The Montreal Alouettes have a chance to clinch the CFL’s first postseason spot in Week 13 with a win against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and some help in other games on the schedule.
Montreal has played like the premier team in the league since the beginning of the season, and are riding a seven-game winning streak into Friday’s game against Winnipeg.
The Alouettes (9-1) will clinch a playoff spot with a win and a loss by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, or with a win and wins by the Toronto Argonauts, Tiger-Cats and Ottawa Redblacks - as that would prevent the possibility of Montreal being bumped out by a crossover team.
Montreal enters this week with a four-game lead in the East Division over the Argonauts (5-5) with eight games remaining on the schedule and are a game and a half ahead of the Edmonton Elks (8-3) for the best record in the CFL.
They own the second-highest scoring offence in the league (36.7 points per game) and the defence is allowing the second-fewest points (26.3) per game
Quarterback Davis Alexander improved to 20-1 in his career as a starter in the CFL with last week’s 46-16 romp over the Redblacks.
Alexander leads the CFL in passing yards (3,400) and is tied for third with 20 passing touchdowns.
“I think the thing he’s doing right now is he’s being consistent, and he’s playing consistently at a high level that you normally don’t see from a young quarterback,” Alouettes offensive coordinator Anthony Calvillo said in an interview with TSN690’s Morning Show on Tuesday.
“You gotta give him a lot of credit for his routine to get himself ready physically and mentally, every single week. And that’s the stuff that people do not see - the commitment to make sure that he’s ready to play week in and week out.”
The Alouettes’ lone loss on the year came in a 32-29 June contest against the Elks. Montreal’s first five victories this year each came by one possession (seven points or fewer), but the team has elevated to another level as the season has rolled on into the second half.
In their past four games, the Alouettes have averaged 39.8 points per game, and have defeated their opponents by a combined score of 159-77.
The Alouettes are coming off a season in which they fell in the Grey Cup final to the Saskatchewan Roughriders by a score of 25-17. The sky’s the limit this year if they continue this torrid stretch into the playoffs.
