Montreal Alouettes Beat Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33-23 in East Final to Reach Second Straight Grey Cup

The Montreal Alouettes beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33-23 in the CFL East Final at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in Montreal on Saturday, November 7, 2026.

The win sends Montreal to the 113th Grey Cup. It is the second straight Grey Cup appearance for the Alouettes and their third in four years.

Montreal built the lead early. The Alouettes led 10-0 after the first quarter and 23-10 at half time after a 13-point second quarter. Winnipeg scored three points in the third quarter and Montreal added three, so the score stood at 26-13 entering the fourth quarter.

Winnipeg, which had trailed 20-3 late in the second quarter, came back late. The Blue Bombers cut the margin to three points late in the fourth quarter and reached field goal range with a chance to tie or take the lead.

Montreal stopped that drive with one play. Tyrice Beverette strip-sacked Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros, ending the threat and giving Montreal the ball back.

On the drive that followed, Tyler Snead sealed the win. Snead made a diving catch for a 21-yard touchdown from Davis Alexander with 1:16 left in the fourth quarter. The score pushed the final margin to 33-23.

Alexander leads Montreal

Davis Alexander completed 23 of 35 passes for 373 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed five times for 25 yards.

Alexander was named the CFL Most Outstanding Player earlier this week, per Sportsnet. His passing total was the highest by either quarterback in the game, and his two touchdown passes included the late throw to Snead that closed the game.

The quarter scores were Winnipeg 0, 10, 3 and 10, and Montreal 10, 13, 3 and 7, for the 33-23 final. The crowd at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium was 23,035.

Winnipeg rally falls short

Zach Collaros finished 21 of 27 for 228 yards for Winnipeg. Brady Oliveira rushed 14 times for 105 yards.

Winnipeg trailed 23-10 before its late push, then scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to get within three. The Blue Bombers were in field goal range when Beverette made the strip sack on Collaros, and Montreal scored on the next drive to end the comeback.

Winnipeg entered the playoffs as a crossover team. With playoff rules set to change next year, Winnipeg is the last crossover team in league history, and no crossover team has ever reached the Grey Cup, per 3DownNation.

What comes next

Montreal finished the regular season 14-4, the best record in the league.

The Alouettes will face the winner of the West Final between the Edmonton Elks and the B.C. Lions in the Grey Cup. That West Final was still in progress when this game ended, so Montreal's opponent was not known on Saturday night.

The 113th Grey Cup is scheduled for Sunday, November 15 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, with kickoff at 6:00 p.m. ET.

For Montreal, the result extends a run that now includes three Grey Cup trips in four years. For Winnipeg, the season ends in the East Final after the crossover run took the Blue Bombers to the last minutes of the conference final before the strip sack and the Snead touchdown settled the game.