Alouettes roll over Riders to finish perfect at home

Monday’s 44-24 stomping of the Saskatchewan Roughriders allowed the 2026 Alouettes to finish the regular season 9-0-0 at Percival Molson Stadium. They joined the 1954 and 2009 teams to go undefeated at home.  

“It is special,” head coach Jason Maas admitted when he was asked about going 9-0 at home. “I’ve been in this league for 25 or 26 years, and I’ve been on a lot of great teams and a lot of Grey Cup-winning teams. I’ve never finished 9-0 at home. It’s special and it’s hard to do.”  

What made this result even more impressive is the circumstances it came under. The Alouettes had nothing to play for after they clinched first place in the East Division last week. The Riders had everything to play for on Monday afternoon. They still haven’t clinched a playoff spot, and Winnipeg’s win over Calgary earlier this week puts even more pressure on them.  

The fact that the Als were able to focus throughout a long week (nine days between games) and come up with a performance like that against a desperate team speaks volumes to the character they have in their locker room. 

“It was our first time being able to play (the Roughriders) since (last year’s Grey Cup),” Maas pointed out. “Yes, in the standings we had nothing to play for, but we wanted to show them and the league that we’re going to play to a standard every single day. We’re going to bring it every single day. We’re going to play physical football down the stretch. Our guys care about playing for each other, and we want to get better. We don’t want to let up at all. That’s what I was proud of all week. Our guys worked extremely hard…When the other team has more to play for, but you come out and you can’t tell who has the most to play for, that’s a feather in the cap. That shows that you’re preaching the right things and guys are listening and are understanding it.” 

The Alouettes got strong performances from many of their players, but they were led by starting quarterback Davis Alexander who finished the game 26-for-33 with 403 yards passing, five touchdowns and 40 rushing yards.  

The 27-year-old always seemed to be in control, even when he was under pressure. Alexander plays with fearlessness that is rare among quarterbacks. He probably doesn’t enjoy being hit, but what separates him from many quarterbacks is that he isn’t afraid to get hit. His pocket presence is fun to watch.  

Even when Riders defenders were swarming around him, he found a way to stay calm and improvise on the fly to make a play.  

“I definitely feel good and I trust out guys,” Alexander said. “I think I’ve been the least sacked quarterback in the league so far. What I love about our offensive line is that they block forever. They know the ball is supposed to be out in a certain amount of time but sometimes I get happy feet and I start running around and making people miss. They’re still cutting people off on blocks and stuff. Like one of the touchdowns to Rambo, somebody ended up cutting a (Rider) off and allowed me to get around the corner.” 

Alexander become the first Alouettes quarterback since Anthony Calvillo in 2012 to pass for more than 5,000 yards in a season.  

What’s next? 

The Alouettes and Roughriders will do it all over again in Regina next Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. ET. The players will be off the field until Thursday when they hold their only practice of the week.