Toronto Argonauts understand big stakes with second place on the line vs. Redblacks

It's not often that a game holds such significance in the playoff picture at this point in a CFL season, but you won't find many complaining as the Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Redblacks continue their battle for second place in the East Division.

Currently, the Argos are in the driver's seat needing just a win over the Redblacks to lock in their spot. It also means the team would get to host the East semifinal which has many advantages.

"Really, for us, the playoffs start now," said Ryan Hunter. "We've worked all season going through the ups and downs to get us to the point where we want to be in control of our own destiny.

"Getting to play at home provides us with familiarity and waking up in our own beds, having access to the facility early to get treatment and not having to worry about travel, and eliminate as many distractions so that we can focus on our jobs."

The road to get here was not an easy one for Toronto but what history has taught us, playoff teams that find their form late in the season stand a better chance when the games matter most.

We've also seen players step up when called upon with injuries impacting the team on both sides of the ball.

With Isiah Cage on the injured list, Hunter has been asked to move to left tackle which would normally be a tough ask for any offensive lineman but head coach Dinwiddie knew he could handle it. He even believes that Hunter could be moved all along the line if need be but left tackle is such a crucial position.

Hunter and the offensive line will have their hands full against some of the top pass rushers in the CFL, with Michael Wakefield and Lorenzo Mauldin IV second and third on the league's sack list.

"They are long, lengthy and strong. When you can combine agility and strength, that's always the hardest combination of things because you can't sit on one type of move and not worry about another one," Hunter explained. "All six of those guys that rotate in have the ability to go full speed and power, so it's something that keeps you honest as an offensive lineman."

Toronto picked up an important win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a game that was seen more so as a defensive clash given the missed opportunities both offence had.

Dinwiddie knows that getting better at converting on those offensive chances is at top of mind with only a couple of games left in the regular season.

"We got to score in the red zone," Dinwiddie said. "That's kind of our priority going into each week. Do we look at it schematically and be aggressive? We looked at the short yardage and ran a lot of analytics in it. Now, we have to find a scheme to match the analytics. It takes all 12 on offence, and if you don't understand what you're doing schematically, it's gonna be a bad play."

Ottawa's issues stem a lot from its offence not finding success, especially with the team cycling through quarterbacks with Dru Brown getting the assignment over Jeremiah Masoli. The Argos will look to put pressure on Brown to make mistakes but also know they have to be mindful on some things they'll change even on a short week.

More importantly, the Argos will be looking to avoid beating themselves as they did in their prior matchup in Ottawa, where turnovers and big plays gave the Redblacks a commanding win.

This time around, the Argos will want to use the home crowd to its advantage and hope that this isn't the last game that is played at BMO Field in 2024.