Alouettes rally in final three minutes to knock off Tiger-Cats

MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes extended their CFL winning streak to four games with a 31-18 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday, but head coach Jason Maas wasn’t entirely satisfied with his squad’s performance. “We had too many negative plays tonight,” said Maas. “We needed to hang on to the ball better. If we do, maybe it’s a different score there at the end. But, at the end of the day, a win is a win. I loved the fight from all the guys.” Montreal (6-1) trailed 18-17 with less than three minutes remaining before pulling away. Jose Maltos Diaz converted two field goals and added a single, before running back Travis Theis sealed the win with an eight-yard touchdown run with just 24 seconds left. “That’s a great football team (Tiger-Cats) over there,” said Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander. “We knew it was going to be tough.” Alexander completed 21 of 29 passes for 187 yards, marking the first time this season he failed to eclipse 300 passing yards. The 27-year-old also threw his first interception of the year, ending a CFL-record streak of 356 regular-season pass attempts without a pick. With the passing game held in check, Montreal leaned on Theis, who rushed for 156 yards and a touchdown for his second straight 100-yard performance. Both the Alouettes pivot and head coach were proud of the running back’s play of late. “He’s a stud,” said Alexander. “He comes ready to work every single day. He wants the football in his hands, which is super important. He doesn’t go down on first contact and he just keeps battling. He fits the mould of this team perfectly.” “He was great at just breaking through things and creating an extra explosion here and there,” added Maas. “He’s been doing that for us all year and the last two games, he’s just been spectacular.” Short-yardage quarterback Terry Wilson scored twice from the one-yard line in his Alouettes debut after signing with the club on July 6 following two seasons spent with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Fellow newcomer DeVonte Dedmon also made an immediate impact, totalling 100 kick-return yards in his first game with Montreal, much to Alexander’s delight. “He was very eager,” said Alexander. “He has talked about how much he loves the culture here and how he’s just super thankful to be here. We love him and are just super proud of him.” Hamilton quarterback Tre Ford completed 15 of 23 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown while throwing one interception. He was sacked three times in his second straight start for the injured Bo Levi Mitchell. “I thought we played well defensively for three quarters,” said Tiger-Cats head coach Scott Milanovich. “We’ve got to play better offensively. It’s my responsibility. We didn’t run the ball well. We didn’t protect well. We didn’t throw it well.” Montreal opened the scoring with a 17-yard Maltos Diaz field goal after Dedmon’s 33-yard kickoff return and consecutive 20-plus-yard runs by Theis set up the drive. Hamilton (3-4) answered immediately on special teams, as Isaiah Wooden Sr. returned a Joseph Zema punt 100 yards for his first touchdown of the season. It was the first punt-return touchdown allowed by Montreal since Aug. 4, 2022. The Alouettes regained the lead early in the second quarter on an 11-play drive capped by Wilson’s one-yard touchdown run. Ford put Hamilton back in front to open the second half, connecting with Kenny Lawler on a 33-yard touchdown pass. The momentum quickly swung back in Montreal’s favour after Hamilton was flagged for back-to-back penalties totalling 31 yards, including a 21-yard roughing penalty that resulted in linebacker Wynton McManis’ ejection. Wilson capitalized moments later with his second one-yard touchdown. McManis’ ejection opened up opportunities for others on the Hamilton defence to take charge. “Whenever you lose somebody like Wynn, he’s the vocal guy, the energy guy,” said Hamilton linebacker Jordan Crook. “He makes it go for us on defence. With him going down, I just kind of looked at it as an opportunity to go out there and be able to use my voice a little more.” Maas sympathized with the loss of Hamilton’s defensive leader. “I don’t like to see anybody in our league kicked out, particularly a player of his stature and what he means to their team,” said Maas. “Rules are rules and, obviously, they ruled on that and you just got to live with that.” Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made his lone field goal attempt from 46 yards late in the third quarter before Montreal’s 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. The victory moved the Alouettes six points clear of both Hamilton and Toronto atop the East Division while also securing the season series and tiebreaker over the Tiger-Cats. UP NEXT Tiger-Cats: Host the Calgary Stampeders (3-4) on Saturday. Alouettes: Visit the Ottawa Redblacks (0-6) on Friday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2026. Jordan Stoopler, The Canadian Press