Montreal's playoff seeding could be sealed before the Alouettes visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the regular-season finale on Saturday afternoon. Despite that potential scenario, the Alouettes (10-7) are planning to start quarterback Davis Alexander against the Blue Bombers (9-8) no matter how the standings shake out. If Hamilton defeats Ottawa on Friday night, the Tiger-Cats (10-7) would clinch the No. 1 seed in the East Division because they hold the tiebreaker over Montreal. The Alouettes would be locked into the No. 2 spot before Saturday's kickoff. Alexander is a perfect 7-0 as a starter this season but has missed 10 games due to injury, so coach Jason Maas wants him to stay sharp. "I've said this before: He isn't a five-year vet in terms of playing five straight seasons. He needs to play, and he needs to play a lot -- especially against an opponent we may face in the playoffs," Maas said. The Blue Bombers also have clinched a playoff spot but face an even more uncertain future. They can finish no higher than third in the West Division, but a fourth-place finish would see them cross over to the East as the No. 3 seed. Winnipeg is 6-2 at home and coming off a 17-16 win against Saskatchewan. Montreal is 6-2 on the road and riding a five-game winning streak, including back-to-back victories against Ottawa. The Blue Bombers won the first meeting 26-13 on Aug. 21 in Montreal, one of the games Alexander missed. Winnipeg's Zach Collaros completed 27 of 31 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown and Brady Oliveira rushed for 137 yards and a score. Oliveira was named the team's Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian for a third straight season earlier this week. "My main focus is just about winning a Grey Cup," Oliveira said. "That's my motivation. When I'm training my behind off in the offseason and grinding throughout the season, my main focus is winning the Grey Cup." --Field Level Media (The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
