HAMILTON — The red-hot Montreal Alouettes hit the road for an East Division showdown with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday Night Football.
Montreal is off to a 3-0 start that included a victory in Edmonton last week.
Hamilton is hoping a Week 3 bye is what they needed to help them break into the win column after dropping their first two games of the season.
Here’s three keys to victory for both teams ahead of kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET that can be watched on TSN/RDS/CFL+:
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MONTREAL ALOUETTES
1. HEALTH OF THE OFFENCE
The Als have scored a league-high 105 points through three weeks but a couple of key pieces to the offence are set to miss Friday’s game. Under centre, McLeod Bethel-Thompson will make his first start of the season in replacement of an injured Davis Alexander. Receiver Austin Mack is also out. Running back Sean Thomas Erlington will play despite missing time in practice earlier in the week.
2. FORGET THE FOURTH
The Alouettes allowed an uncharacteristic two passing touchdowns and 22 points in the fourth quarter against Edmonton, their first real let up of the season. It’ll be up to veteran defensive backs Kabion Ento, who had an interception against the Elks, and Marc-Antoine Dequoy to make sure the ending of last game doesn’t leak into the beginning of this one.
3. DEFENSIVE IMPACT
Take away their final quarter against the Elks and the Als defence has been among the best in several defensive categories this season. They came into the week leading the league with six interceptions and tied for first in sacks (10), while ranking second in tackles for a loss (7) and forced fumbles (3). Going up against an offence that relies heavily on passing the football with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, the play of defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund will be of utmost importance when it comes to limiting his time to make decisions.
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
1. MITCHELL, LAWLER CONNECTION
The combination of Mitchell and receiver Kenny Lawler can change a game, which is exactly what the Ticats were hoping for when they signed the latter in the off-season. Lawler caught eight passes for 162 yards in their Week 2 loss to Saskatchewan and will surely be targeted early and often again.
2. NEW FACE IN THE RUN GAME
When head coach Scott Milanovich goes to his ground game, he won’t have Greg Bell to hand the ball to as he’s out with a calf injury. Rookie Treshaun Ward draws in to replace him and will make his Canadian Football League debut.
3. BETTER AGAINST THE RUN
There’s no way around it, the Ticats front has to be better against the run if they hope to keep points off the board. They’re allowing a league-worst 145.5 rushing yards per game. Defensive coordinator Brent Monson will need all hands on deck, from veteran defensive linemen Casey Sayles and TyJuan Garbutt to linebacker Branden Dozier.
NEED TO KNOW
- Montreal swept the season series in 2024 with back-to-back wins in Week’s 9 and 10.
- Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET from Hamilton Stadium and can be watched on TSN/RDS/CFL+.