Alouettes’ Strong Performance

By Liam Tremblay — 26 August 2026 — 5 min read

Alouettes’ Strong Performance

The Montreal Alouettes (9-1) are set to face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-5) on Friday night, carrying a seven-game winning streak into the matchup. The Alouettes have a 3-1 record both on the road and against West Division rivals this season. Their only loss was a 32-29 decision to the Edmonton Elks on June 20.

Quarterback Davis Alexander has been a key player for Montreal. The 27-year-old is expected to make his 11th consecutive start. Alexander leads the CFL in passing yards with 3,400, completion percentage at 73.3, and has recorded 20 touchdowns against two interceptions. He also leads the league in 30-plus yard completions with 26, passer rating at 124.5, and wins by a starter with nine. Alexander has 10 total touchdowns over his last three contests. He has not started a game against Winnipeg in his career.

The Alouettes’ offence also features strong performances from other players. Canadian Tyson Philpot leads the league in receiving with 83 catches, 1,229 yards, and nine touchdowns. Tyler Snead is second in CFL receiving with 58 receptions, 982 yards, and six touchdowns. Running back Travis Theis is third among league rushers with 788 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per carry, and has scored seven touchdowns. Theis has averaged 103.8 rushing yards with five majors in his past six games.

Montreal leads the CFL in several offensive categories, including offensive points per game with 34.6, offensive touchdowns, net offence, and rushing yards per game with 118.8. They are also second in passing with 343.8 yards per game. The team has allowed a league-low of eight sacks. Over their last five games, the Alouettes have scored 23 touchdowns in 61 possessions, a rate of 37.7 per cent, and have averaged 42.7 points in their last three contests.

Winnipeg’s Defensive Challenge

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers counter with the CFL’s top-ranked pass defence, allowing 268.8 yards per game and the lowest completion percentage at 65.8. However, the Bombers are allowing a league-worst 127.9 rushing yards per game. Brady Oliveira leads the CFL in rushing with 850 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry, and has scored four touchdowns. Oliveira’s fourth 100-yard+ game last week was his 25th overall. Despite Oliveira’s performance, the Bombers are ranked fifth overall in rushing with 100.2 yards per game and seventh in passing with 263.4 yards per game. They are tied for a league-low of 12 touchdown strikes.

Winnipeg has allowed 23 sacks this season. In contrast, Montreal’s defence is allowing a league-low of 25.1 offensive points per game and is ranked second in fewest offensive yards allowed with 363.6. Montreal is tied with Calgary for the most defensive return touchdowns with three and leads the league in both fumbles forced with 11 and fumble recoveries with 10.

The Blue Bombers hold a 4-1 record against East Division competition, but this will be their first encounter with Montreal this year. Winnipeg has won 12 of the previous 16 matchups between the two teams, including both games last season. However, their home record in 2026 stands at 2-4.

Other Week 13 Matchups

In other Week 13 action, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will visit the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday afternoon. The Stampeders (4-6) may see the return of quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and running back Dedrick Mills. Adams leads the CFL with 22 touchdown passes and has an 8-4 career record against the Tiger-Cats. Head coach Dave Dickenson is one win away from reaching 100 career coaching victories. For Hamilton (4-7), Canadian Tre Ford is expected to start again. He threw for 356 yards last week against Toronto, with Keric Wheatfall (three catches, 124 yards) and Kiondre Smith (six catches, 111 yards) as his primary targets. Ford has a 2-2 career record against Calgary. In his previous two games, Wheatfall has 12 receptions for 232 yards and one touchdown. Since 2017, Calgary has a 5-1 record in matchups against Hamilton at McMahon Stadium.

Saturday night will feature the Toronto Argonauts (5-5) against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-4) in Regina. Toronto previously secured a 40-34 victory at Mosaic Stadium on June 26. Chad Kelly threw three touchdown passes and ran for another in last week’s 39-20 home win over Hamilton. The Argonauts also rushed for a season-high of 145 yards, improving their record to 4-0 when rushing for 100 or more yards. Kelly holds a 4-0 career record against Saskatchewan. Toronto has won the past three matchups against the Roughriders. The Roughriders have dropped two consecutive games, including a 30-16 loss to B.C. last week. Veteran quarterback Trevor Harris had 356 passing yards and one touchdown but also threw two interceptions in that game. Harris has thrown four interceptions against two touchdowns in his last two defeats. He has a career record of 6-6 against Toronto and has thrown at least one touchdown pass in every game this season. Saskatchewan has not lost three straight games since 2024. The Roughriders have held opponents to the fewest touchdown drives with 25 and the lowest second-down conversion rate at 44.4 per cent. They have also allowed the fewest big plays this season with 18 and the fewest 30-yard+ completions with 11.

On Sunday night, the B.C. Lions (5-5) will play the Ottawa Redblacks (0-10) in Ottawa. Nathan Rourke has thrown for 1,026 yards and six touchdowns in his past three games. Zander Horvath leads the league with 12 majors, with seven of those coming in his last four contests. For the Redblacks, Canadian Keelan White has recorded six or more catches in each of his past five games. Greg Bell averaged 6.9 yards per carry on eight attempts for 55 yards in last week’s 46-16 loss to Montreal. When these two teams have matched up, they are 4-0 at home over the past two seasons.

The Alouettes’ strong offensive and defensive statistics position them as a formidable opponent for the Blue Bombers this Friday.

Source: globalnews.ca