Trevor Harris and the Montreal Alouettes kept the last week of the CFL regular season interesting.
Harris completed three touchdown passes to guide the Alouettes (7-6) to a 28-14 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday. This victory, coupled with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ 31-12 loss (7-6) to the Argonauts in Toronto, puts the two clubs tied for second in the Eastern Division.
The two teams will therefore have a major stake this weekend, as the second place holder will make sure to receive the third place team in the semi-final of the Eastern section on November 28.
The Argonauts (9-4) are sure to finish at the top in the East following their victory over the Tiger-Cats. The Argos will face the Alouettes or the Tiger-Cats in the section final on December 5 at BMO Field.
The Tiger-Cats control their destiny in the playoffs. Although the two teams have split their game series honors this season, the Hamilton club benefit from the tiebreaker due to the point differential and will host the semi-final if they finish the regular season tied with the Alouettes.
The Tiger-Cats will know what to expect on Saturday afternoon when they host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-4) as the Alouettes play at home against the Ottawa Rouge et Noir (2-11 ), Friday night.
Second place in the East is all that remains to be decided. The defending Gray Cup champions Blue Bombers (11-2) secured their first place in the West a few weeks ago while the Roughriders (9-4) confirmed second place following a a 29-24 win over the Edmonton Elks (2-10) on Saturday.
And the Calgary Stampeders (7-6) secured third place with a 33-23 victory over the British Columbia Lions (4-9) on Friday, knocking them out of the playoffs. Stampeders make CFL playoff 16e consecutive season.
The Alouettes will be aiming for a fourth straight victory this season against the Rouge et Noir. The victory over the Bombers was their first in three games.
The Rouge et Noir have been given a week off as the team drag a six-game losing streak.