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"We're going to go out, put it all on the line and come out with the win," receiver predicts after making two key catches in East final.
Published Nov 11, 2025 • 3 minute read
Montreal Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander (10) and Charleston Rambo (14) celebrate after scoring during first half CFL action in Montreal against the Calgary Stampeders, on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025.
"I believe I was the hot route for the quarterback," Alouettes receiver Charleston Rambo, right, says of his two crucial first-down catches from QB Davis Alexander that helped seal Montreal's Eastern final win. Photo by Christopher Katsarov /The Canadian Press
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It always seemed like receiver Charleston Rambo was an afterthought in the Alouettes’ offensive plans this season.
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But when Saturday’s East Division final against Hamilton hung in the balance, Rambo’s two crucial second-down receptions of nine and 19 yards, respectively, from Davis Alexander moved the chains and put the Als into field-goal range.
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Two plays later, Jose Maltos kicked a 45-yarder, giving Montreal a hard-fought 19-16 victory and sending the team to Winnipeg, where it will face the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the Grey Cup on Sunday.
“It was an understanding of those two plays,” Rambo said Monday, after the team arrived in Winnipeg. “I believe I was the hot route for the quarterback. I had to be ready, quick off the line, because the mindset was the ball is coming to you first. Get upfield. Get vertical. Be ready for an outlet (pass). I got the first down on both plays and it was a great design by the coaches.”
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Rambo caught three passes for 34 yards against the Tiger-Cats and has become slightly more involved as the season has progressed. In the Nov. 1 division semifinal against the Blue Bombers, he caught five passes for 95 yards, including one covering 41 yards.
Although Rambo is the Als’ fastest receiver, he hasn’t been targeted much this season. While the 6-foot-1, 184-pounder missed only one game, he was the team’s fifth receiver statistically, catching 54 passes for 585 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t find the end zone until Sept. 19, never had a 100-yard game during the regular season and didn’t even have a pass thrown his way during an Aug. 2 game against the Roughriders.
Thirty-four CFL receivers produced more yards this year than Rambo, who is in his second season with Montreal.
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“This is football,” Rambo said. “It’s a beautiful game. Sometimes you don’t get the ball. Sometimes you do. You have to trust the process. I was never frustrated. I never got mad. I enjoy this game. I enjoy being on the team. It has been a fun season.”
Nonetheless, general manager Danny Maciocia praised Rambo’s importance to the team.
“Rambo is consistent, and his best trait is he’s always available, tough and durable,” Maciocia said.
Montreal Alouettes' Charleston Rambo (right) is tackled by Toronto Argonauts' Cameron Judge (8) during second half CFL action, in Montreal on Thursday, July 17, 2025.
Alouettes receiver Charleston Rambo, right, is tackled by Toronto Argonauts’ Cameron Judge in Montreal on July 17. Photo by Christopher Katsarov /The Canadian Press
Rambo played college football at Oklahoma and Miami and has championship-game experience. In the 2019 Orange Bowl with the Sooners, he caught a 49-yard touchdown pass against Alabama. After brief NFL stints with Carolina and Philadelphia, he joined the Als following the start of training camp in 2024. In 18 games last season, he caught 61 passes for 808 yards while scoring five touchdowns.
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The 26-year-old native of Cedar Hill, Tex., is eagerly anticipating his first Grey Cup.
“I wouldn’t be playing this game if I didn’t understand there’s a goal to win a championship at the end of the season,” he said. “I think we’ll come out on top because I believe we have the best of everything. I also highly believe we have nothing to lose. We’re going to go out, put it all on the line and come out with the win.”
While Rambo’s key catches put the Als in position to defeat Hamilton, Maltos still had to seal the deal. His kick was right down the middle, which wasn’t surprising, considering the native of Monterrey, Mexico, set a franchise record this season with 58 field goals.
“I was confident,” Maltos, 34, said from Winnipeg. “I do my best to help the team win. I like (the pressure). I like to kick field goals. … I spent a lot of years not kicking and not playing. I just try to take advantage of these opportunities that are big.”
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Maltos’s pro career began in 2013 as an undrafted free agent with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints. He wasn’t there long before being released. He played two exhibition games with B.C. in 2018 and spent two seasons with Ottawa before being signed by Montreal in 2023 to back up David Côté.
While Maltos’s dream is to return to the NFL, he’s content being an Alouette.
“I know it’s so important, the Grey Cup,” he said. “It’s my first time being the kicker for the Alouettes. Now, it’s my first time kicking in the Grey Cup. It’s important, but I need to be ready mentally, not stressed (and) enjoy the game.”
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
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