By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – After last week’s 46-21 loss at McMahon Stadium in Calgary to the Stampeders, the Als are now faced with a golden opportunity to redeem themselves and grab a share of first place in the league – this time on home soil.
The Als return to McGill after completing a two-game road trip that began a couple of weeks ago in Winnipeg. The last time the Als played in front of their home crowd was Sept. 19 in a 31-14 win over the Edmonton Eskimos.
Heading into this week’s Thanksgiving Day rematch with the Stampeders, the Als sit in first place in the East Division with 18 points – six ahead of both Hamilton and Toronto who are tied for second.
Though Marc Trestman’s crew have already clinched a spot in the post-season, Monday afternoon’s matchup still holds an extreme amount of importance for his Alouettes. Standings-wise, a win could vault the Als into a tie for first place with Calgary and extend their lead in their own division. More importantly, however, a win against Henry Burris and the Stamps would also do wonders for the mental state of the team.
Both the Als and Stampeders have experienced their share of dominance all through the season and barring any setbacks could very well meet at Commonwealth Stadium on Nov. 28 for the Grey Cup. A second-straight loss to Calgary could also prove to be very detrimental to their Champion defence.
Last week at a glance
Last week saw the Stamps win in a statement game against the visiting Alouettes. Burris and his offence stormed out of the gate for 14-unanswered points and never looked back.
Burris finished his strong outing with 412 yards and four touchdowns, earning him Offensive Player of the Week honours. Burris completed 19-of-28 passes, 11 of which found the hands of Ken-Yon Rambo and Romby Bryant who combined for 315 yards and three touchdowns.
On the Alouettes’ side of the field, Jamel Richardson once again showed why he is among the CFL’s elite receivers. With one of the Als’ main threats in Kerry Watkins out due to injury, Richardson was exceptional in his absence, hauling in five receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown.
The Als also received a strong effort from John Bowman, who brought his season total in sacks up to 11 – just one behind Winnipeg defensive end Phillip Hunt.
The Alouettes next play the Calgary Stampeders at McGill on Oct. 11 at 1pm EST RDSHD, TSNHD, NRJ, CJAD
