Statement delivered: Montreal Alouettes crush Redblacks in Ottawa (& seven other thoughts)

Since the beginning of the season, the Montreal Alouettes have had multiple opportunities to put teams away in the fourth quarter while holding big leads. However, they’ve failed to do so and consistently played with fire.

After those games, head coach Jason Maas always told reporters that a win is a win, no matter how it’s done, and that opponents will keep making plays until the final whistle.

This game, however, was living proof that the Als can dominate a team from start to finish. Yes, Ottawa was 0-6 coming into the game, but the Redblacks were coming off a bye week and were desperate for a victory, while Montreal was playing on a short week. It could have been a trap game, but the Als had other plans.

This is the statement win the 2026 Montreal Alouettes needed heading into the stretch run and the playoffs afterward. When an opponent isn’t on your level, the game doesn’t need to be close.

Alouettes football on full display

The coaching staff should use this game to show future players what Jason Maas’ version of Alouettes football looks like.

There was nothing flashy on special teams, but it was highly effective. Joseph Zema pinned the Redblacks inside their own 10-yard line twice, and the coverage unit limited Kalil Pimpleton, who scored a touchdown in Montreal a couple of weeks ago.

On offence, Davis Alexander and his unit were aggressive all night, catching defensive backs flat-footed and exploiting Ottawa’s generous zone coverage. Anthony Calvillo once again showcased his creativity and fearlessness as a play-caller.

On defence, the game was a perfect summary of Noel Thorpe’s philosophy: bend, but don’t break. Jake Maier had a productive night statistically, but where it mattered most, in the red zone, Ottawa managed only one touchdown, was stopped twice on third down, and settled for two field goals.

Mr. 1K

Tyson Philpot is playing the best football of his career.

The connection he shares with Davis Alexander is lethal, and he showcased his abilities once again Friday night. After a quieter game last week, Philpot responded with nine catches for 184 yards against Ottawa.

In so doing, he became the fastest Canadian receiver to reach 1,000 yards in a season, accomplishing the feat in just eight games. He remains the only receiver in the CFL with more than 800 receiving yards this season, which is incredibly impressive.

The only concern surrounding Philpot has been injuries. So far this season, he hasn’t missed a game. If he stays healthy, he’s on pace to challenge the CFL’s single-season receiving record.

Davis Alexander responds

Last week, Davis Alexander admitted after the game that Hamilton’s deep coverage slowed down Montreal’s vertical passing attack. The Als relied on screens and the running game and still found success, although Alexander missed a few deep shots.

This week, Alexander reminded the CFL why he’s still the frontrunner for Most Outstanding Player, finishing with 420 passing yards and three touchdowns.

He was absolutely dominant, especially in the first half. By halftime, he had completed 15-of-20 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns.

Montreal’s first three drives ended in touchdowns, and this time it wasn’t because of Travis Theis. Alexander completely dissected Ottawa’s zone defence, with Tyson Philpot and Tyler Snead leading the way.

A lot of credit also goes to Calvillo and his play-calling. He gave Alexander maximum protection and had his receivers attacking the middle of the field, something Montreal didn’t do nearly enough last week.

It’s almost impossible to contain Philpot and Snead when plays last six or seven seconds. Whenever Ottawa tried to blitz, Alexander exploited the resulting one-on-one matchups.

Good ol’ Noel Thorpe defence (feat. Josh Archibald)

When a quarterback finishes a game with 311 passing yards, you’d expect at least one touchdown pass. Or, at the very least, more than one touchdown from his offence. Neither happened for Ottawa.

Jake Maier was able to move the ball effectively, especially in the first half. However, Montreal’s defence slammed the door shut in the red zone, as Ottawa finished the night just one-for-five.

After allowing the Redblacks’ lone touchdown on their second drive of the game, the Als surrendered only one additional field goal for the remainder of the night.

Josh Archibald made two massive plays on third down in the red zone. In the third quarter, he intercepted Maier on the one-yard line. Later, he stopped Greg Bell behind the line of scrimmage when Ottawa needed only one yard for a first down.

Beautiful play design

With every passing week, Anthony Calvillo’s play-calling seems to get better.

Although I would have liked to see him be more aggressive in the second half last week, he appears to have found the right balance between being bold and being conservative. On Friday night, he didn’t force anything and instead gave Alexander the time needed to break down Ottawa’s defence.

There was one particular play that stood out to me: Tyler Snead’s touchdown that made it a 31-13 game.

It was a triple-screen design, with Travis Theis leaking to the right, Jacob Mason to the left, and Snead staying in the middle. Alexander manipulated the defence by first looking right, then left, before finding Snead for the major.

The play was brilliantly designed and executed just as well.

Replay centre’s questionable interventions

According to RDS’s David Arsenault, Al Bradbury was in charge of the CFL’s replay centre on Friday night. Let’s just say that the relationship between Bradbury and the Alouettes has not been a positive one over the years.

The replay centre intervened on two plays that raised eyebrows.

The first involved Najee Murray’s roughing the passer penalty in the first quarter, which was upgraded from 15 to 25 yards. I still don’t understand the decision, as the hit didn’t appear to be directed at the head.

Then, there was Tyrice Beverette’s apparent forced fumble on Daniel Adeboboye near the goal line in the second quarter. The replay centre ruled that forward progress had already been stopped before the ball came loose.

By rule, forward progress is considered a judgment call that is best made by on-field officials in real time and should only be adjusted in extreme circumstances. I think this one is debatable. It could have gone either way.

What’s next?

The Montreal Alouettes (7-1) will return home next Saturday, August 8, to take on the Edmonton Elks. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. EDT.