Tiger-Cats try to snap out of funk vs. Alouettes

Mired in a slump that began more than a month ago, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will try to turn their fortunes around when they host the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday in the regular-season finale.

The Ticats have lost four of their last five, and five of their last seven, but are still locked into the No. 2 seed in the East. They'll host the West Division's lowest-seeded team in the Eastern Semifinal next week.

The Alouettes, meanwhile, come into this one five games below the .500 mark, and are guaranteed to miss the playoffs for a second straight season. However, the Als are riding a two-game winning streak, which coincides with rookie quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. taking over as the team's starter.

The Oregon product is a combined 22-of-38 for 283 yards with one touchdown and one interception in his two starts.

Montreal hasn't exactly been lighting up the scoreboard with Adams leading the huddle, though. The Als have scored just 36 points over the last two weeks, forcing interim coach Jacques Chapdelaine to rely on his defence to beat Saskatchewan and Calgary.

On the other side, Hamilton has had no problem scoring points of late - with or without star quarterback Zach Collaros, who missed multiple games due to a concussion during the Ticats' skid.

Collaros returned to the lineup last week and went 26-for-40 with 273 yards and a score in a losing effort versus Edmonton.

The outcome of this contest won't affect the CFL playoff picture, but you can bet Hamilton wants to go into the playoffs on a high note, while Chapdelaine wants to convince management he deserves to have the interim label dropped from his job title.