Saskatchewan gets its starting quarterback back, but Harris plays a different style than Patterson, which means the offensive line needs to keep the pocket clean for him. The one weak point to the team has been the secondary as they have allowed the most passing yards per game this season with 288.4. They need to take advantage of Philpot's absence and press up on the receivers.
Prediction
Saskatchewan was red hot with Harris at the beginning of the season, but even for him, returning against the best team in the CFL is a tall order. Montreal may deal with injuries, but this has been a resilient team dating back to last season. The Alouettes are a complete team that can put the Riders away late in the game if needed.
Montreal Alouettes 25, Saskatchewan Roughriders 20
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ANTHONY MILLER