Alouettes aim to avenge lone loss of season vs. Elks

Field Level Media|published: Fri 7th August, 15:12 2026

Nov 16, 2025; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Montreal Alouettes head coach Jason Maas speaks during the post game press conference after the defeat against the Saskatchewan Roughriders during the 112th Grey Cup Championship at Princess Auto Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-Imagn Images

CFL division leaders meet on Saturday in Montreal, where the Alouettes will try to avenge a June loss at the hands of the Edmonton Elks.

But Montreal (7-1) will be very short-handed on defense. Tackle Mustafa Johnson, end TJ Guy, linebacker Geoff Cantin-Arku and linebacker Najee Murray have been declared out. That's a third of the unit's starting lineup.

However, coach Jason Maas isn't expecting his team's numerous injuries to hamper its chances.

"We've got 70-odd players in the building," he said. "For every single one of them, the expectation is that they can be on our 45-man roster and play at a high level. That is the least of our concerns. It's just about filling that 45."

It helps when one of the 45 is playing quarterback at a level the franchise hasn't seen since current offensive coordinator Anthony Calvillo was lighting up CFL defenses 20 years ago.

Davis Alexander is coming off a 420-yard performance on July 30 in a 34-13 win at Ottawa. And Tyson Philpot, who's torched secondaries all year, had 184 yards on nine catches.

While Montreal has won five straight since its 32-29 overtime setback in Edmonton on June 20, the Elks (6-2) are coming off a 28-26 defeat at home against Saskatchewan on July 31. That cut their West lead over the Roughriders to a half-game.

One thing to watch is the turnover battle. Edmonton leads the league in forcing turnovers (23) and points off turnovers (62). The Elks are plus-11 in turnover differential to lead the league, and the Alouettes are second at plus-8.

"We've got to find a way to protect the football and that's what we've done really well the entire year," quarterback Cody Fajardo said. "Our defense takes the ball away, our offense protects it ... that's our formula for winning games."

Edmonton also will attempt to regain the disciplined play that it didn't have last week. The Elks were flagged 10 times for 92 yards, including a pair of critical infractions on Saskatchewan's last drive that helped it seal the victory.

--Field Level Media

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