Montreal is a better team than perceived and the Alouettes catch the Eskimos in a sandwich spot. So the timing is good to back Montreal catching this many points.

Edmonton is coming off an upset road victory against British Columbia to open the season. The Eskimos are in letdown mode and also in a look-ahead spot as they host Grey Cup champion Ottawa the following week. Edmonton has failed to cover in seven of its last 10 home games.

The Alouettes have had a good defense the past several years. That hasn't changed. But now Montreal has upgraded its offense bringing in veteran quarterback Darian Durant, rebuilding its offensive line and adding highly-coveted free agent receiver Ernest Jackson. The Alouettes also are flying charter now to their road games instead of commerical.

Durant isn't spectacular, but he knows how to manage a game. He's healthy from a knee injury that caused him to miss time during training camp. Durant had a QB rating of 108.7 in leading Montreal past Saskatchewan opening week. He'll face an Eskimos defense down two starting linebackers, including defensive captain JC Sherritt.

Montreal has won and covered its past four away games.