‘Come on over to Montreal’: Alexander set for playoff start in East semi vs. Bombers

MONTREAL — Athletes often regurgitate the same line about blocking out outside noise come playoff time. Davis Alexander doesn’t shy away from it.

So when Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive lineman Willie Jefferson said this week that he planned to walk into Montreal, hand Alexander his first loss and “kick their door in” in Saturday’s CFL East Division semifinal — you can be sure the Alouettes quarterback heard it.

“I love it,” Alexander said Friday at Olympic Stadium. “It’s only gonna make us more fired up.

“We see everything they say. We don’t really try to pay much attention to it, (but) I know when I go back home, I go and look for that type of stuff.”

Alexander then threw it back at Jefferson, mimicking the defensive lineman’s trademark “C’mon down to Winnipeg” taunt.

“Bring Willie over, bring Winnipeg over,” Alexander said. “What does he say? ‘All right, come on down to Winnipeg?’ Come on over to Montreal. Let’s see what happens.”

Alexander will make his first CFL playoff start after going a perfect 11-0 as a starter in the regular season — including 7-0 this year — to set a league record for consecutive wins to begin a career.

It’s also the 27-year-old’s first taste of post-season action in a decade, having last played a playoff contest during his senior year of high school in 2015.

“It’s still football,” he said. “But obviously, if someone were to tell you that it’s not a little different, they’re a liar. It’s 60 minutes, do or die. There is no next week if you don’t do what you’re supposed to do. The good thing is my preparation has stayed the same.”

Alexander — who hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 120 pass attempts — threw for 2,024 yards at a 72 per cent clip with 10 touchdowns and three picks this season.

The Alouettes are a different team without the explosive QB, going 3-8 in his absence with a hamstring injury.

“Whether you’re looking at a first start in a professional career, your first training camp, there’s always a first,” head coach Jason Maas said. “Guys who have gotten to this point have done pretty well with pressure. That’s the way I look at it.”

The Bombers, meanwhile, have loads of playoff experience.

While Alexander prepares for his first playoff game at Molson Stadium, his counterpart Zach Collaros will make his ninth appearance — not including Grey Cup games — as the Blue Bombers begin their quest for a sixth straight championship final.

It’s their first divisional semifinal since 2019, and for the first time, they’ll go through the East as a crossover after finishing fourth in the West at 10-8.

History hasn’t been kind to crossover teams, who are 0-for-12 in reaching the Grey Cup, but star Canadian running back Brady Oliveira has adopted a “Why not us?” attitude.

“I totally stand on that,” Oliveira said. “We have the right group of guys in the locker room to get it done.”

Added Collaros: “I think we’d all be lying to you (if we said) we hadn’t thought about how cool it would be to make that kind of a run.”

The Bombers swept the season series with Montreal 2-0, though last week’s 19-10 win featured no Alexander and plenty of backups.

In the other meeting, Oliveira tore through Montreal’s defence for 210 yards from scrimmage in a 26-13 win over the Alexander-less Alouettes on Aug. 21 after injuries to Winnipeg receivers Nic Demski and Jerreth Sterns.

The Alouettes boast one of the league’s best defences, but ranked sixth in opponent rushing yards (103.1) this season.

“We need to stop the run. It’s an explosive offence,” Montreal safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy said. “It’s one of their strengths, with also a quarterback who is a veteran in Collaros. So we’re aware that we need to stop the run, and we can’t let the offence gain momentum with big plays on the ground.”

Oliveira will be the focal point again Saturday. Demski, a Canadian receiver who led Winnipeg with 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns this season, is a game-time decision with a hamstring injury.

“I’ll give him as long as he needs,” Bombers coach Mike O’Shea said. “With a veteran like that, that’s that good an athlete, we’ve got a window that we can use and we will use that window to see whether or not he can play.”

Defensive end Lwal Uguak (ankle) is a game-time decision for the Alouettes, and defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson is out with a shoulder injury. Veteran lineman Shawn Lemon, who hasn’t played since Week 14, is back in the lineup.

And for the first time against the Bombers, outside a couple of quarters last season, Alexander will be under centre.

“I hope he’s ready to go out there and play four quarters of football, because I’m ready to play four quarters of football,” Jefferson said. “We’re ready to come in and handle business.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2025.