Hamilton Tiger-Cats succumb to self-inflicted wounds in loss to Alouettes (& six other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Minas Panagiotakis/CFL.ca

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats fell to 3-4 on the 2026 campaign with a 31-18 loss to the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday night. Somehow the game was much closer than the score indicated, while Hamilton still looked to be hanging on by a thread throughout the night.

Too many mistakes from Hamilton, while also not capitalizing on the Alouettes’ mistakes, ended their chances of an upset bid on the road in Week 8. There were some positives, though, and Hamilton can build on them moving forward.

What were the key takeaways from the game in Montreal?

DECEPTION

Typically, you will see teams use a one-returner set on punt return. Teams often punt the ball to the boundary– for example, when the ball is on the left hashmark, you punt left. Lone returners will typically cheat to the boundary side before the snap. When there is one returner, punting to the field side gives the punting unit the advantage. Because there are so many punts to the boundary, teams will set up their returns to the boundary.

Hamilton switched it up and deployed two returners in the first quarter. One was Isaiah Wooden Sr. (boundary side) and the other was Myron Mitchell (field side). Situationally, the Ticats did this because Montreal had the ball at the Hamilton 54-yard line. Any punt that goes 34 yards or further out of bounds pins the Ticats deep into their own end. If Hamilton sets up one returner to the boundary side, a punt to the field side makes it difficult for the Ticats returner to get to the ball and then get a solid return. Hamilton decided to force Montreal’s hand. You will not see a team punt the ball to the field side if a returner is set up there. Teams punt to the boundary to condense the field with more bodies and make it more difficult to open return lanes.

The deception comes in from the off-returner, Myron Mitchell. The returner not receiving the ball has one of three options: don’t do anything, immediately see the ball is going elsewhere and set a block, or fake returning the ball.

Option one will not make any football coach happy, so realistically there are only two options. The first can be beneficial for a team. Setting a block the coverage team is not expecting can create a lane that typically will not be there. The second is what Myron Mitchell went for, and it worked to perfection.

By faking the return, it keeps the coverage team honest. When you are running down the field on the punt coverage unit, you do not know exactly where the ball is going to land until just before it lands in the returner’s hands. When you see both returners lining up to field the ball, you need to stay on your toes. Even if you call for a punt to go to the boundary, sometimes the punter mishits it, or it could have taken a slight deflection in the backfield. In the end, you must trust your eyes and what is in front of you.

Montreal’s coverage team did the right thing, with a few players pursuing the fake return setup by Mitchell. This allowed fewer bodies in the coverage lanes to the boundary. So now with three Alouettes surrounding Mitchell, in a smaller area of the field, Wooden did not have to deal with an extra three bodies. He bounced off a few tackles and then won a foot race for a 100-yard punt return touchdown.

It was perfectly executed in both respects for Hamilton. A fake return that pulled bodies away and an explosive returner who made the most of his opportunity. Sometimes big returns come from great athletes; sometimes they come from exemplary execution. This one came from both.

DISCIPLINE

The vibe of this game from the jump was that of a heated playoff game. Emotions seemed to run hot on both sides throughout the game, and both teams took their share of penalties that put them behind the eight-ball on Sunday.

Hamilton saw Wynton McManis ejected in the third quarter, three plays into Montreal’s first possession of the second half. This put the Alouettes on the one-yard line on the drive following Hamilton’s first offensive touchdown of the game.

Yards were difficult to come by in the opening half for the Ticats. To have this transpire after a great drive by Tre Ford let some air out of Hamilton’s tires. Most importantly, this was a horrible penalty to take. There was no reason for it. McManis had been rolled up on by an Alouettes offensive lineman, and while he remained on the turf, McManis pushed his leg into his shoulder/head area. It was not a kick, but it was needless and accomplished nothing.

This was after Jordan Crooks had been called earlier in the game for pushing an Alouettes player down after they had already been out of bounds. Another needless and unnecessary play to make for the Tiger-Cats. While the Crooks penalty ended in Hamilton intercepting Montreal at the end of the first half, the result could have been worse.

The final penalty to call out was in the fourth quarter. With 2:46 to go in the game, Montreal led Hamilton 20-18. The Tiger-Cats had a second-and-10 from their own 25-yard line. Tre Ford scrambled to his right and had two defenders bearing down on him. Ford was somehow able to connect with Kurleigh Gittens Jr. at the Montreal 53-yard line. The problem? Hamilton only had six players on the line of scrimmage.

The Ticats ran the play with three receivers to Ford’s right. Keric Wheatfall, Myron Mitchell and Gittens Jr. lined up on that side of the ball. None of them lined up on the line of scrimmage, and with no tight end, the play was negated and incurred a five-yard penalty. An incompletion on the following play would force Hamilton to punt.

Instead of being a first down away from attempting a go-ahead field goal, the Ticats missed an opportunity because of a basic procedure that is taught to minor football players. I don’t know who is at fault for not lining up correctly, but at this level, in this moment with a chance to win the game, the Tiger-Cats failed an every-play task.

