Winnipeg sports news: the Montreal Alouettes are not losing sleep over who starts at quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Saturday’s East Final, and head coach Jason Maas said so plainly on Friday in Montreal: whether it is Zach Collaros or Dru Brown under centre, the Alouettes will be ready.
By Maplestime Sports Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | November 6, 2026
Sources: The Canadian Press via TSN, 3DownNation | Last updated: November 6, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Montreal head coach Jason Maas says the Alouettes are prepared for either Zach Collaros or Dru Brown in Saturday’s East Final.
- Collaros sat atop Winnipeg’s quarterback depth chart in Friday’s roster release but remains a game time decision with a rib injury.
- Collaros told reporters he would love to play and would say he is ready no matter how he feels.
- All signs point to Brown getting the start, though head coach Mike O’Shea has until 30 minutes before kickoff to decide.
- Montreal is favoured by 8.5 points at Percival Molson Stadium, where the Alouettes went undefeated at home this season.
Maas: Montreal Will Be Ready Either Way
Maas brushed off the uncertainty around Winnipeg’s quarterback, calling it mind games he does not think much about. “I know what (Collaros) has done for that franchise, and I think if there’s an ounce that he could play, he’s going to be listed as the starter,” Maas said. “We’ll be ready to play their offence. I can assure you that.”
Alouettes defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund was just as blunt. “We don’t care,” the 30 year old from Dartmouth, N.S., said. “You still gotta win the game. Dru’s won them two really tough games. Both playoff games, when you think about it. It’s just outside noise. That’s for them. For us, we’re just focusing on playing Montreal Alouettes football.”
Collaros Wants In, Brown Waits
Collaros was supposed to appear alone at Friday’s pregame news conference as Winnipeg’s starting quarterback. Brown ended up joining him on the podium instead, which says plenty about where this decision stands.
“We’ll see how tomorrow goes, how the rest of the day goes,” Collaros said. “I would love to be out there, so if they give the opportunity, they ask me, I’m sure I would say I’m ready to go no matter how I feel.”
Collaros hurt his ribs in Winnipeg’s 34 to 10 win over the B.C. Lions on October 23 and has barely practised since. He was limited in Wednesday’s closed practice and sat out Thursday’s session, which he described as a maintenance kind of thing. He missed last week’s 25 to 22 East Semifinal win over Toronto, when Brown threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns and found Nic Demski for the 23 yard winner with 44 seconds left.
Related: Winnipeg Blue Bombers East Final: Zach Collaros Game Time Decision
Brown, the former Ottawa Redblacks starter, is waiting to learn whether he will get the chance to help Winnipeg become the first crossover team in CFL history to reach the Grey Cup. “A football game duration is like three, three and a half hours, roughly, and the only difference is I don’t know if I’ll play or not,” he said. “As long as you’re consistent in the way you prepare, whether you play or not, that helps me sleep well.”
O’Shea Keeps Montreal Guessing
O’Shea intends to keep Montreal guessing until the last second. “This is the way we’ve operated for a long time,” he said at Olympic Stadium. “You give a veteran player, especially of that calibre, every opportunity to play until he says he can’t.”
Why Montreal Is Favoured
No matter who starts for Winnipeg, Montreal has plenty of reasons to feel confident. The Alouettes led the CFL at 14 wins and 4 losses, including an undefeated 9 and 0 record at home, and most sportsbooks list them as 8.5 point favourites. Quarterback Davis Alexander and receiver Tyson Philpot won the league’s outstanding player and outstanding Canadian awards after leading an offence that topped the CFL in yardage. On defence, Montreal gave up the second fewest points per game at 25.4.
Winnipeg finished 10 and 9, scoring the third fewest points in the league at 26.5 per game while allowing the fifth most at 27.3.
Star running back Brady Oliveira even suggested the Bombers are playing with house money and pinned the pressure on the Alouettes. Alexander was happy to take it on. “We’ve been the favourite in every single game all year besides one in B.C.,” he said. “If that’s what pressure is, we will take on pressure.”
Maas agreed. “I could care less what Brady… I honestly couldn’t care less what they think,” he said. “Our expectation is to go out and win. We have to play extremely well to do that. We know it’s going to be a dogfight.”
How They Got Here
Montreal has East Final demons to exorcise at home. In 2024, the Alouettes also clinched an early bye to the division final, then fell to visiting Toronto after committing six turnovers.
The Bombers have already proven they can beat this Montreal team, handing the Alouettes their first loss of the season on August 28 when Collaros threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns in a 44 to 28 home win. Montreal answered with a 37 to 10 rout at Percival Molson Stadium on October 3, when Brown completed 11 of 16 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown.
Kickoff is Saturday at 3 p.m. ET at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, live on TSN, CTV and RDS in Canada and CFL+ internationally.
Maplestime will provide updates from the East Final as announcements are made.
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Do you think O’Shea is playing mind games with the quarterback call, or is Collaros genuinely that close to playing? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Canadian following the CFL playoffs this weekend.
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