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MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes and Ottawa REDBLACKS will turn to their respective backup quarterbacks in an East Division showdown on holiday Monday to close out Thanksgiving Weekend presented by Purolator.
Davis Alexander gets the start for the Alouettes, as Cody Fajardo and his wife have welcomed a new child to their family. The REDBLACKS will go with veteran Jeremiah Masoli, as Dru Brown (who is listed as the team’s third-stringer) continues to deal with an ankle injury.
The Als are in search of a season series sweep after wins in Weeks 3 and 16.
The REDBLACKS are trying to regain possession of second place after being passed by the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night.
Both teams are coming off byes and hoping to rebound after losses in Week 17.
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Alexander is just 28 passing yards away from 1,000 on the season and has experience as a starter from when he filled in for Fajardo earlier in the year when Fajardo had a hamstring injury. Monday’s start is his first appearance since Week 11 when he threw for 285 yards and a touchdown in a win over Saskatchewan.
When he turns his sights downfield, he’ll be aiming to spread the targets around to Cole Spieker, Kaion Julien-Grant and Charleston Rambo. Rambo led the way with four catches for 77 yards in a 24-12 Week 16 victory in the nation’s capital.
But those three aren’t the only receivers the REDBLACKS need to focus on. The Als will get a spark with Austin Mack returning. Helped by the bye week, Mack feels ready to finish the regular season strong.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back out there on the field,” Mack told reporters.
“The guys and the training staff have done a great job helping me put together a really great plan so that I feel ready to go after this bye to finish this last three-game stretch.”
Defensive back Damon Webb remains one of the REDBLACKS best defenders, with eight tackles for a loss, three interceptions and two sacks. But with an array of receivers able to make plays, he’ll need help from Monshadrik Hunter and Alijah McGhee to contain the pass game.
Alouettes’ head coach Jason Maas will be hoping to get his run game activated over the final weeks of the regular season. Walter Fletcher is sixth in the league with 674 yards and the more options Maas has in his offensive playbook, the better he’ll feel come playoff time.
When Fletcher gets the ball, he’ll have to navigate a tough defensive line that knows how to apply pressure. Michael Wakefield is tied for the league lead with seven sacks, while Lorenzo Mauldin IV is tied for second with six. With linebacker Frankie Griffn returning from injury, the line will have an extra layer of support to help shut down Fletcher.
Masoli gets the start for Bob Dyce’s team and is looking to bounce back after throwing three interceptions in the REDBLACKS’ loss to Saskatchewan two weeks ago.
He’ll have to do so without leading receiver Justin Hardy, as he’ll miss the game with an ankle injury. The loss of Hardy means Dyce needs Dominque Rhymes to step up as a top target. Rhymes can reach 1,000 yards for the third time in his seven-year career with 139 over his last three games.
Limiting yards through the air is the strength of the Als’ defence, however, as they feature talent across the field in Marc-Antoine Dequoy, Kabion Ento, Dionte Ruffin and Wesley Sutton. Ruffin leads the Als with five interceptions.
Running back Khalan Laborn has established himself as a viable option when Dyce wants to go to his run game. One of his four games this season includes a 13-carry, 71-yard performance against Montreal.
Laborn should expect to be busy during the Monday matinee given he’s facing a front seven that’s eighth in yards allowed on the ground per game with 120.3. His biggest challenge will come past the line of scrimmage when he runs into linebackers Tyrice Beverette and Darnell Sankey who have a combined 183 defensive tackles.
While the REDBLACKS playoff spot is clinched, Dyce doesn’t want his team looking ahead past this week.
“That’s three games from now,” Dyce told reporters of the playoffs.
“We’re not preparing for the playoffs, we’re preparing to go to Montreal and play a great game. None of that stuff really matters for us. What matters for us is this week. We know what’s at stake and the importance of these games as we go forward.”
Montreal wants to avoid a late season let up with the East Division already secured.
Ottawa is still jockeying for position with Toronto and can help take a step toward hosting a playoff game with a victory.
Kickoff from Percival Molson Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. Fans can watch on TSN and RDS in Canada, while American viewers can find the game on CBS Sports Network. International viewers can watch on CFL+.
— With files from OttawaREDBLACKS.com and MontrealAlouettes.com