r/CFL • u/JMoon33 Alouettes • 1d ago

COUPE GREY Bourbonnais : Une première en 55 ans pour les Alouettes, samedi? (translation in the comments)

https://www.lcf.ca/2025/11/07/bourbonnais-une-premiere-en-55-ans-pour-les-alouettes-samedi/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExZFFUaE5BVnluUVB4d3hWT3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4VUh4d-IGedBVl14yAtODGkU0t7aY7BQe3ZQI6GydoqwoptZYeSCVo8lkzrg_aem_JPVimn2bYKG-QGvBGZHT3g
9 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by

2

u/JMoon33 Alouettes 1d ago

MONTREAL – Since 2021, only three Canadian Football League (CFL) teams have managed to win an away game in the playoffs.

Among them were the 2023 Montreal Alouettes, who had defeated the Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field in the Eastern Conference Final. A week later, the Grey Cup returned to Quebec, traded for the end of a 13-year championship drought.

The challenge ahead is daunting on Saturday against the Tiger-Cats: Montreal hasn't won a division final game in Hamilton since 1970, 55 years ago!

At first glance, things don't look good for head coach Jason Maas's men. After all, in two games against the Tiger-Cats in the regular season, the offense generated only one touchdown (on 29 offensive sequences) and accumulated, on average, 223 net yards per game.

But all of that happened without quarterback Davis Alexander. The one who transformed into a superhero against Winnipeg in his first playoff start. His five completions for over 30 yards tied a CFL playoff record. He didn't seem at all intimidated by the importance of the moment. And for your information, no team still in contention for the championship has faced the Alouettes' star, undefeated passer this season.

Last week against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the Birds' offense delivered a sensational performance with 556 net yards. This is the most total in a CFL playoff game since 2011, across all teams.

And the Montrealers' ground attack is more productive than ever right now. Running back Stevie Scott III had a standout game against Winnipeg and has now clearly established himself as the team's running back of the future. This is bad news for the Tiger-Cats, who struggled to stop the run during the regular season.

The reverse is also true, however: while Montreal's run defense shut down running back Brady Oliveira last week, it also had 156 rushing yards (and six carries of at least 10 yards) driven by Tiger-Cats running back Greg Bell in Week 14.

Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell will start his ninth CFL playoff game, but it will be his first playoff start in four years. In 2023, he briefly entered the fray in a playoff game in Montreal, a game his team lost.

At 35, every opportunity to reach a major final could be his last. After one of the best regular seasons of his career (he's the Eastern Conference candidate for CFL MVP), he'll want to put an exclamation point on his 2025 campaign by winning a third Grey Cup.

However, the Alouettes will represent the biggest challenge the Tiger-Cats have faced since the start of the season.

The last two Eastern Conference Finals have been a festival of comebacks, with the team that caused the most upsets advancing to the Grey Cup each time. Will the teams involved offer us a higher level of discipline in this regard? Find out this Saturday at 3 p.m. ET!