112th Grey Cup primer: Als, Riders prepare for heavyweight clash

This year's Grey Cup matchup only features one of the CFL's two division winners, but it's nonetheless a true heavyweight tilt.

In one corner are the Montreal Alouettes, who were led to their 20th Grey Cup appearance by a breakout star quarterback who missed half the season with injuries. They know how to win, and are not to be taken lightly.

In the other corner stands a dominant Saskatchewan Roughriders club aiming to bring Lord Grey's mug back to Regina for the first time in 12 years. Many in Saskatchewan would also love some revenge for two painful Grey Cup losses against Montreal earlier this century - none worse than the fabled "13th man" collapse of 2009. Which titan comes out on top this time?

Here's everything you need to know about the 112th Grey Cup.

112th Grey Cup: The basics

Who: Montreal Alouettes vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders
When: Sunday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. ET
Where: Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Weather: Minus-4 celsius (will feel like minus-7), 6 km/h winds

How to watch

Betting

Line: Saskatchewan -190
Spread: Saskatchewan -3.5
Over/Under: 48.5 points

Tale of the tape

How they got here

Alouettes: The Alouettes won three straight and five of seven out of the gate before a slew of injuries - most notably to star quarterback Davis Alexander - sent them spiraling. Without Alexander and several other key players, Montreal dropped five straight during a dreadful midsummer stretch. But the Als took off again when everyone got healthy in September, winning five of their last six - dropping only a meaningless regular-season finale - to earn a home playoff date for the fourth straight season. After holding off Winnipeg in the East semifinal, the Als flew into Hamilton and stunned the Ticats on a walk-off field goal to earn their second Grey Cup appearance since 2023.

Roughriders: The Green Riders went wire-to-wire atop the West Division en route to posting the CFL's best record for the first time in 48 years. Saskatchewan was led by 39-year-old pivot Trevor Harris, who turned back the clock to throw for the third-most yards (4,549) and tally the second-best QB rating (110.7) in the league. A dominant defense allowed the CFL's fewest points, while five Roughriders defenders were named to the All-CFL team. Things got hairy late in the West final at Mosaic Stadium when the BC Lions scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. But Harris led a six-play, 76-yard scoring drive in the final minute and found Tommy Nield in the end zone with 11 seconds left to send the Roughriders to Winnipeg.

Previous meetings

The teams split their two regular-season games, with each side winning on the road. In Week 9 at Molson Stadium, the Roughriders waltzed to a 34-6 win behind Harris' 289 yards and two touchdowns, and wideout Dohnte Meyers' 136 receiving yards. Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson was sacked twice and threw for just 126 yards with an interception before being benched. This defeat started Montreal's five-game midseason losing streak.

The Alouettes turned the tables on Saskatchewan during their Week 15 trip to Regina, snapping their five-game skid with a dominant 48-31 win. Bethel-Thompson was again under center for Montreal, but this time he torched the Roughriders for 379 yards and three touchdowns. Canadian wideout Tyson Philpot was unstoppable, hauling in 238 receiving yards - the second-most in Alouettes history - and two majors on nine receptions. This was the only game all season that Saskatchewan allowed more than 32 points.

Storylines to follow

Is Davis Alexander healthy?

In short: no. Alexander's been dealing with a recurring hamstring injury all season, and "tweaked" it during Montreal's game-winning drive in the last minute of the East final. The team didn't reveal the results of an MRI following Saturday's game and everyone has admitted he's isn't at 100%, but head coach Jason Maas has already confirmed Alexander is receiving treatments and will start.

"Davis has played with this injury for a few games, he played the majority of our training camp with it," Maas said earlier this week. "I know he knows how to deal with it, but it remains to be seen how bad it is. If he does not go, we'll still have the same expectation on our team, which is to go in and win."

When healthy, there are few QBs in this league better than Alexander, who's a lifetime 13-0 as a starter. The 27-year-old threw for over 2,000 yards and had the same QB rating (110.7) as Harris, his Riders counterpart, despite the abbreviated season. His mobility - Alexander averaged 9.2 rushing yards this year - is a huge part of his game, and will be either a major asset or hindrance given his condition. It wouldn't be a shock to see Saskatchewan throw the kitchen sink at him early and often with the goal of forcing him to scramble in the cold, make plays, and prove that he can move.

The Alouettes do have a great offensive line that allowed just 26 sacks in the regular season, tied with Saskatchewan for the second-fewest. But this whole situation puts a lot of onus on that unit to keep their star protected and on the field for 60 minutes.

Ultimately, Montreal's fate in this game may rest with Alexander's left leg. The backup, Bethel-Thompson, is hardly inexperienced - he's only three years removed from starting for a Grey Cup winner in Toronto, and he torched Saskatchewan earlier this season. But if he's taking snaps this week, the Alouettes are in some serious trouble.

Trevor Harris' time

Trevor Harris sure didn't look 39 this year. The veteran guided Saskatchewan back to the Grey Cup with his best season in several years. He also stayed healthy, which was a welcome development for both the team and player after he missed extended portions of the last two years with knee injuries.

