Toronto Argonauts can clinch playoff spot but cleaning up bad habits a more important task

The Labour Day Classic once again belonged to the Toronto Argonauts with a 41-28 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but there is certainly still room for improvement.

Sure a 9-1 record puts the Argos in elite company atop the CFL but this is a team that won a Grey Cup last season and have every intention to be back in the same position come November. The last four games have come against teams at or near the bottom of the standings which is why Saturday’s tilt against the Montreal Alouettes is a crucial one.

While they hold a six-point lead in the East Division, Toronto still has two games left against Montreal that can help cement their status or leave a window open for the Alouettes.

“No question (Saturday’s game) is big. And if we don’t handle our business the next two weeks, Montreal will be right on our heels and they are a good football team,” Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie told the Toronto Star this week.

“We can’t go looking at the finish line. We have to do what we need to do now. If we wait until the end, it will be a lot tougher to get it accomplished, and maybe some doubt sets in with some guys. I want to make sure we’re focused. We have to have at least a split with (Montreal).”

It’s tough to nitpick at a team that is scoring at a dominant rate but there are certainly moments where the offence has struggled but their opponents haven’t been able to capitalize.

Toronto is also coming off a short week while Montreal had a bye week looking to regroup from two rough losses. Fortunately for the Argonauts and Alouettes, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Ottawa Redblacks aren’t play to the level that should make them worry about their position in the division.

Regardless, the CFL has been a league where the teams that find a way to establish their game fire in the final stretch of the season are the ones that have the most success.

For the Argos, they should be content with starting the season 9-1 start but they shouldn’t be satisfied considering it only takes one game to undo everything. The loss to the Calgary Stampeders that ended their undefeated run is a good example of that but fortunately, it came during the regular season where Toronto could use it as a learning moment.

In his first game since signing a big three-year contract extension, Chad Kelly only completed 15 passes for 201 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. It wasn’t as tough as the Touchdown Atlantic game where he had only 122 yards but there are areas where Kelly will would agree that he needs work.

He has thrown nine touchdowns over his last three games which is a respectable number but he also has five interceptions to go along with it. Those picks sometimes come as a result of the 29-year-old trying to get a pass completed in a tight window or tough coverage.

However, this is still a quarterback that will be in the MOP conversation because he has elevated this Argos offence into one of the top units in the league. He sits third in the CFL with 18 touchdowns thrown but has also played two fewer games than Zach Collaros (22 TDs) and Vernon Adams Jr. (20 TDs) who sit first and second but Kelly is first in QB rating (115.0).

Heading into the Labour Day Classic A.J. Ouellette arrived at Tim Hortons Field with a replica of Thor’s hammer (better known as Mjölnir) and he certainly brought the lightning with his touchdown pass in the fourth quarter as Dinwiddie opened up the playbook.

While Brady Oliveira sits alone as the top rusher in the CFL, Ouellette has 124 attempts while the Blue Bombers running back has 174 attempts. Ouellette is averaging more yards per carry but doesn’t mind yielding some touches to teammate Andrew Harris.

The offensive line has certainly made life easy for their quarterback and running backs considering they have allowed just 10 sacks in 10 games. Calgary is second allowed 24 sacks and Winnipeg is third allowing 26 which just goes to show how dominant the front line has been for Toronto.

On defence, the Argos are allowing a league-low 78.3 yards per game on the ground but are allowing 305.4 yards per game through the air which is the second most. They do lead the league with 37 sacks and are third in points allowed (23.4) so you can certainly live with the extra yards through the air.

The concern right now are the injuries the Argos are dealing with in the secondary which has forced Tarvarus McFadden to move from corner to safety which isn’t an easy task. Mason Pierce, who hadn’t played a game this season, was forced into action against Hamilton because of injuries and had some struggles.

Don’t be surprised if teams continue to target those players going forward but you have to think defensive coordinator Corey Mace will do what he can to support McFadden and Pierce.