How Toronto Argonauts respond to first loss of season will be a trust test of their ability

It would have been tough to expect the Toronto Argonauts to go an entire season without losing a game and in some ways, the loss to the Calgary Stampeders might be a good thing for the team at the end of the day.

Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie didn’t have a lot of positives to share from the loss but the one bright spot that he could find was that it was better to have a performance like this seven games into the season.

Good football teams find a way to make adjustments and come back stronger when they get knocked down. This is the position the Argos find themselves in.

While the team has built up some cushion in the East Division with their 6-0 start, it’s not a situation they should be taking for granted. The Montreal Alouettes earned an impressive victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders and are now sitting right behind Toronto and waiting to pounce on any window of opportunity to move ahead in the division.

Each and every week, the team has maintained that their focus is on going 1-0 so they’re likely not getting caught up on what is happening around them. However, you can bet the coaching staff is reminding them that what they did the last six games means nothing if they start to go in the other direction.

With that being said, here are some storylines to keep an eye on as the team prepares to host the Ottawa Redblacks at BMO Field for their first home game in over a month.

How will offence respond to lacklustre performances?

Some will point to Kelly’s absence from the game as a main contributor to a less-than-ideal offensive performance against Calgary but that might be too dismissive of a concerning trend.

Going back to their victory against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Touchdown Atlantic, there were some red flags appearing then. Toronto pulled off the win thanks in large part to the defence and special teams.

Kelly finished that game completing 13 of 21 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Fortunately, they got some production on the ground with A.J. Ouellette and Andrew Harris to keep the chains moving too.

Unfortunately, the production from the receivers hasn’t been to the level expected of them. Cam Phillips did have 94 yards on four receptions but a big chunk of that yardage came off his 76-yard touchdown.

Dinwiddie was critical of his receivers saying that they needed to do a better job of making a play for their quarterback. If the team wants to get back on track offensively, they need players like Kurleigh Gittens Jr., DaVaris Daniels and Dejon Brissett to be their top playmakers.

Rush defence will have hands full with Redblacks

Don’t let the Redblacks’ record or the big betting line (Argos are -10.5 favourites) fool you, this is not an Ottawa team that should be taken too lightly.

This happened last season when the Argos hosted a winless Redblacks team and went on to lose 23-13.

Injuries at the quarterback position have been the story this season with Ottawa turning to their fourth option with injuries to Jeremiah Masoli, Nick Arbuckle and Tyrie Adams. This has also led to the Redblacks adjusting their approach where they rely heavily on the running game.

As Tim Baines of the Ottawa Citizen explains, Ottawa has averaged 29 rushing attempts per game for 152 yards over their last six games.

The Argos defence gave up 168 yards on the ground which allowed Calgary to control the line of scrimmage and time of possession. Don’t be surprised if the Redblacks try to keep the play on the ground considering it has been a challenge for them to get much going in the passing game.

Teams have been reluctant to test the Argos secondary because of their playmaking ability which is why Calgary’s gameplan worked well in their win. Toronto’s focus will be on keeping Dustin Crum from breaking through for big plays with his legs as he’s averaged 8.1 yards per carry.

Argonauts remain their own worst enemy

On top of the issues the Argos had with their offence and stopping the run, a couple of plays helped swing the tide in Calgary’s favour.

There was the interception in the endzone that took at least three points off the board for Toronto but the bigger blow came on the fumble by Javon Leake to end the first half. It was a case of a player trying too hard to make the play as he lost the ball and Calgary recovered the fumble in the endzone.

Kelly has often said the offence is focused on avoiding the negative plays and really, the same can be said really on all three phases. Whether it’s back-breaking penalties, turnovers and breakdowns in communication the Argos have mitigated the impact of those mistakes for the most part.

Ottawa understands that they are heavy underdogs and come into the game with something to prove.

“I see a group of guys who are hungry for an opportunity against a very good team in Toronto,” Redblacks head coach Bob Dyce told the Ottawa Citizen. “I’m supposed to be the person who gets (the players) up and ready to go out and perform when the whistle blows. It’s my job to get that done. We’ve shown in the second half, in the fourth quarter of games, we can play with anybody. We’ve come back and done some fantastic things. But there’s no reason for us not to be able to do that early in the game.”

News and notes: Jamal Peters is back in the lineup after being scratched against the Stampeders…unfortunately, Damonte Coxie is still being bothered by an ankle injury that kept him out of practice for most of the week…Isiah Cage returns at left tackle with Trevon Tate on the one-game injured list…Peter Nicastro will move to right guard with centre Darius Ciraco back.