For the second-straight season, the Montreal Alouettes (9-9) and Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8-10) will go head-to-head in the CFL's East semifinal to kick off the playoffs on Sunday.
Both teams started their season off on the wrong foot but were able to regroup and secure their spot in the playoffs. Montreal comes into this game winning seven of its last 10 while Hamilton has been one of the hottest teams in the league winning four straight to end the regular season.
Here's a preview of the game looking back at the regular season series and key matchups.
THE SCHEDULE: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT at Percival Molson Stadium.
THE LINE: The Alouettes were favoured by 1.5 on FanDuel as of Saturday morning. The spread was 3.0 earlier this week.
AT STAKE: The winner moves on to the East final to play the Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field on Nov. 13.
THE SEASON SERIES: Montreal won the season series 2-1 as the home team emerged victorious each time.
The Tiger-Cats won the first meeting as they held off a fourth-quarter rally from the Alouettes. Trevor Harris was pulled by a spotter following a hit and had to be replaced by Dominique Davis, who threw an interception in the endzone.
In the rematch, Montreal was able to pull off a comeback with a late 48-yard field goal to secure a 29-28 victory. Harris had one of his better performances of the season throwing for 382 yards and three touchdowns.
The Alouettes took the rubber match 23-16 with Harris and Eugene Lewis connecting on a pair of touchdowns.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: The Alouettes haven’t won a playoff game since 2014 and saw their streak extended last season after a disappointing 23-12 loss in the East semifinal in Hamilton. Montreal has only defeated Hamilton once in the post-season in eight attempts since 1996.
Hamilton will look to make three-straight appearances in the Grey Cup after back-to-back losses to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. After beating the Alouettes in the East semifinal, the Tiger-Cats defeated the Toronto Argonauts where they hosted the Grey Cup losing 33-25 in overtime.
THE COACHES:
Orlondo Steinauer (Hamilton) vs. Danny Maciocia (Montreal)
Could it be possible that both head coaches in this game are on the hot seat?
Steinauer was promoted to president of football operations while also retaining his role as head coach back on Dec. 24, 2021. This decision came after back-to-back losses in the Grey Cup and rumblings that the 49-year-old was being considered for an NCAA coordinator position. Would another disappointing end to a season have the Tiger-Cats go in another direction?
Maciocia, who joined the Alouettes as GM in January 2020, took over as head coach after dismissing Khari Jones four weeks into the season, a move that wasn't seen as a popular one. However, the team was about to rebound after a 2-6 start to reach the playoffs under Maciocia with former quarterback Anthony Calvillo joining the team to help with playcalling. With Montreal looking to find some form of playoff success, the team could look to make more changes if they lose out again.
THE QUARTERBACKS:
Trevor Harris (Montreal) vs. Dane Evans (Hamilton)
Harris returned to the Alouettes this past off-season as the presumed backup to Vernon Adams Jr. but eventually took over as the starter. He was voted among the players of the month for October.
The longtime CFL veteran threw for 4,157 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and will be playing his third straight win-or-go-home game against the Tiger-Cats. Harris set a CFL record with six touchdowns to beat Hamilton back in the 2018 East final but couldn't get the job done in his last two meetings against the Ticats.
Evans' career with the Tiger-Cats has been filled with many up-and-down moments leading the team to two Grey Cup appearances but not being able to get them over the hump. This season, Hamilton's starting quarterback has struggled with injuries and inconsistent play finishing the regular season fourth in the league with 3,883 passing yards and had 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
THREE MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Lewis vs. Tiger-Cats defence
It's no secret Lewis is the Alouettes' most important player on offence as he was nominated as the team's most outstanding player two years in a row. He was third in the league with 1,303 receiving yards and only the third to put up double-digit scores with 10 receiving touchdowns.
It will not be a surprise if Tiger-Cats defensive coordinator Mark Washington will look to limit what the five-year veteran can do in this game. Unfortunately for Hamilton that has been a tough task as Lewis has 305 yards and three touchdowns in their three meetings.
If the Tiger-Cats can shut down Lewis in this game, Montreal will struggle to get the ball down the field unless Reggie White Jr., Jake Wieneke, Kaion Julien-Grant or Tyson Philpot can step up.
Evans vs. Alouettes defence
It's tough to know which version of Evans the Tiger-Cats will get on Sunday. Will they get the quarterback that led Hamilton to a win over the Blue Bombers with five touchdowns and 327 yards or the one who threw three interceptions in a single game this season?
He has the confidence of his head coach and had one of his best games in the playoffs when he went a perfect 16-of-16 for 249 yards and a score against the Argonauts in the 2021 East final. However, don't be surprised if Matthew Shiltz gets in the game if Evans isn't getting the job done.
Alouettes running game vs. Tiger-Cats defensive front
The Tiger-Cats' defensive line remains one of the top groups in the CFL, but they haven't played against William Stanback this season after the star running back suffered an ankle injury.
He leads a strong running game for the Alouettes that will try to keep the pressure off Harris by pounding the rock as much as possible. That strategy didn't work well in last season's semifinal though as Stanback had 12 carries for 29 yards while adding another 23 yards on two catches.
Unfortunately for the Tiger-Cats, they won't have Dylan Wynn, who was a big contributor to his defence allowing a league-low 82.9 yards per game. Walter Fletcher will also figure into a big role as a change-of-pace type of running back with Stanback being the bruising type and Fletcher the elusive runner.
If Montreal can keep the ball on the ground and wear out the defence, it will only help the passing game get more chances to do damage in this game.
THIS 'N THAT: Penalties could be a big factor in this game with the Alouettes the biggest culprit with 1,574 yards handed out with their defence taking the bulk of them getting flagged 82 times. ... The Tiger-Cats have 19 interceptions this season while Harris has only thrown one over his last five games. ... Alouettes linebacker Micah Awe (shoulder) and defensive backs Raheem Wilson (knee) and Greg Reid (knee) have been ruled out. ... Tiger-Cats running back Don Jackson, wide receiver Terry Godwin (hamstring) and defensive lineman Valentin Gnahoua (ankle) will not play.
PREDICTION: Alouettes 28, Tiger-Cats 25
