The Montreal Alouettes are bringing one of the CFL’s best-ever pass rushers back into the lineup for the first round of the playoffs.
Shawn Lemon, who was re-signed by the Alouettes in July after being suspended for more than a year with a gambling violation and later banned substance infraction, will make his return to the lineup after last playing in Week 14. The 37-year-old played in five games this year, recording seven defensive tackles and a sack, but has been a healthy scratch since early September.
The move comes as defensive end Lwal Uguak is a game-time decision with an ankle issue and the Alouettes lose defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson to a shoulder injury suffered in the regular-season finale. The 26-year-old has made nine defensive tackles and two sacks in seven games this year since returning from injury. Dylan Wynn will start in his place and rookie Kori Roberson Jr. will dress as insurance.
East Division all-star receiver Tyler Snead (shoulder), right guard Donald Ventrelli (ankle), cornerback Lorenzo Burns (load management), and returner James Letcher Jr. will all be back in the lineup after sitting out the finale, while Canadian running back Sean Thomas-Erlington (neck) is returning to the fold in a backup capacity after sitting out since Week 14. Veteran offensive lineman Landon Rice will dress as a backup after being signed earlier this week.
Out for the the first round of the playoffs with injury is defensive back Ciante Evans (ankle), while receiver Alexander Hollins and offensive lineman Jesse Gibbon are healthy scratches. Defensive back Robert Kennedy III, linebacker Riley MacLeod, running back Tiyon Evans, and offensive lineman Des Holmes have been placed on the practice roster.
The Montreal Alouettes (10-8) will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-8) in the East Semi-Final at Percival Molson Stadium on Saturday, November 1 with kickoff slated for 2:00 p.m. EDT. The two teams met at Princess Auto Stadium in the final week of the regular season as the Blue Bombers came away with a 19-10 victory.
The weather forecast in Montreal calls for a high of 8 degrees with mainly cloudy conditions. The game will be broadcast on TSN, RDS, and CTV in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and TSN 690 in Montreal.
Graphic courtesy: Montreal Alouettes
