There are no more tune-ups. No more tomorrows. It’s the 2023 CFL playoffs from la Belle Province as the Eastern Semi-Final pits the Hamilton Tiger-Cats versus the Montreal Alouettes. The sides concluded their regular seasons with a mostly meaningless game in Montreal which the Alouettes won 22-20.

Football playoffs are unpredictable, and the CFL postseason has a penchant for the dramatic. As of this writing, the Alouettes are viewed as a slight favourite, -3.5 on the CFL odds.

CFL Odds and Betting

For the third year in a row, Hamilton and Montreal will draw swords in the Eastern Semi-Final. So far, the home team has defended its turf, with the Ticats winning in 2021 and the Als in 2022.

As for the regular season, it was a clean sweep for Montreal, who claimed all three matches, including Week 21’s regular season curtain closer at the same venue where this game will be played.

The Tiger-Cats were rather good against the spread away from home in 2023. After a disappointing 0-2 start, they were almost flawless the rest of the way, going 5-1-1 for a 5-3-1 final tally. Incidentally, the one push came last week in Montreal. They’ve also not covered any of the spread versus the Alouettes this season.

Montreal has been iffy versus the spread when playing in front of its fans this season. They only went 4-4-1. Then again, the times they failed to cover were against predictable opponents: the Argonauts, Blue Bombers, and Lions, the three best teams in the CFL.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats deserve a lot of respect for making it this far. When QB Bo Levi Mitchell went down early in the season, things looked glum. Both Taylor Powell and Matthew Shiltz filled in as best they could. It was a little rumble tumble, but the club mustered an 8-10 record, which in the CFL tends to get you third place in the East.

One suspects that Mitchell will get the call in this game. At the very least, he’ll be under centre for significant portions of it. He has a ton of playoff experience from his days with the Stampeders and two Grey Cup rings to prove it. That said, his play this season since coming back has been wonky. He’s thrown six TDs but also tossed 10 picks. RB James Butler will be a key factor in this match, as well as top-class WR Tim White, the league’s leader in receiving yards. Furthermore, the Alouettes gave up a ton of sacks this season, making this a great spotlight for guys like Casey Sayles, Jameer Thurman, and Simoni Lawrence.

Their biggest challenge is the fact that they haven’t been a great offensive club in 2023 and Montreal sports the CFL’s second-best defence.

Montreal Alouettes

The 22-20 win in Week 21 capped off the best regular season for the franchise since the Anthony Calvillo days. That’s saying something given that Montreal finished with an 11-7 record. It’s decent, but nothing to write home about.

The backups played much of the second half and it was at times pretty sloppy, with both teams coughing up the ball. Hamilton and Montreal scored on returns – the Ticats on a missed field goal and the Als on a punt – making the entire contest a bit of an outlier. Heading into this Eastern Semi-Final, Montreal can be proud of its second-ranked defence. Marc-Antoine Dequoy is a local hero with his five INTs on the year, and defensive end Shawn Lemon and LB Tyrice Beverette were among the best in the business. WR Austin Mack spent most of the year in the hunt for the CFL lead in receiving yards too. The big concern is Cody Fajardo. He has plenty of experience but isn’t very mobile and Montreal’s front line is shaky. Far too many drives ended in field goals this season instead of touchdowns.

Who Will Win Tiger-Cats vs. Alouettes?