Toronto Argonauts: Lessons to learn from loss to Stampeders

The Toronto Argonauts appeared to be in a strong position to pick up back-to-back victories and a rare win at McMahon Stadium.

Then, as the Calgary Stampeders started to pick things up offensively in the second half (more specifically, the fourth quarter), the Argos had no response.

So let's look at what happened during the game and see what didn't go the right way for Toronto and areas the team will need to improve on over the next few days.

Unfortunately, teams aren't usually able to close out games by scoring a single point in half of football. That had to be the most concerning part about Toronto's blown lead to Calgary.

The team's inability to push the ball down the field in the second half was apparent, especially since all seven offensive possessions ended with a punt.

Usually the goal for the Argos offence is to score at least 30 points a game. The last time Toronto had that many was back in Week 6 against the Montreal Alouettes.

Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie has been quite critical of the team's offensive play but after the game, he took ownership for how the game unravelled late.

“I just told the locker room just now, I felt like I let them down,” he said. “I didn’t call the best game in the second half. Our guys fought. I’ll own this loss. It falls on my shoulders. I just feel awful.”

It looked like Dukes was in for a bounce-back outing that he and the Argos have been clamouring for.

Through two quarters, he went 10-of-11 for 11 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, he was finding success with his legs with a touchdown on the ground and 60 yards.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to maintain the momentum as the Stampeders were able to keep him in check and more importantly in the pocket.

“I thought they brought a little more pressure in the second half,” Dukes said. “We just went stalemate a little bit on offence and we can’t do that. We put our defence in a tough spot. We’ve just got to find ways to battle through that, sustain drives more and put points on the board.”

The ability to sustain drives continues to be a struggle for the Argos, especially in games where the opposition focuses on shutting down the running game.

Dukes has usually found success when he gets the ball out quickly and on the bug throw he had to Damonte Coxie, he threw it in a position for his receiver to make a play. If Dukes can get the ball in a position for his receivers to make a play, the team believes it has the talent to make some plays.

What has usually been touted as the backbone of the Argos offence was one of the concerns from the loss against Calgary.

It's hard to remember the last time Toronto allowed six sacks in a game, especially in moments when offensive linemen were being physically dominated.

A year ago, the Argonauts allowed just 19 sacks, usually unheard of in the CFL. Just to give you an idea of how strong that was, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were second on the list with 33 sacks allowed last season.

Going into the game, Toronto's offensive line had allowed 16 sacks and with the six they gave up Sunday, the total is now at 22. Granted, the team would have had a tough time replicating last year's success but you can bet the group will be hell-bent on making up for what happened in Calgary.

How much of that too is having a quarterback like Dukes who likes to run with the ball? It's tough to say but certainly an area the team will be addressing this week.

Special teams didn't have the type of game that we've come to expect especially with Janarion Grant struggling to provide the spark and ability to get the offence in a more favourable position. Calgary was certainly happy to take the no yards penalty if it meant fewer opportunities for Grant to get open for a big return.

Some bright spots of the game that should be noted were the strong punting from Josh Haggerty who did his best to try and pin the Stampeders. Jonathan Jones did his best to lessen the blow of Wynton McManis' absence in the lineup recording 11 tackles. Royce Metchie was a bright spot in the secondary with a pair of turnovers, which would have been game-changers had the Argonauts found a way to win. DeShaun Amos was noticeably physical making some big open field tackles.