The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes meet Sunday in the CFL Division Semifinals at Molson Stadium. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are riding a 4-game winning streak. The Montreal Alouettes have won 5 of their last 7 games.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have lost 5 of their last 7 road games. Dane Evans is completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 3,883 yards, 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Tim White and Steven Dunbar have combined for 2,265 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns, while Bralon Addison has 43 receptions. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats ground game is averaging 91.6 yards per contest, and Wes Hills leads the way with 384 yards and 1 touchdown. Defensively, Hamilton is allowing 26.3 points and 348.1 yards per game. Jovan Santos-Knox leads the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with 105 tackles, Julian Howsare has 7 sacks and Kameron Kelly has 5 interceptions.
The Montreal Alouettes have lost 5 of their last 8 home games. Trevor Harris is completing 71.6 percent of his passes for 4,157 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Eugene Lewis and Reggie White Jr. have combined for 2,025 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, while Jake Wieneke has 45 receptions. The Montreal Alouettes ground game is averaging 93.2 yards per contest, and Jeshrun Antwi leads the way with 600 yards on 106 carries. Defensively, Montreal is allowing 25.9 points and 361.5 yards per game. Wes Sutton leads the Montreal Alouettes with 79 tackles, Mike Moore has 6 sacks and Marc-Antoine Dequoy has 4 interceptions.
The Tiger-Cats are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 Division Semifinals games and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 vs. East. The Alouettes are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 playoff games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 playoff home games. The under is 17-8 in Tiger-Cats last 25 road games. The under is 5-2 in Alouettes last 7 games overall. The over is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings in Montreal. The under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
A case can be made for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, considering they're playing their best ball of the season right now. However, the Montreal Alouettes have won 2 of the 3 meetings against the Tiger-Cats this season, and the home team has won the last 4 meetings and 6 of the last 9 meetings overall. Home field matters in the playoffs, and the Alouettes should have a packed house for this one. It won't be easy given the hit or miss play from Montreal's offense, but I like the home team to squeeze one out.
