The Ottawa Redblacks step into a difficult Week 12 road game on Thursday, August 20, when they meet the Montreal Alouettes at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium. The contest begins at 7:30 p.m. ET and pits a struggling Ottawa team against the CFL’s current standard-bearer.
Montreal has spent most of the season looking like the class of the East, while Ottawa enters with little margin for error. The matchup gives the Redblacks a chance to interrupt a strong division race, but it also places them in front of one of the league’s most complete teams.
Montreal Has Set the Pace
The Alouettes have built their reputation through consistent play on both sides of the ball, and their eight wins in nine games show how difficult they have been to handle. Their recent 48-30 win over Edmonton only strengthened the idea that they remain one of the CFL’s most dangerous teams.
Quarterback Davis Alexander has been central to that surge. His efficiency, composure, and ability to extend drives have helped Montreal sustain pressure for full games rather than isolated stretches. That has made the Alouettes difficult to game plan against, because opposing defenses cannot focus on only one phase of the offense.
Tyson Philpot has also emerged as a major weapon. The Canadian receiver entered Week 11 with more than 1,100 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, giving Alexander a reliable target who can change a game quickly. When Montreal combines that passing threat with a productive ground game, it becomes especially hard to slow down.
The result is a team that can win in different ways. Montreal can attack deep, stay patient underneath, and lean on balance when needed. That flexibility has helped separate it from most of the league.
Ottawa Needs a Response
For Ottawa, this is more than just another division game. The Redblacks have been searching for their first win of the season, and the longer that streak continues, the more pressure builds around every possession. A road upset would not fix everything, but it would give the group a needed jolt of confidence.
The main problem for Ottawa has been consistency. The Redblacks have shown stretches of competitiveness, yet slow starts and defensive lapses have repeatedly put them behind. Their rushing attack has also struggled to create balance, which has forced the offense into situations where it leans too heavily on the passing game.
Jake Maier has carried a large share of the workload at quarterback. Because Ottawa has generated far more through the air than on the ground, he has often been asked to keep drives alive under constant pressure. That can work in short bursts, but it becomes much harder against a defense that can control tempo.
Justin Hardy remains one of the most important pieces for Ottawa’s offense. If he gets involved early, the Redblacks have a better chance of staying on schedule and avoiding the kind of one-dimensional football that Montreal can exploit. Protecting the ball will matter just as much, since extra possessions for the Alouettes would quickly tilt the game.
What Ottawa Must Change in the Rematch
Montreal already defeated Ottawa 27-12 in their earlier meeting this season, and that result offers a clear blueprint for the rematch. The Alouettes built an early lead, dictated the pace, and never allowed the Redblacks to settle into a rhythm.
If Ottawa wants a different outcome, the opening quarter has to look different. The Redblacks need to create more pressure on Alexander, close down explosive plays, and force Montreal into longer third-down situations. A fast start would also help prevent the Alouettes from controlling the game with confidence from the first series.
On offense, Ottawa cannot afford to be predictable. Even modest gains on the ground would help open space for Maier and make the playbook less obvious. Without that balance, Montreal can crowd passing lanes and make every drive more difficult than it needs to be.
The context is clear enough: Montreal enters as the stronger team, the home team, and the more proven offense. Ottawa still has urgency on its side, though, and divisional games often create unusual results when one side is desperate and the other is expected to win comfortably.
If the Redblacks can channel that urgency into cleaner execution, they may at least turn this into a competitive game. If not, Montreal looks positioned to keep its place at the top of the East and continue the kind of season that has made it the team everyone is chasing.