Montreal Alouettes can clinch first place in East Division in Week 18

Montreal Alouettes

The Montreal Alouettes can clinch first place in the East Division as early as this week, the CFL confirmed on Tuesday.

The Larks became the first team to clinch a postseason berth earlier this month when they beat the B.C. Lions to improve to 10-2. The team has since gone 1-1 with a loss to B.C. and a win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to make them 11-3.

Montreal can clinch first place with a win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday, provided the Toronto Argonauts lose to the Lions earlier that same day. The Argonauts have won seven of their last nine games, including each of the last four.

The Alouettes have made the playoffs for six-straight seasons, including a first-place finish in the East Division in 2024. The team qualified for last year’s Grey Cup but lost 25-17 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Montreal’s most recent championship came in 2023 with a 28-24 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The first-place team in the East Division gets a first-round playoff bye, while the second and third-place teams compete in the East Semi-Final. The third playoff spot in the East Division will be filled by the fourth-place team in the West Division this year by virtue of the crossover.

As has been previously announced, the Alouettes, Edmonton Elks, and Argonauts have each clinched postseason berths, while the Ottawa Redblacks and Tiger-Cats have been eliminated from playoff contention.

The Montreal Alouettes (11-3) will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-7) on Saturday, October 3 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are coming off a tight loss to the Argonauts, while the Alouettes were on bye.

The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg or TSN 690 (English) or 99.5 Montreal (French) in Montreal.