Harris is now in his 13th CFL season, and has thrown for the 12th-most yards in the league's history. He's accomplished a lot over his career, including being part of two Grey Cup-winning teams in Toronto and Ottawa as a backup. Harris' lone Grey Cup start came in 2018, when his Redblacks lost to Calgary.

On Sunday, Harris finally has another chance to earn a Grey Cup ring as a starter. It's one of the few boxes he has left to check, and it would help cement his name among some of the great CFL field generals. Saskatchewan also needs Harris to have an MVP-caliber performance to win this game.

Before the West final against BC, Harris declared the Riders to the "big dogs" in their division. After the late comeback to beat the Lions, he claimed that "it's our time." Now, Harris needs to back up his words again. The Alouettes certainly won't make it easy for him, but that legacy-defining victory is there for the taking.

Trench warfare

This matchup features two teams with starkly different approaches to the run game.

The Alouettes produced the second-fewest rushing yards per game (85.9) during the regular season. Montreal was the only team without a 500-yard rusher; primary running back Stevie Scott III led the team with just 418 yards. Scott had just two 100-yard games this season: two weeks ago in the East semifinal, and on Sept. 13 at Saskatchewan.

When you add in Alexander's hamstring injury potentially limiting his effectiveness as a runner, this sure smells of trouble. But the Als' lack of a run game could also play into their hands against Saskatchewan's CFL-best run defense. Even if Alexander can't move around as much, the Alouettes could just play their usual pass-first game knowing they don't have to rely on the run to win.

Conversely, Riders tailback A.J. Ouellette is a major part of Saskatchewan's offense. Ouellette ran for 1,222 yards with eight majors this year and is coming off a great performance in the West final, where he averaged over six yards per carry against a tough Lions defense. The Ohio product is a fearless runner who has the power to break through a Montreal line that allowed the fourth-most yards per carry in the regular season.

But Ouellette is also the entirety of Saskatchewan's ground game. Backup Thomas Bertrand-Hudon didn't have a touch in the West final, Mario Anderson Jr. and Ka'Deem Carey have yet to practice due to knee injuries, and Harris isn't much of a threat to run anymore. The Roughriders' stellar O-line now faces the task of creating space for Ouellette against a Montreal defense that's tightened up its run prevention in the playoffs. Montreal held Winnipeg star Brady Oliveira to a mere 38 yards in the East semifinal, then limited the Ticats to just 75 total rushing yards last week.

Neither side is going to be intimidated here, and it could make for some great battles in the trenches. But success on the ground is far more important for Saskatchewan.

Pass the baton

On the passing side, the story is flipped: Harris and the Roughriders' dominant aerial attack will square off against the CFL's best pass defense. Montreal limited opponents to 256.9 passing yards per game despite seeing the third-most pass attempts. The Alouettes also clamped down on big plays, allowing a league-low 20 completions of 30-plus yards.

Harris might be without his top target in All-CFL wideout KeeSean Johnson, who ranked fourth in receiving yards and third in receptions during the regular season. Johnson missed the West final because of a knee injury, and though the team is hopeful he'll play Sunday, he's barely practiced this week. Johnson's mere presence makes Saskatchewan's attack that much better because he allows Harris to spread the wealth among a talented group of pass-catchers.

The Als, meanwhile, ranked seventh in passing yards, likely due to the midseason injuries that upended both their QB and receiving corps. Montreal's best passing day as a team came against Saskatchewan, but it's hard to read too much into that given Bethel-Thompson was under center and the Riders' secondary was dealing with their own injury woes at the time.

The Riders will have a fully healthy secondary this week, though it's worth noting they did allow the second-most passing yards and passing majors in 2025. They'll have their work cut out against an explosive Alouettes receiving unit led by 1,000-yard wideout Tyler Snead and former Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian Tyson Philpot. Containing Philpot after his 238-yard game in Regina should be the top priority for head coach and defensive coordinator Corey Mace - but even if they do that, Snead, a healthy Austin Mack, and the sneaky-good Charleston Rambo will be waiting for the football.

Last ride for traditional rules

Sunday's contest will prove historic regardless of the result, as it will mark the last CFL game played under the traditional Canadian gridiron rules. Back in September, the CFL announced a number of significant rule changes that will be phased in over the next two seasons.

These changes have brought no shortage of opinion and controversy to the world of Canadian football. It's been a major topic of discussion during Grey Cup week, though both coaches deftly avoided questions about it at their press conference.

The reality is that the changes are coming, and CFL fans must give them a chance. But that can also wait until June. No matter who you're rooting for Sunday, take time to sit back and appreciate the beauty of Canadian football and all of its weird quirks one last time. And as you do, keep those wise words of a great Canadian sage in mind: "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone?"

Prediction

Like the previous Roughriders-Alouettes matchups, we're expecting Sunday to produce a memorable contest. It's going to take plenty of points to do it, but the Grey Cup is staying east. Alouettes 34, Roughriders 31