The Canadian Football League preseason schedule wraps up Friday night, with eight teams in action getting a final dress rehearsal before the season opens next week - and you can catch the Montreal Alouettes battling the Ottawa Redblacks right here on TSN.
Friday night’s game features some storylines to keep an eye on, especially on Ottawa’s side - the Redblacks announced earlier in the week that new off-season acquisition Jake Meier would start in tonight’s game and in the season opener against the Edmonton Elks on June 5.
New Redblacks head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie told reporters that the decision was made because they feel confident in the starter and didn’t want to have any questions moving into the season.
“Jake’s going to be our starter moving forward,” Dinwiddie said on Thursday. “I told [the quarterback’s room] that four days ago, [we] just wanted to get Jake going, we feel like he’s the starting quarterback, so let’s not wait to announce it.”
Maier started Ottawa’s first preseason game against the Alouettes earlier this month, completing 10-of-14 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns. The Fullerton, Calif., native started for the Calgary Stampeders for two seasons (2023 and 2024) and threw for 8,085 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions in 36 games.
Dinwiddie and Maier are tasked with reversing the fortunes of the Redblacks, who finished a league-worst 4-14 a season ago and have made just one postseason appearance since losing the 2018 Grey Cup - they were blown out in the East Semi-Final in 2024, 58-38, against the Toronto Argonauts.
The Alouettes listed Anthony Brown Jr. as their starter under centre for this game, after Davis Alexander was pulled for precautionary reasons after two series in their game against Ottawa earlier this preseason.
As TSN’s Farhan Lalji reported, Alexander is expected to be ready to go for the team’s season opener on June 4 against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Montreal is looking to improve upon last season’s result, where they lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Grey Cup, 25-17.
Six other teams will be wrapping up their preseason schedule on Friday, with the Tiger-Cats battling the Toronto Argonauts, the BC Lions taking on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Calgary Stampeders playing against the Elks.
The CFL regular season gets underway on June 4, with the Alouettes travelling to Hamilton to battle the Tiger-Cats in a game you can watch on TSN.
Click here for the full CFL broadcast schedule throughout the season.
