Als headed to 113th Grey Cup after win over Bombers in Eastern Final presented by Wegovy®

MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes are headed to Calgary to play for the 113th Grey Cup.

Quarterback Davis Alexander showed out in the team's 2026 playoff opener, throwing for 373 yards and leading Montreal to a 33-23 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Eastern Final presented by Wegovy® on Saturday at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.

The Most Outstanding Player completed 23 of 35 passes with two touchdowns, powering an Alouettes offence that overwhelmed Winnipeg through the air. Tyson Philpot added 129 receiving yards on nine receptions, while Charleston Rambo contributed 117 yards as Montreal booked its third Grey Cup appearance in four seasons.

The Als weathered a late Bombers push, with Tyrice Beverette delivering the game's biggest defensive play, stripping Zach Collaros late in the fourth quarter to halt a potential go-ahead drive. The Bombers quarterback was cleared to play after entering Saturday's matchup as a game-time decision, but Montreal's defence limited him to 228 passing yards and no touchdowns.

Mekhi Mews set the tone for the Alouettes with a 40-yard return on the opening kickoff. Later in the drive, Alexander looked for a big play on second down, but Willie Jefferson tracked him down to force a José Maltos Díaz field goal.

The Bombers passed on a pair of field-goal attempts from near 50 yards, opting to pin Montreal deep, but Jamieson Sheahan's second punt sailed out of bounds before reaching the 20-yard line. Alexander took advantage, finding Rambo for a 48-yard catch down the sideline before Stevie Scott III powered into the end zone.

Alexander came up clutching his throwing hand after hitting Michael Fletcher on his follow-through late in the first quarter, but the MOP didn't miss a snap, returning to help Montreal turn a Brady Oliveira fumble into another field goal.

Midway through the second, Trey Vaval's 29-yard punt return helped spark Winnipeg's first points of the game. Oliveira added 29 yards to his first-half rushing total of 71 to put the Bombers in field-goal range, and Sergio Castillo converted from 25 yards out.

Montreal responded quickly with five consecutive completions from Alexander, who covered 67 yards through the air before finding offensive lineman Donny Ventrelli for the big man's second receiving touchdown in 2026.

Vaval returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to give Winnipeg good starting field position. Collaros connected with Tim White near the goal line before Bryce Perkins finished the march with a sneak from the one-yard line.

Alexander rounded out his 240-yard first half with a field-goal drive to make it a 23-10 game at the break.

The pace slowed after halftime, with the teams trading field goals and punts through the third quarter. Philpot joined Rambo with over 100 receiving yards, but Winnipeg's defence kept Alexander and company out of the end zone. Vaval continued to give the Bombers good field position, but Collaros struggled to move the ball through the air, entering the final drive of the third with just 87 passing yards.

Winnipeg broke through on the first play of the fourth quarter, with Perkins punching in his second touchdown of the game. A 20-yard pass-interference penalty helped the drive, and Collaros connected with Nic Demski for 19 and 23 yards on back-to-back plays to move Winnipeg into scoring position.

A quick Montreal punt gave Winnipeg a chance to take its first lead. Collaros moved the Bombers to the edge of the red zone, but missed Demski on a potential go-ahead touchdown before Winnipeg settled for a field goal to make it 26-23.

The Als looked to respond, but a holding penalty wiped out Tyler Snead's 35-yard catch-and-run, forcing the Als to kick it away with eight minutes remaining in the three-point game.

Dorian Singer jump-started Winnipeg's ensuing drive with a pair of big gains on second down to move the Bombers into field-goal range, but Beverette came in clutch for Montreal. He slipped past a Demski block, punched the ball out of Collaros' hands, and recovered the fumble himself to halt Winnipeg's momentum.

Montreal leaned on its ground game to run down the clock, with Scott picking up 20 yards on three carries and Alexander adding 17 on two. Philpot also moved the chains with an 18-yard catch on second down before Snead sealed the win, ducking under coverage and picking a pass off the turf in the end zone.

Oliveira finished with 105 yards on 14 carries in the loss, while Evan Holm recorded a game-high 11 tackles and Vaval totalled 237 yards on returns as the Bombers saw their season come to an end.

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SCORING PLAYS

• José Maltos Díaz 40-yard field goal (12:06, Q1) | MTL 3 WPG 0

• Stevie Scott III three-yard touchdown run (3:37, Q1) | MTL 10 WPG 0

• José Maltos Díaz 35-yard field goal (11:15, Q2) | MTL 13 WPG 0

• Sergio Castillo 25-yard field goal (5:35, Q2) | MTL 13 WPG 3

• Davis Alexander eight-yard touchdown pass to Donny Ventrelli (2:30, Q2) | MTL 20 WPG 3

• Bryce Perkins one-yard touchdown run (1:28, Q2) | MTL 20 WPG 10

• José Maltos Díaz 28-yard field goal (0:06, Q2) | MTL 23 WPG 10

• Sergio Castillo 38-yard field goal (12:14, Q3) | MTL 23 WPG 13

• José Maltos Díaz 41-yard field goal (8:03, Q3) | MTL 26 WPG 13

• Bryce Perkins one-yard touchdown run (14:37, Q4) | MTL 26 WPG 20

• Sergio Castillo 30-yard field goal (10:18, Q4) | MTL 26 WPG 23

• Davis Alexander 21-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Snead (1:11, Q4) | MTL 33 WPG 23

NEXT UP

The Montreal Alouettes advance to the 113th Grey Cup in Calgary and await the winner of the Western Final presented by Wegovy®. They reach the final stage for the second year in a row and the third time in four years, with a chance to take home the hardware for the first time since 2023.