Trevor Harris and the Montreal Alouettes made sure the last week of the Canadian Football League (CFL) regular season kept his interest.
Harris completed three touchdown passes to lead 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, since 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 Toronto 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 are masters of their destiny in the playoffs. Although the two teams have split their game series honors this season, the Hamilton club are benefiting from the tiebreaker due to the point differential and would host the semi-final if they finished 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). The Alouettes will play at home against the Ottawa Rouge et Noir (2-11) on Friday night.
Series wins
Second place in the East is all that’s yet to be determined. The defending Gray Cup champions Blue Bombers (11-2) secured their first spot in the West a few weeks ago. The Roughriders (9-4) confirmed their second place following a 29-24 victory over the Edmonton Elks (2-10) on Saturday.
The Calgary Stampeders (7-6) secured third place with a 33-23 victory over the British Columbia Lions (4-9) on Friday and brought them out of the playoffs in the process. Stampeders make CFL playoff 16e season away.
The Alouettes will be aiming for a fourth straight win 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.