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Montreal Alouettes vs BC Lions Preview
The Montreal Alouettes and BC Lions renew their rivalry for the first time this season on September 6 at 4:30 pm. The Lions snapped their five-game losing streak last week and look to take that momentum into the game against the league leaders.
Montreal has stormed ahead of the competition in 2024. They have the best record in the league at 10-1. Can the Lions put the brakes on the Montreal hype train or will the Alouettes stack yet another win to further their lead atop the East Division?
Montreal Alouettes vs BC Lions Head-To-Head and Key Stats
The BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes last clashed nearly a year ago at Molson Stadium. Vernon Adams Jr. had a superb game, passing for 306 yards and three touchdowns on the way to a 35-24 victory for the BC Lions. Cody Fajardo managed 308 passing yards and a touchdown for the Lions but blemished his record with two interceptions.
William Stanback, who now turns out for the BC Lions, notched 108 rushing yards and a touchdown for Montreal. Wide receiver Austin Mack caught for 143 yards and a touchdown through seven receptions for the Alouettes. Alexander Hollins scored a brace of touchdowns through 88 receiving yards for the Leos.
The BC defence starred in the win, recording five sacks for an overall loss of 16 yards while Montreal never got close to VA. Montreal finished with a higher net offence at 517 to 427 but failed to take advantage of good field positions throughout the game.
The BC Lions last played on September 1 in the second of a doubleheader against the Ottawa Redblacks. Rick Campbell’s team lost the first game on the road before playing the Touchdown Classic on neutral ground at Royal Athletic Park. The Leos put on one of their most impressive performances of the season in a 38-12 victory. They kept Ottawa scoreless for two quarters and handed them their second loss in 2024.
The Leos were off to a flyer with a touchdown on their first possession. Hometown hero Nathan Rourke scored his first since returning three weeks ago to open the scoring for BC. The 2022 CFL Most Outstanding Canadian had an excellent game, finishing with 325 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and a rushing TD for himself. A field goal put the Lions up 10-0 after 15 minutes.
The Lions roared in the second quarter with three touchdowns. Alexander Hollins and Ayden Aberhardt caught passes from Rourke to reach the end zone with William Stanback scoring on the ground and finishing with 93 rushing yards.
BC finished the half up 31-6 and the writing was on the wall. Ottawa scored a touchdown in the third quarter for their final score of the game before Justin McInnis put a bow on the victory for BC’s fourth touchdown, snapping the Lions’ five-game losing streak.
The Montreal Alouettes continued their spectacular season with a victory over the Edmonton Elks on August 26. They fought back to claim a 21-17 win, taking them to a 10-1 record in 2024, putting them ahead of every team in the CFL by a wide margin. Edmonton did not make it easy for Montreal, racing ahead in the first half and forcing a comeback performance out of the league leaders.
The Elks scored two touchdowns and a field goal in the first half while Montreal managed just two three-point attempts. The Alouettes were stunned heading into the locker room down 17-6 to the worst team in the league.
Cody Fajardo switched it on, securing two passing touchdowns in the second half and finishing with 336 passing yards. The Montreal defence kept Edmonton scoreless for the last half hour to help secure the comeback. Wide receiver Cole Spieker scored a brace of touchdowns and finished with an impressive 107 yards through just five receptions.
Montreal Alouettes vs BC Lions Predictions
Correct score prediction: 31-22
Montreal has been the best team in the CFL this season by a healthy margin. Their 10-1 record is unrivalled, and they have all but wrapped up a playoff appearance already with seven games remaining. The BC Lions snapped their worst run of the season last week to get their first victory in five games. However, they are 2-5 on the road this season while Montreal is 5-1 at home. Our football prediction is for yet another victory for the Alouettes.
The Alouettes have dominated on both sides of the ball this season. They have the best defensive record in the CFL, allowing just 232 points. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are second, having conceded 31 more points. BC has scored steadily but is not exactly lighting up the league with 298 points. That puts them fifth overall in the league. Montreal has kept their opponent scoreless in at least one quarter in nine out of their 11 games this season.
Jason Maas also has his team playing excellently on offence. Their 309 points are just three behind the league leaders in points scored, the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Montreal is firing on all cylinders and the BC Lions cannot cope with their dominance.
Spieker était en feu hier soir et repart avec tous les honneurs, dont le moment protéiné @NutribarCanada du match !
Spieker was simply UNREAL last night 🥵 pic.twitter.com/t3s1ILimuZ
— X – Alouettes de Montréal (@MTLAlouettes) August 26, 2024
While we expect Montreal to win the game, BC must be respected. Nathan Rourke has gone from strength to strength since his homecoming in August. The former NFL man helped snap the Leos’ losing streak last week with an excellent performance. He may be the player to reinvigorate their season after he showed up against a strong Ottawa side.
The Lions must turn yards into points. They rank third in the league for net yards per game with an average of 381.8, just ahead of Montreal in fourth. BC could not find the cutting edge needed to turn that into dominance. Montreal is the best team in the league and will take advantage of any weakness shown.
Montreal Alouettes vs BC Lions Betting Tips
Our online sportsbook priced the Montreal Alouettes at -189. They have lost just once at home this season and boast the best record in the league. BC secured the win last week but has only won one of their last six games. The Alouettes can further their lead atop the East Division here and we like a bet on Montreal to win.
Justin McInnis has been the best receiver in the league this season. The wide receiver leads the league in receiving yards and touchdowns with 1,026 and seven respectively for BC. The Leos have been one of the best passing outfits in the league and with Nathan Rourke firing, they can put up decent numbers again. CFL Betting will look favourably on McInnis to have yet another big game. We like a wager on the 28-year-old to hit the over on his receiving yards.
Montreal is 7-4 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. Their sound record has helped them to one of the best records in the league with only one side recording a better ATS. Online betting has the spread set at 3.5 for this game and we are backing Montreal. They have covered that in four of their last five games and have won by a point differential of four or more in all but one of their home games this season.
While BC boasts the best receiver in the league on their roster, Montreal may have the best receiving corps. Tyson Philpot, Cole Spieker, Reggie White Jr. and Charleston Rambo have 18 receiving touchdowns between them. Cody Fajardo will start at quarterback and the American has 12 touchdowns in eight games. The Football betting markets will fancy him adding at least two more in this game. Wager on Fajardo to score over 1.5 passing touchdowns.
Montreal Alouettes Team News
Tyler Snead is back in training following his foot injury and should be fit to appear on Friday. Fellow receiver Kaion Julien-Grant is also back in training after injuring his shoulder and can appear against BC.
Offensive lineman Kristian Matte and defensive lineman Brock Gowanlock were both absent from training with calf and knee injuries, respectively. They are doubts about Friday’s game. Linebacker Tyrell Richards is back in full training following his Achilles injury, as is Frederic Chagnon, who returns from a knee injury.
BC Lions Team News
The BC Lions practice week begins on Tuesday. Jordan Perryman, Ben Hladik, and Christophe Beaulieu all missed last week’s game against Ottawa. Their return dates are still being determined with all three missing practice in full last week.
Tibo Debaillie and Joshua Archibald also sat out against Ottawa. Debaillie is unlikely to return against Montreal, but Archibald resumed full training at the end of the week. The Redblacks game came too soon but he should be available for Friday,
