The Montreal Alouettes put their seven-game win streak on the line, while the Ottawa Redblacks try to halt their historic losing streak to headline Week 13 in the CFL.
The Alouettes (9-1) head into Winnipeg to take on the Blue Bombers (5-5) to kick off the slate this week, looking to continue their dominant run over the past two months.
Also on the schedule, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-7) will try to get back into the East playoff race with a clash against the Calgary Stampeders (4-6), the Toronto Argonauts (5-5) visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-4), and the winless Redblacks (0-10) hosting the red-hot BC Lions (5-5) looking for their first victory of the season.
Catch the full slate of CFL games on TSN, the TSN App, and TSN.ca.
Alouettes try to extend streak against Blue Bombers on Friday
The top team in the CFL hits the field at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg looking to extend their winning streak to eight games as they take on the Blue Bombers.
Watch the Alouettes battle the Blue Bombers LIVE on Friday with coverage starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on TSN1/3, the TSN App, and TSN.ca.
The Alouettes are coming off a 46-16 thrashing of the Redblacks in Week 12. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 20-of-23 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns, improving to 20-1 as a CFL starter.
Als’ receiver Tyson Philpot added 75 yards and two touchdowns and now leads the CFL in receptions (83), receiving yards (1,229), and receiving touchdowns (9).
The Alouettes defence forced five turnovers - two fumbles and three interceptions - turning several of the chances into points at the other end.
“That’s complementary football. Any time that happens, that’s momentum,” Alouettes coach Jason Maas said. “You want to capitalize on every turnover. We got the ball back and go down and score. Those are huge.”
The Bombers are coming off a last-second loss to the Edmonton Elks on Friday night. Winnipeg has dropped three of its past four games and can momentarily retake third place in the West from the Lions with a win over Montreal.
Ticats open Saturday doubleheader in Calgary
Both the Tiger-Cats and Stampeders are in desperate need of a win heading into Saturday afternoon’s tilt.
Hamilton is coming off a crucial loss to the rival Argonauts on Saturday night, as Toronto moved two points ahead of the Ticats for second in the East with a game in hand.
Tre Ford got the start at quarterback with Harrison Frost dealing with an upper-body injury. The Niagara Falls, Ont., native threw for 356 yards and added another 33 on the ground in the losing effort.
“I thought he did some good things,” head coach Scott Milanovich said of Ford. “I mean, certainly that’s what Tre needs to get better at, consistency in the passing game.
“He’s still a young player that’s got a lot of football in front of him. We’ll keep working on it.”
The Stampeders sit last in the West Division, two points behind both the Bombers and Lions. Coming off a bye, Calgary will try to snap its two-game losing streak and stay in the playoff race, but the status of QB Vernon Adams Jr. remains up in the air after he exited their Week 11 loss early in the fourth quarter.
Josh Love entered in relief of Adams and threw for 58 yards and an interception.
Argonauts, Roughriders close twin bill Saturday night
Saturday’s doubleheader will conclude with a clash between the Argonauts and the suddenly scuffling Roughriders.
The Roughriders have lost two games in a row for the first time this season and will try to bounce back as they cling to the second spot in the West Division.
Quarterback Trevor Harris threw for 356 yards, one touchdown, and two picks in Sunday’s loss to the Lions - two of three costly Riders turnovers in the 30-16 defeat. Saskatchewan also had two touchdowns - one offensive, one defensive - called back due to penalties in a sloppy game from the defending Grey Cup champions.
“Turnovers hurt us,” said Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace. “We took three costly penalties.”
The Argos enter Saturday night looking to build on one of their most complete performances of the season in the 39-20 win over the Ticats.
Chad Kelly threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns in the victory and is now third (3,226) in the CFL in passing behind Alexander (3,400) and Elks QB Cody Fajardo (3,368).
“I’d say there was a sense of urgency, for sure,” Argonauts wide receiver Damonte Coxie, who caught two touchdown passes, said after the game. “We understood what was at stake. You still have to understand these things and execute properly. It’s knowing that and still staying calm in the situation.”
Redblacks look for first win against Lions on Sunday
In a battle of two teams headed in opposite directions, the Lions will try to stay hot with their fifth win in a row, while the Redblacks will try to snap a 16-game losing streak that dates back to last season.
BC is looking to build off a dominant defensive performance against the Roughriders, where they created four turnovers and three sacks in the double-digit win. The win improved BC to 5-5, overcoming an 0-3 start to the season and pushing them past both the Stampeders and Blue Bombers for third in the West Division standings.
“Our defence is playing incredible,” Rourke said after the win. “I think we owe this one to them. I don’t particularly feel like I played the way I know I’m capable of playing. Our defence made a ton of great plays to keep us in it.”
Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie and the Redblacks are the ninth team in league history to lose their first 10 games of the season and currently hold the longest losing streak in modern CFL history.
“I just told all the guys, we’ve got to look in the mirror, and everybody’s got to do their job better,” said Dinwiddie, following the 46-16 Week 12 loss to the Alouettes. “That should be our focus individually.”
