Davis Alexander is the league’s most convincing quarterback

Davis Alexander has been the best quarterback in the CFL this year. He’s led the Alouettes to a 13–4 record, good for first in the East. So what has made this season so special? Let’s dive into the numbers.

Where he ranks

Alexander leads all starters at +0.29 EPA (expected points added) per dropback. Nathan Rourke is second at +0.22, and nobody else is above +0.14.

He also leads in success rate, completion, interception rate and sack rate. Learn the stats

2026 (starters with 150+ dropbacks, leader in bold)

Last season, those five categories had four different leaders:

2025

How big this season is

Rourke had the best season in the league last year at +0.19. This year that would rank second, and a long way behind Alexander.

What makes it more impressive is how much more he’s playing. Alexander was hurt for much of 2025 and played only 9 games. This year he’s played 16 of Montreal’s 17. You’d expect his numbers to drop over a full season, since a few great games count for less and defences get more film on him. The opposite has happened.

He’s also throwing far fewer interceptions: 7 in 9 games last year, only 4 in 16 games this year. And his regular plays have gotten better. His success rate (the share of dropbacks that leave Montreal better off) jumped 5 points, from 51% to 56%, the best in the league.

Why turnovers matter so much

An interception is the most costly play a quarterback can make. This season the average interception costs −4.6 EPA, and the average completion that isn’t a touchdown is worth +0.72. So one interception wipes out about six completions. A sack costs about −2.0, close to two incompletions in a row.

That’s where Alexander pulls away. Here’s how much each top quarterback has lost to interceptions and sacks this year:

Look at the last column. Leave out interceptions and sacks, and Rourke and Kelly are actually better than Alexander on the rest of their plays. Kelly’s 24 interceptions have cost Toronto 119 expected points, about six times what Alexander’s four have cost Montreal.

So Alexander isn’t the best because every throw is better than everyone else’s. He’s the best because he almost never gives the ball away. Montreal has figured out the simplest rule in Canadian football: don’t give the ball away.

When it matters

• Red zone: +0.80 EPA per dropback, with 20 touchdowns on 51 dropbacks. Next best is Adams Jr. at +0.49.
• 2nd and long (7+ yards to go): +0.32, best in the league. That’s usually the last chance to keep a drive alive before the punt.

Where others have the edge

Take out interceptions and sacks and Rourke and Kelly come out ahead of Alexander, as the table above shows. They just get there in different ways.

Kelly is the most aggressive passer in the league. His average throw travels 11.6 yards in the air, the deepest of any starter, and 15.2% of his throws go for 20 yards or more, slightly ahead of Alexander’s 14.7%. That aggression doesn’t always pay off, though. It’s a big part of why he’s thrown 24 interceptions.

Rourke gets more out of each throw. He averages 10.4 yards per attempt, the most in the league, and his receivers pick up more yards after the catch than anyone else’s. He’s also been the most consistent week to week, with a positive EPA game in 14 of 15 games to Alexander’s 13 of 16.

Rourke and Kelly can match Alexander on a good play. Nobody matches him on the bad ones, because he barely has any.

Numbers are for 2026 through Week 20. Kneels and plays wiped out by penalties are left out. 2025 is missing two games (HAM vs TOR, MTL vs OTT).