Argos brace for rematch vs. Blue Bombers in Week 9 showdown

TORONTO — It's a short week for the Toronto Argonauts who went from playing Saturday to just a couple of days of practice and a flight over to Winnipeg to play the Blue Bombers.

For Toronto, they would love nothing more than a repeat of the 31-17 victory where they had the week before.

Beating Winnipeg once is tough though. Beating them twice in a short span? Even tougher considering the Blue Bombers will now look to make adjustments.

“They’re going to change it,” head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said this week. “Short week, they’re not going to be able to change it drastically, but they’ll change it up… It’s always tough to win back-to-back games.”

One key for the Argonauts will be maintaining the offensive rhythm they found. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle delivered an efficient performance, spreading the ball around while also keeping Winnipeg's defence honest with his mobility.

“Nick got the ball out of his hands,” Dinwiddie said. “I thought our receivers were sharp. Mentally, I felt like they were locked in.”

No receiver was more in sync with Arbuckle than Damonte Coxie, who capped a standout July by being named the CFL’s top receiver for the month. That chemistry was on full display during a highlight-reel flea flicker from Janarion Grant, where Coxie hauled in a deep strike despite tight double coverage.

“When you see the ball go up, it's easy to kind of lose track,” Coxie said. “But you just kind of gotta keep your eyes on it the whole time, make sure you don't get distracted.”

Despite the recognition he got for July, Coxie says he’s just getting started.

“Oh yeah, definitely. It’s a whole other gear… God ain’t finished with me yet, and I know it.”

Coxie also praised his quarterback’s poise and the offensive line’s protection, noting the trust that’s built between him and Arbuckle.

“That’s what I tell him all the time—just come find me,” Coxie said. “Even when the play might be dead, I’m trying to be friendly to him.”

Toronto will need that offensive connection again this week, especially with safety Derek Slywka unavailable due to injury. Dinwiddie said the team decided to hold Slywka out to avoid risking further damage, though he’s expected back next week.

On the other side of the ball, the Argos’ defence is riding high after forcing multiple turnovers in the last meeting. The short fields created by those takeaways made life easier on Dinwiddie’s play-calling.

“When they get turnovers, we get short fields—I can call the game a little bit more aggressively,” Dinwiddie said.

Still, the Argonauts know a trip to IG Field is no easy task, even with Zach Collaros not playing because of a neck injury.

“We’re going into a tough place to play,” Dinwiddie said. “We’ve got to be clean, no penalties, and execute at a high level.”

For Coxie, the message is simple: expect the unexpected.

“You never want to take a team lightly just because you played them already,” he said. “They could come out with a whole new scheme… We’re just coming in every game expecting the worst and hoping for the best.”

Kickoff is set for 8:30 pm in Winnipeg, with Toronto looking to inch closer to a .500 record.

Some side notes

Some of you may have noticed that I was a bit quiet on the Argos front last week and missed the game at home against the Blue Bombers for personal reasons so I'm back now on the beat this week.

With that being said, I obviously didn't give my thoughts on Chad Kelly being placed on the six-game list and honestly it doesn't come as a big surprise.

This has always been a delicate situation because of the severity of the injury and the infection during training camp that led to a setback in rehab.

Clearly, if Kelly was comfortable and confident in his leg being ready to go, he would be out there playing. Both sides definitely want to play it safe but yes, it would have made sense to have the QB starting the season on the six-game injured list but at the same time, there was a belief that Kelly could have been ready by now.

There is a chance that Toronto could take Kelly off the injured list before the six-game mark but until it does, expect him to be away for a bit.