It was Davis Alexander’s worst performance of the season on Sunday night.
Yet still, the Montreal Alouettes found a way to win again.
Sunday night marked the first time this season that Alexander was held below 300 passing yards in a game.
He also threw his first interception of the season, while failing to throw a single TD pass for the first time in 2026.
However, running back Travis Theis rumbled for 156 yards and a score, Terry Wilson added a pair of touchdowns, while the Montreal defence blanked Tre Ford and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats offence in the decisive fourth quarter of a 31-18 victory.
With the win, the Alouettes improved to 6-1 this season – including a 4-0 mark against East Division opponents.
In addition to climbing three wins clear of the Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts in the East Division standings, injuries have forced its toughest competition in the East Division to turn to its backup quarterbacks.
Meanwhile in the CFL’s West Division, four of the five teams look like they are capable playoff contenders.
The Edmonton Elks are coming off a statement win over the defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders in Week 8, while the Calgary Stampeders climbed back into the win column with a victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
While Montreal is the clear favourite in the East, there’s still plenty of time for one of Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, or Calgary to close the gap on Edmonton atop the West.
Which team is the best bet to represent the West in the 113th Grey Cup in Calgary in November?
Let’s take a closer look at where all five teams stand entering Week 9 in this Morning Coffee column for Monday, July 27th, 2026.
Elks, Stampeders Shine As Road To The 113th Grey Cup in Calgary Continues
The Alouettes were tagged as the Grey Cup favourite at FanDuel entering the regular season for several reasons.
In addition to an MOP-calibre quarterback in Davis Alexander, Montreal was built to succeed on both sides of the football, including a solid wide receiver core and explosive running back in Theis.
On top of the talent, the East Division appeared to be wide open for the taking on paper, which is even more true now that Bo Levi Mitchell is out long term and Chad Kelly was sidelined with an injury in Week 8.
Montreal is tied for the CFL’s best record at 6-1.
The rest of the East is a combined 6-14, with Hamilton, Toronto, and the Ottawa Redblacks all below .500.
Meanwhile in the West Division, three of the five teams are above .500, led by the surprising Elks.
Edmonton’s regular season win total was over/under 7.5 at FanDuel entering Week 1.
The Elks, which also had the longest odds to win the Grey Cup at +1900 at FanDuel, are two wins away from clinching the over on their win total entering Week 9.
Meanwhile, the defending Grey Cup champion Riders were cruising until a 36-34 loss to Edmonton in Week 8.
All eyes were on Elks running back Justin Rankin once again, but it was veteran QB Cody Fajardo who torched Saskatchewan for a career-high 510 passing yards in the victory on Thursday Night Football.
Austin Mack and TJ Luther both topped 150 receiving yards in the shootout win at Mosaic Stadium.
That performance had football fans in Edmonton buzzing ahead of the return leg of the home-and-home series at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday night.
Did the Elks prove they are the team to beat in the West?
Or will the defending champs respond with a convincing win of their own in the rematch in Edmonton?
Then there’s the other Alberta team coming off an impressive road win in Week 8.
Vernon Adams Jr. set a new CFL record for the most touchdowns without an interception to start a season with three in a 52-30 win over the Bombers.
Then there’s Tyreik McAllister, who scored three first-half touchdowns to stun the crowd in Winnipeg.
Damien Alford didn’t record a single catch in his season debut, yet Calgary won that game by 22 points.
Next up, the Stampeders head to Hamilton in Week 9.
Winnipeg will host the 1-5 Lions on Thursday Night Football.
With Zach Collaros sidelined, it’s hard to completely overlook what the Bombers could do if their QB1 is healthy by the time the playoffs roll around.
Edmonton’s arrival gives the West Division four legitimate playoff contenders.
With games at Hamilton, at Toronto, home to BC, then home to the TiCats on the horizon, nobody will be shocked if Calgary is 7-4 by the time the Elks come to town for the first of a home-and-home in Week 14 and 15 in early September.
Meanwhile, Edmonton has a much tougher schedule beginning with the rematch against the Riders, followed by a trip to Montreal in Week 10, home to Toronto in Week 11, then home versus Winnipeg in Week 12 before a bye in Week 13.
As impressive as they’ve look so far, it wouldn’t be all that shocking if the Elks were also 7-4 by the time September rolls around.
It’s fun to consider the potential implications of that home-and-home series between the Alberta rivals.
With the 113th Grey Cup in Calgary, there’s also a good chance that the Stampeders and Elks face off at some point in the postseason.
On the heels of working 40 straight days covering the biggest tournament of the summer, I’m looking forward to a chance to hit the reset button this week with some time in the lab looking ahead to what’s next in the CFL, college football, NFL, NHL, and NBA.
In the meantime, make sure you set your alerts for this week’s 3rd and 1 column by our guy Drew Morrison, who went 4-0 with his FanDuel Best Bets for Week 8 in the CFL to improve to 18-7 this season.
Wins and losses still matter to some of us.
Morning Coffee will return next Monday, August 3rd.
I can’t wait to get back to work again and build off what we started with a strong finish to end 2026.
Until then.
Have a great week, everyone!
