Montreal Alouettes' Eugene Lewis, right, is tackled by Ottawa Redblacks' Chris Randle during a game in Montreal on Aug. 2, 2019.Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
Having already clinched a playoff spot, the Montreal Alouettes are looking at the final three games of the year as a postseason tune-up.
The Alouettes (8-7) play host to the Toronto Argonauts (3-12) on Friday in a game with no bearing on the CFL standings.
Montreal is guaranteed to finish second in the East Division behind the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (12-3). Toronto and the Ottawa Redblacks have already been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
“We should keep playing like we’re not in the playoffs,” Alouettes wide receiver Eugene Lewis said on Wednesday. “You have to stay hungry. You can’t get complacent. You can’t get comfortable. Once you get comfortable, that’s when things start going downhill.
“The playoffs come when the playoffs come. We have to finish the last three games of the season.”
After Friday’s clash with Toronto, Montreal travels to Hamilton next week before welcoming the Redblacks to Percival Molson Stadium in the season finale.
The Als, who will make their first playoff appearance since 2014, will play host to the fourth-place finisher in the West Division in the East semi-final on Nov. 10.
Coach Khari Jones says he does not want to tamper with the successful blueprint that got the Alouettes into the playoffs. He has no intention of resting too many starters or playing his backups.
Meanwhile, the players say the final three games are about making adjustments, staying focused and finding consistency.
“Even if these games seem meaningless because they won’t change anything in the standings, we really need them,” linebacker Henoc Muamba said. “Last week, we made mistakes that we need to correct. We need these three games to get better.
“I truly believe we have all the pieces in our dressing room. Now it’s about getting on the same page and communicating well.”
The Alouettes are coming off a tough 35-24 loss in Winnipeg against the Blue Bombers last week. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. had one of his worst games of the season, throwing four interceptions in the second half and fumbling once.
Montreal has lost three of its past five after a three-game win streak.
“We hate losing,” said Lewis, who enters Friday’s game with 937 receiving yards. “We have to get that taste out of our mouth. You learn a lot after you lose, you look at the things you could have done better. The things we did wrong, we can’t do them again this next game.
“Personally, I’m a sore loser. And there are other sore losers on this team. We’ll never accept or get used to losing.”
The end of a difficult season can’t come soon enough for a Toronto side that won the Grey Cup just two years ago.
The Argos are coming off a rare victory after they defeated the last-place Redblacks 28-21 last week. The win snapped a three-game losing skid.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson will get the start at quarterback with James Franklin and Dakota Prukop serving as backups. The Argonauts, who have a new general manager in Michael (Pinball) Clemons, need to decide who will be the team’s starter next year.
Bethel-Thompson threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns in Toronto’s win over Ottawa.
“They have jobs to play for. They have pride to play for,” Adams said of Friday’s opponents. “They don’t want to just go out and let anybody walk all over them. They’re going to be playing hard. They want to get us off our groove.”