TORONTO (Nov. 3) — This was a typical day in the life of the Canadian Football League.

Particularly, in the life of the 2024 Toronto Argonauts, who are still standing despite a season full of peculiar game plans and play calling… with the most–porous defensive secondary of any Argos playoff team I can remember.

Yet, here we are, six days before the CFL’s East Division final and the Boatmen are in a decent spot to visit the Montreal Alouettes; a berth in the ’24 Grey Cup on the line. Everything good and bad about the Argonauts was on display at BMO Field, late Saturday afternoon, as the home side erupted for a franchise playoff–record 58 points. It was a three–quarter triumph for Toronto, which couldn’t get quarterback Chad Kelly onto the BMO pitch in the opening frame. At the 13:02 mark of the match, Kelly had run only two plays. Ottawa counterpart Dru Brown had, conversely, led a pair of time–consuming, 11–play marches that resulted in a 10–0 lead for the visitors. It seemed as if another home playoff disaster was unfolding at the CNE, to follow last year’s calamity against Montreal.

When Kelly took to the field, the Argo attack was predictable and anemic. Until 5:30 of the second quarter, when coach Ryan Dinwiddie woke up and removed the clamps from his quarterback. Just two weeks prior, the Argos had decimated Ottawa by quickly stretching the field with long passes. Toronto scored on its first four possessions and bolted to a 28–0 lead. It was clear to everyone that the Redblacks could not cover the Argos fleet pass–catchers. Once Dinwiddie uncuffed Kelly on Saturday, an identical scenario unfolded. Rookie sensation Makai Polk was eight yards behind the nearest Ottawa defender when he took Kelly’s pass for a 70–yard touchdown. On the next series, it was 41 yards to DeVaris Daniels for another score. After Kelly got rolling, the visitors had no chance.

Prior to Saturday, the Toronto franchise record for points in a playoff game was 47 — against Saskatchewan in the 1997 Grey Cup. The 58 points against Ottawa was the seventh–most, overall, in club history. The record is 70 points, at home to Calgary, on Sep. 20, 1990 (the day John Tavares was born). Now, the erratic, unpredictable Argos head into Percival Molson Stadium having twice defeated the defending Grey Cup champions, including the club’s best overall effort of the schedule: a 37–18 road triumph on July 11. Later, came a 37–31 victory over the Alouettes, at BMO, on Sep. 28. This kooky Argonaut team twice defeated Montreal and Winnipeg, yet incurred five of eight losses against non–playoff teams (three to Hamilton; one each against Calgary and Edmonton).

So, who knows what to expect when the balls start flying at McGill next Saturday?

I had my trusty NIKON with me (and my son, Shane) at BMO Field for the East semifinal:

COACH RYAN DINWIDDIE AND QUARTERBACK CHAD KELLY (ABOVE) WERE ON DIFFERENT PAGES UNTIL EARLY IN THE SECOND QUARTER, WHEN THE ARGO ATTACK FINALLY UNLEASHED ITSELF BY STRETCHING THE FIELD AGAINST THE POROUS OTTAWA DEFENSE. MAKAI POLK (BOTTOM–LEFT) WAS WIDE OPEN FOR A 70–YARD TOUCHDOWN THAT GOT THE BALL ROLLING. KELLY (12) AND TEAMMATES RACED TO THE END ZONE (RIGHT) TO CELEBRATE WITH POLK.

 

THE ARGOS CAME OUT (ABOVE) FOR THE THIRD QUARTER SOMEHOW TRAILING OTTAWA BY ONLY THREE POINTS, DESPITE POSSESSING THE BALL FOR LESS THAN SIX MINUTES. IT WAS CLEAR TO EVERYONE THAT THE REDBLACKS DEFENSE WAS RIPE FOR THE PICKING. AND, THE HOME SIDE TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE BY ERUPTING FOR 38 POINTS IN THE SECOND HALF.

 
AS THE GAME ENTERED THE FOURTH QUARTER, AUTUMN SHADOWS COVERED THE PLAYING SURFACE. LATE–DAY SUN BATHED THE CONDOMINIUM TOWERS OF LIBERTY VILLAGE (TOP–RIGHT). 

 
MIDWAY THROUGH THE FOURTH, IT APPEARED THE ARGO DEFENSE HAD STUFFED OTTAWA THREE TIMES FROM THE ONE–YARD LINE, THEREBY GENERATING ELATION ON THE SIDELINE. BUT, THE CFL COMMAND CENTRE CORRECTLY OVERTURNED THE THIRD–DOWN ATTEMPT, AS REPLAYS SHOWED QUARTERBACK DUSTIN CRUM BREAKING THE PLANE OF THE GOAL LINE. TRAILING BY NINE, OTTAWA COACH BOB DYCE MADE THE BIZARRE DECISION TO GO FOR A TWO–POINT CONVERT, RATHER THAN MAKING IT A ONE–SCORE GAME. THE PASS ATTEMPT BY DRU BROWN FAILED.

 
I’M NOT A BIG RYAN DINWIDDIE FAN, BUT FULL CREDIT TO THE COACH FOR TAKING THE ARGOS TO THEIR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE EASTERN FINAL. AT TIMES, THIS YEAR, THE ARGOS HAVE WON IN SPITE OF DINWIDDIE, BUT HIS CLUB IS PLAYING ITS BEST FOOTBALL AT THE PRECISE TIME. THE SCOREBOARD SHOWED DINWIDDIE CELEBRATING AS WYNTON McMANIS AND TAVARUS McFADDEN COMBINED FOR AN 88–YARD INTERCEPTION RETURN TO PUT THE GAME ON ICE. McFADDEN (2) WALKED INTO A MAELSTROM AT THE ARGOS BENCH. ON THE NEXT SERIES, DEFENDER BENJIE FRANKLIN PICKED OFF A BROWN PASS AND RACED 71 YARDS TO MAKE THE SCORE RIDICULOUS.

 
A PERFECT AUTUMN DAY AT THE CNE (ABOVE) GAVE WAY TO A SPECTACULAR EVE (BELOW), AS THE SETTING SUN REFLECTED OFF THE CN TOWER AND DOWNTOWN OFFICE BUILDINGS.

EMAIL: HOWARDLBERGER@GMAIL.COM