CALGARY – The Montreal Alouettes hit the road for a matchup with the West Division-leading Calgary Stampeders on Thursday night.
Montreal enters the Week 8 opener on the heels of a thrilling 26-25 come-from-behind win over the Toronto Argonauts.
Calgary has won three in a row, including a dominant 41-20 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 7.
Here’s three keys to the game for both teams ahead of Thursday’s 9:00 p.m. ET kickoff, which can be watched on TSN and RDS in Canada, on CFL+ internationally and on CBSSN for U.S. audiences.
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MONTREAL ALOUETTES
1. NO DAVIS ALEXANDER
The Als’ win last week came at the cost of their starting quarterback, as Davis Alexander has been placed on the six-game injured list after re-aggravating a hamstring injury. In the interim, it’s McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s pocket. He’s completed 45-of-72 passes this season for 472 yards and last saw action in Week 5 against BC when he threw for 192 and two touchdowns.
2. COLE SPIEKER STEPPING UP
Receiver Tyson Philpot is out again, dealing with a knee injury, putting additional responsibility on Cole Spieker. He got the job done last week when he pulled down nine catches for 129 yards, and a similar performance would ease the pressure of not having two of the team’s offensive stars.
3. LEAN ON THE DEFENCE
When any important piece of a team goes down, others have to step up. This week, it’s up to the defence that held the Argos offence to seven second-half points. The strength has been up front this season, as the defensive linemen and linebackers are holding opposing offences to 69.8 rushing yards per game. Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, and Shawn Oakman all recorded a sack in Week 7 to add to Montreal’s league-leading 16 on the season.
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
1. RUN GAME SHOWDOWN
It’s well known that the Als have been good against the run, but don’t expect that to deter Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson from handing the ball to Dedrick Mills. His 466 yards is second behind only James Butler, and he’s rushed for less than 70 yards only once.
2. RUN DEFENCE
Calgary’s defence has been impressive through seven weeks, but it did surrender 146 rushing yards to Winnipeg a week ago. With the Als looking for offence from anywhere, shutting down Sean Thomas Erlington and Travis Theis in the backfield will force them to ask more from Bethel-Thompson.
3. KEEP SPREADING IT AROUND
Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. has shown plenty of confidence in all of his receivers this season, and it’s paid off to the tune of 1,720 passing yards, good for the second most in the league. Jalen Philpot, Dominique Rhymes and Tevin Jones have 30 or more targets, and Damien Alford is developing into a must-watch wideout. Against a deep and veteran secondary, Adams Jr. will need all the options he can get.
NEED TO KNOW:
- The last time these two teams met was in Week 15 last season, when they tied 19-19.
- Kickoff from McMahon Stadium is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET and can be watched on TSN and RDS in Canada, on CFL+ internationally and on CBSSN for U.S. audiences.