Montreal is a 10-point underdog when it visits Saskatchewan – which will be without its starting quarterback.

Betting Analysis

Despite that big number, heavy early action is on the Roughriders to cover. They are -525 on the moneyline with the Alouettes at +400. The total of 45.5 is by far the lowest on the board this week and the wagers have been split nearly evenly on the over and under.

Saskatchewan is a -208 favourite to score first, with a touchdown at +240 the leader. Montreal is +148 to take the first lead with a touchdown at +450. The favoured winning margin is Roughriders by 7-12 at +400 followed by 13-18 at +425. The Als’ shortest number on that prop is +700 to win by 1-6 points.

Montreal has covered five of its past seven meetings in Saskatchewan, and the total has gone under in the past five between the teams there. Last year, the Alouettes opened the season at home vs. the Roughriders and won 17-16 as Tyler Crapigna missed a field-goal attempt on the final play. In Week 19, the Roughriders rolled to a 37-12 home victory.

Montreal Alouettes

Montreal and Toronto enter Week 3 as the only teams without a victory. Last week, the Als – who also were winless in the preseason — were destroyed 56-10 in their home opener by Winnipeg. It was Montreal’s 13^th straight regular-season loss overall, and the game was over at halftime with the Blue Bombers leading 34-7. The Als were called for 13 penalties, including five on special teams. “We didn’t do the things we said we would do in this game,” Coach Mike Sherman said in an understatement afterward.

Expect some lineup changes this week. Two likely are benching offensive tackle Xavier Fulton for Phil Blake and Kirby Fabien replacing Blake at left guard. That would give the team an all-Canadian offensive front. Montreal did make two QB moves this week, re-signing Vernon Adams after he was released by Hamilton and adding Kenny Hill to the practice squad. Hill, the son of the former Expos pitcher of the same name, holds the Texas A&M single-game passing yardage record, breaking the mark held by Johnny Manziel. Hill would eventually transfer to TCU.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Week 2 was about as bad as possible for the Roughriders as not only did they lose 40-17 in Ottawa, they lost starting quarterback Zach Collaros for the foreseeable future as he has been placed on the six-game injury list. Collaros was 4 of 10 passing for 106 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions before he suffered a head injury against Ottawa. He has a history of concussions, so it could be longer than six games.

Brandon Bridge will start Saturday. The Ontario native, nicknamed “Air Canada,” completed 13 of 22 passes for 145 yards and an interception in relief of Collaros last week. Bridge has been in the league four years and made only two starts (with Montreal in 2015 and Saskatchewan last year).

Alouettes vs. Roughriders Prediction