The Saskatchewan Roughriders look to snap a three-game losing streak when they visit the Montreal Alouettes for a Thanksgiving Day contest on Monday.
It has been an untimely slide for the Roughriders (8-7) as they fight for a playoff spot in the West with three games to play. The Alouettes (12-3) have won two in a row and have already clinched first place in the East. Montreal is also 8-0 at home.
These teams will complete their back-to-back series on Saturday in Regina.
Saskatchewan has lost its last four road games.
The Roughriders are coming off a 37-31 home loss to the Calgary Stampeders on Oct. 2. After falling behind 34-13 in the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan scored three touchdowns in the final 2:42 — failing on all three two-point conversions — to make the final score close.
“We’ve got to take a hard look in the mirror because what product we’re putting on the field right now is just not good enough,” said Riders quarterback Trevor Harris, who threw for 453 yards and four TDs.
Harris, a three-time Grey Cup champion, is just 126 yards away from his first 5,000-yard season since 2018. One more touchdown pass will give him 30 for the first time since 2017.
Montreal signal-caller Davis Alexander, the front-runner for CFL Most Outstanding Player honors, needs 146 yards to reach 5,000 for the first time. He has thrown 30 touchdown passes to just three interceptions.
Alexander completed 30 of 40 passes for 440 yards and a touchdown in last weekend’s 37-10 home win against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Tyson Philpot caught 11 passes for 207 yards in the division-clinching win, giving him a franchise-record 119 receptions for 1,735 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
Monday is Montreal’s final home game of the regular season. Following a bye in the first round, the Als will host a playoff game on Nov. 7.
“There’s something different about playing here in Montreal,” defensive end Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund said. “I can’t put it into words. It’s different, and I attribute it to the fans. The players are always going to play hard but being here is different.”
–Field Level Media
