Alouettes Rally Past Roughriders in Offensive Shootout

Montreal's Alouettes faced the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Thanksgiving Monday, October 12, 2026, at Percival-Molson Stadium in Montreal, renewing their rivalry after Saskatchewan defeated Montreal in the 2025 Grey Cup. The CFL matchup featured early scoring swings, a passing interception, and significant receiving milestones as Montreal pursued a perfect home record for the season.

Quarterback Davis Alexander opened the game with a 30-yard run after Saskatchewan's defense failed to contain him. However, he missed Tyler Snead in the end zone before Marcus Sayles intercepted his next pass near the goal line, ending a streak of 98 consecutive attempts without an interception.

Saskatchewan capitalized on its ensuing opportunities when kicker Brett Lauther converted a 43-yard field goal for the game's first points. Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette also appeared to injure his knee and temporarily left the game, according to the RDS report.

Alexander responded by leading Montreal on a six-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Snead. The score gave the Alouettes a 7-3 lead and made Snead the ninth player in franchise history to reach 1,400 receiving yards in a season.

Saskatchewan regained the advantage late in the first quarter when quarterback Trevor Harris connected with Kian Schaffer-Baker for a 27-yard touchdown reception despite pressure from Montreal's defense. Alexander answered less than three minutes into the second quarter with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Charleston Rambo, who scored his first touchdown in Montreal in nearly a year.

The meeting marked the first time the teams had faced each other since the Roughriders defeated the Alouettes in the 2025 Grey Cup final. Montreal also had an opportunity to complete an undefeated home regular season for only the third time in franchise history, following the 1954 and 2009 seasons.

Head coach Jason Maas credited the team's home supporters and the atmosphere at Percival-Molson Stadium for helping Montreal perform better on its home field. He also pointed to the team's focus on improving its home results after strong road performances over the previous three years.

"It's a tribute to our fans and the atmosphere they've created for us at Percival-Molson. Our guys have played much better at home this season. We discussed it during training camp.

Over the past three years, we've been very good on the road, but not good enough at home. There was room for improvement in that area," said Maas on Sunday.

Montreal had not completed a perfect home season since 2009, and Maas highlighted the significance of that campaign in connection with the team's 2026 theme, "Grind for Nine."

"It hasn't been done since 2009, and the number nine is very important to us this season. Every time you're compared with the great 2009 team, that's great," Maas said.

Saskatchewan entered the matchup tied with Winnipeg and Calgary in the Western Division standings, with all three teams holding 16 points. The Roughriders had played 15 games, compared with 16 or 17 for their rivals, according to the RDS preview. Two consecutive games against Saskatchewan offered Montreal an opportunity to improve its position while putting pressure on the defending Grey Cup champions.

Montreal receiver Tyson Philpot was also approaching a major CFL milestone. After recording 11 receptions for 207 yards against Winnipeg, he was named the league's Week 18 player and became the Canadian receiver with the most receiving yards in a single season in CFL history.

With three games remaining, Philpot needed 301 more yards to surpass the single-season record of 2,036, set by former Calgary Stampeders receiver Allen Pitts in 1994. Philpot's average of more than 115 receiving yards per game projected to a season total of 2,082 if he maintained that pace through the end of the schedule.