Montreal Alouettes clinch first place in East Division with blowout win

Photo courtesy: Montreal Alouettes

The East Division’s road to the 113th Grey Cup will go through Montreal.

The Alouettes officially clinched first place in the East Division with a 37-10 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 18. By virtue of Toronto’s loss to B.C. earlier in the day, they can no longer be surpassed and have earned the right to host the Eastern Final on November 7.

Davis Alexander threw for 440 yards and a touchdown in the win. Tyson Philpot caught 11 passes for 207 yards, setting new single-season records for receptions and receiving yards by a Canadian in the process.

The Alouettes 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 2-1 with a loss to B.C. and a win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to make them 12-3.

Montreal has 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. Their 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 (12-3) will return to action on Monday, October 12, when they host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-7) at 1:00 p.m. EDT.