In total, the Tiger-Cats took 11 penalties for 116 yards while Montreal had two penalties for 14 yards. Facing a one-loss divisional opponent, Hamilton did not do themselves any favours. This will need to be cleaned up next week when the Ticats host the Calgary Stampeders.

PROBLEMS PROTECTING

We will dive into the play of the Ticats offence in total in a moment; however, Tre Ford was not given any additional help from his pass protection. On Montreal’s first sack of the game, Geoffrey Cantin-Arku came clean off the edge. Hamilton’s starting left tackle Trevor Reid did not even get a hand on Cantin-Arku, who hauled down Ford with ease.

The more frustrating sack as a viewer was the second one. Ford had space to his right to escape the pocket and create, which is what he does best. However, Mustafa Johnson ran right past Nate Dumoulin-Duguay and evaded a block attempt by Kurleigh Gittens Jr. Instead of the Ticats being able to create, Ford was bogged down and not able to escape.

This also manifested in the early part of the game when running the football. Simply put, the Tiger-Cats were dominated at the line of scrimmage by the Alouettes on Sunday night. I have typically spoken about how Hamilton needs to do more to establish a running game early on. To their credit, they tried this time. It just was not good. Larry Rountree III opened the game with three carries for three yards.

Again, the less you can lean on the run, the more you put on the plate of your quarterback. Hamilton did get better as the game wore on in finding their groove on the ground. Rountree’s following 10 carries went for 50 yards, with more than a handful of those coming at the end of both halves.

Back to the pass protection, Hamilton allowed a lot of pressure to fall onto Ford quickly. It was evident watching both offences operate that the Alouettes had a better ability to allow time for Davis Alexander in the pocket.

Ford did make up for it multiple times, breaking free to create more on the move. It does feel like the Tiger-Cats need some more synergy between Ford and the big guys up front, allowing him time to make a play.

FINDING FOOTING

With a win and a full week of practice under his belt, Tre Ford came into the game on as good of footing as he could. It was a slow build, but we saw the Tiger-Cats offence come alive in the second half. There was more confidence and a higher level of execution. Hamilton just could not convert the chances into points throughout the game.

As the game wore on, the risks got higher and higher from Ford. Ultimately, it resulted in two turnovers and a loss. The fumble could have been avoided by Ford realizing the play was doomed and giving himself up. Instead, he tried to fight for more yards, which is valiant, but caused the first turnover of the game from the Ticats. With players possessing Ford’s skill set, you typically live and die with the decisions. What drives you mad about a performance like this is that it was a split second away from being an incredible play.

The interception was in a moment that was too little and too late for Hamilton. Down by six following a Montreal field goal and a rouge, Ford stepped up in the pocket. While his eyes were looking to his left, he threw to his right. The pass was well over the intended target’s head and landed in the waiting arms of Robert Kennedy III. Something that Ford does well is get to his checkdowns, and on this play, an overconfidence resulted in an interception.

On Sunday, we also saw his inaccuracy come into play. More than a few times, Ford missed his receivers by a few yards. After being seven-for-seven in the opening half, Ford finished the game 15-for-23 for 164 yards, a touchdown, and a pick. He almost had another interception on the books during a scramble. It was dangerously close to being a turnover.

Overall, Ford gave the Ticats a chance to win and did put the offence in positions to score more than a few times. From what we have seen from Jake Dolegala, Ford continues to be the best option for Hamilton to attempt to win.

STRATEGIC DECISIONS

I liked the decision for Isaiah Wooden Sr. to allow the Montreal kickoff to roll into the end zone with two minutes remaining in the game.

After conceding a field goal and facing a five-point deficit, Jose Maltos Diaz kicked off to the Ticats. Wooden let the ball go before kneeling the play dead inside the end zone. While Hamilton gave up an additional point, two positives can come from this.

Had the ball caught a Ticats bounce, it would have rolled out of the end zone. That would not have given up a point and put Hamilton on their own 40-yard line. Instead, the Tiger-Cats gave up a single and still start at their own 40-yard line. Needing a touchdown regardless to win the game, giving up the point to get a guaranteed starting position 70 yards away from the end zone is a smart decision.

It is a safe gamble, but removes some of the weight from the offence to go on a game-winning drive. Despite the interception on the ensuing play, I like the strategy from Hamilton to put themselves in the best position possible. While it did not work tonight, it is a move they can keep in their back pocket moving forward.

UP NEXT

Hamilton returns home on Saturday, August 1, to take on the Calgary Stampeders. Calgary is fresh off a 52-30 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 8, which improved their record to 3-4 on the season. Both teams go into the game with identical records and are trying to keep pace in their respective divisions. Kickoff from Hamilton Stadium is set for 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Jack Moore is the play-by-play broadcaster of the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in the OUA and has been the colour commentator on the Yates Cup broadcast since 2024. He is a former Laurier football player and has previously coached minor football with the Durham Dolphins.