Minas Panagiotakis/CFL.ca
MONTREAL -- The Ottawa REDBLACKS and Montreal Alouettes open Week 12 at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium on Thursday night.
Ottawa dropped to 0-9 after a Week 11 loss to Winnipeg and needs to find the win column sooner rather than later if they hope to turn their season around.
Montreal enjoyed a bye last week and has won six straight.
The Alouettes were victorious in both previous meetings this season, 37-35 in Week 4 and 34-13 in Week 9.
Here’s three keys to the game for each team ahead of Thursday's 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff, which can be watched on TSN/RDS in Canada, on CBSSN in the U.S., or CFL+ internationally.
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OTTAWA REDBLACKS
1. JUSTIN HARDY
There aren’t many players who have enjoyed playing the dominant Als this season, but receiver Justin Hardy is one of them with 196 yards in two games against the division rival. He’ll have to add to those numbers to help give his team a chance.
2. SUCCESS AT THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE
Montreal does an excellent job of giving quarterback Davis Alexander the time he needs to make plays, and if the REDBLACKS defence wants to prevent another big game from the pivot, it will need to find a way through the offensive line. Defensive linemen Bryce Carter and Michael Wakefield are still out with injuries, meaning Habakkuk Baldonado and Dennis Briggs Jr. will be given another opportunity to step up.
3. TAKEAWAY THE TOP TARGETS
Whether it’s veteran Alonzo Addae or rookie Marcus Barnes doing the job, the secondary has to limit the production of Als’ receivers Tyson Philpot and Tyler Snead, who have combined for 635 yards against the REDBLACKS this season. While stopping them completely is unlikely, slowing them down would go a long way in dictating the outcome of the game.
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
1. STICK TO THE STRENGTH
Until a defence proves they can stop them, look for Alexander to find Philpot in the air and feed running back Travis Theis on the ground. As the old saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Theis has scored a touchdown in six of his nine games this season and has exceeded 100 yards rushing in three of his last four games.
2. EVERYTHING’S EARNED
Montreal has taken 70 penalties on the season, which is the seventh most league-wide. When a team can execute in all three phases as well as the Als, they key is limiting self-inflicted damage.
3. READY TO GO
Coming off a bye against the winless REDBLACKS, the Alouettes can't afford to take their opponent lightly. Head coach Jason Maas’ team has to come out with energy against a team hungry for a victory.
NEED TO KNOW:
REDBLACKS quarterback Jake Maier is a career 1-5-1 against Montreal. He has passed for 300+ yards in his past four games.
Montreal has scored at least 30 points in six straight.
Under Jason Maas, Montreal is 8-2 off a bye and 24-7 overall against East opponents.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, and can be watched on TSN/RDS in Canada, on CBSSN in the U.S., or CFL+ internationally.