Preview: Alouettes look to clinch home playoff game on Friday night

The Montreal Alouettes can clinch a playoff spot and the right to host a playoff game on Friday night when they host the B.C. Lions at Percival Molson Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET.

There are two different ways they can secure a playoff berth. The first way is if they defeat the Lions. The second way they can do so is if the Toronto Argonauts defeat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Monday. If either of those things happen, the Als will not only clinch a playoff spot, they'll also be guaranteed to have at least the East Semi-Final in Montreal.

This will be the first of two back-to-back meetings between the Als and Lions. These two squads will go head-to-head at B.C. Place next Saturday at 10:00 p.m. ET.

Davis Alexander ready to go

Alouettes Nation held their collective breaths last Friday in Winnipeg when franchise pivot Davis Alexander clutched his ankle after being brought down by Bombers defensive lineman Michael Fletcher. The 27-year-old stayed down for a bit before walking into the medical tent on the sideline. Alexander was able to come back and finish the game.

Alexander took most of the reps with the first-team offence at practice this week, but backup Dustin Crum saw some action with the starters as well. But the club confirmed that Alexander will be ready to go on Friday.

Alexander will be looking to bounce back after suffering his first regular season loss in regulation last week.

"We only ran 43 plays or something," he admitted. "We were able to put up 28 points, but on a couple of those two-and-outs, if I get the ball rolling, the looks that we were expecting were there…it could be a completely different game. A lot of it falls on me."

The Als quarterback will go into this game with a league leading 3,657 passing yards. He's also tied for first in touchdown passes, with 24. His 125.3 quarterback rating is tops in the CFL among players that have played at least five games.

2 x 1000 yards

Heading into Week 14, the Alouettes have the only two 1,000-yard receivers in the CFL. Tyson Philpot has 1,316 yards while Tyler Snead is up to 1,089. This duo is also first and second when it comes to touchdown receptions as Philpot has 10 while Snead has nine.

Philpot is sitting at a league-high 90 catches. No other receiver has hit 80 yet.

Looking to Bounce back on D

The defence is coming off a tough performance in Winnipeg, as they allowed 44 points to the Blue Bombers last Friday night.

This was the first time the team allowed more than 40 points in 2026 and the first time in five games that they have allowed more than 30.

"We know that in Canadian Football there's a lot of space on the field," middle linebacker Geoff Cantin-Arku said. "We're an aggressive defence. Without getting too much into our scheme, sometimes we focus on who we want to stop and how we're going to do it, depending on the week. Last week, we weren't always in the best position to make plays, but it's also up to the players. The scheme is one thing, but it's up to the players to make a better effort."

Jason Maas chasing Marv Levy

A win on Friday night would allow Jason Maas to tie Marv Levy for fourth in franchise history, with 43. Marc Trestman (59), Douglas Walker (59), Don Matthews (58) and Levy are the only coaches to register more wins with the Alouettes than Maas.

Maas is also one victory away from putting together a fourth consecutive double-digit win season since joining the Als.

Darnell Sankey returns to Montreal

This will be the first time that Lions linebacker Darnell Sankey will face his former team. Sankey spent parts of three seasons with the Alouettes and was a huge part of the team's Grey Cup victory in 2023.