The Toronto Argonauts will be out to clinch first place in the East Division on Saturday afternoon when they visit the Montreal Alouettes.
The Alouettes (8-8) must win Saturday and defeat the Argonauts (10-6) again in the return game at Toronto on Oct. 29 to take first.
Toronto won the first game between the teams this season 20-19 on June 16.
“It’s business as usual,” Alouettes quarterback Trevor Harris said. “We’ve been in playoff mode since we hit the 2-6 mark. We had a team meeting, we took it one week at a time, it’s a one-week season. Our goal every week is to be 1-0 this week. We can’t win two games this week, we can’t win the East this week, but all we can do is give ourselves a chance the following week.”
The Alouettes will look different than they did in that first meeting. Running back William Stanback was not in the lineup, Vernon Adams Jr. was the starting quarterback and Khari Jones was the coach.
With the Alouettes off to a 1-3 start, general manager Danny Maciocia replaced Jones as interim coach and has a 7-5 record.
“It’s a nice turnaround,” Maciocia said. “It confirms what we’ve always said we have in the locker room. We’ve never doubted the personnel.”
Whichever team finishes first secures a berth and home field in the East final on Nov. 13.
“Home-field advantage, right?” Argonauts coach Ryan Dinwiddie said. “That’s why this game is so big, so we can get home-field advantage in the playoffs. It’s tough to win on the road especially these days so that’s why this game is so darn important.”
The Argonauts have won six of their past seven games.
Toronto linebacker and former Alouette Henoc Muamba, said the team’s confidence is “really high.”
“We like where we’re at and we’re still trying to continue to grow,” Muamba said.
Toronto will be without defensive lineman Fabion Foote (triceps) and defensive back Tigie Sankoh (biceps) Saturday.
Montreal will be without defensive back Zach Lindley (hip), receiver Reggie White Jr. (knee) and offensive lineman Sean Jamieson (knee).
–Field Level Media