Zach Collaros is done for six games, and the Argos ride a three-game heater into Winnipeg smelling blood.
Game Details
- Matchup: Toronto Argonauts at Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- When: Friday, September 25 at 8:00 PM ET
- Where: Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Toronto Argonauts -2
- Moneyline: Toronto Argonauts -115, Winnipeg Blue Bombers -105
- Over/Under: 58
Toronto sits at 7-6-1 against the spread with 5 overs and 9 unders this season, while Winnipeg is 6-5-2 ATS with 5 overs, 6 unders and 2 pushes. A number that high — 58 — feels aggressive for a Bombers team that's been living in the mud all year, but Toronto's air raid changes the math.
Overview
The Argos have won three straight and clinched a playoff berth last week with a 24-19 win over Edmonton, and now they roll into Manitoba as favorites on the road for the first time in a while. Toronto is 4-0 at home this year but just 4-6 away from BMO Field, so the -2 line is asking a road team with a shaky travel record to go finish the job against a Winnipeg squad that has won seven of the last eight meetings between these two. History says Bombers. Circumstance says otherwise.
That's because Winnipeg just lost Zach Collaros for six games, which is a gut punch for a team that was already 7-6 and clawing for playoff positioning in a suddenly crowded West race. Dru Brown steps back in — he's 3-1 against Toronto lifetime — but replacing Collaros against the CFL's No. 1 passing offense (Chad Kelly and company are averaging 359.1 yards a game through the air) is not exactly the recipe for a defensive letdown. Winnipeg's defense has been legit all year, allowing a league-low 64.7 percent completion rate and the fewest passing yards per game in the CFL at 272.2, so this isn't a total mismatch. But quarterback continuity matters in a shootout, and Toronto has it.
The Argos also proved last week they can win ugly. Against Edmonton, Toronto held the ball for only 21:15, ran 37 fewer offensive plays than the Elks, and somehow rushed for -1 yard as a team — and still won. That's the second time in 60 years any CFL team has posted negative rushing yardage and come out on top, joining the 1995 Birmingham Barracudas in that bizarre club. It tells you everything about how Toronto is built right now: Kelly, Damonte Coxie, and the passing game carry this offense, full stop, and the ground game is close to irrelevant. Winnipeg knows that. Whether they can stop it without their franchise quarterback pushing the pace on the other side is the whole game.
Key Players
- Chad Kelly (Toronto Argonauts, QB) — Kelly has thrown for 1,135 yards and seven touchdowns over his last three games and sits at 4,777 yards and 31 TDs on the season; he's a career 1-1 against Winnipeg and on pace for a monster 6,142-yard, 40-touchdown campaign.
- Damonte Coxie (Toronto Argonauts, WR) — Third in the league in receiving with 67 catches for 1,111 yards and six touchdowns, Coxie is Kelly's top target in an offense that leans on the pass more than any team in the CFL.
- Tyler Kahmann (Toronto Argonauts, SB) — He and David Ungerer III are both closing in on 1,000-yard seasons, needing 85 and 82 yards respectively to get there.
- Brady Oliveira (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, RB) — He's topped 100 rushing yards in three of his last four games, and Winnipeg is 22-5 all-time when he hits that mark; he needs just three more 100-yard games to pass Andrew Harris for the Canadian rushing record.
- Adarius Pickett (Toronto Argonauts, LB) — Pickett and Bubba Bolden became the first teammates in league history to each register 13-plus tackles in the same game last week, and this defense will need another heavy dose of that against Oliveira.
Keys to the Game
- Toronto needs Kelly to keep pushing the ball downfield early and force Dru Brown into a track meet he isn't built for.
- The Argos' front seven has to slow down Oliveira, because if he hits triple digits on the ground, Winnipeg's record with him at that mark says the Bombers win far more often than not.
- Toronto's defensive backfield — banged up at cornerback and safety — has to hold up against Winnipeg's receivers even without their usual full complement of DBs available.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Desmond Bland | Toronto Argonauts | Available |
| Ralph Holley | Toronto Argonauts | Available |
| Tarvarus McFadden | Toronto Argonauts | Out |
| Makai Polk | Toronto Argonauts | Available |
| Robert Priester | Toronto Argonauts | Out |
| Nolan Ulm | Toronto Argonauts | Available |
Depth Chart
Toronto Argonauts starters by position, built from the official current-week depth chart. This is projected and may shift with game-day decisions.
| Position | Toronto Argonauts |
|---|---|
| QB | Chad Kelly, Nick Arbuckle, Tucker Horn |
| RB | Sam Hicks, Isaiah Smith |
| FB | Sebastian Parsalidis |
| WR (Boundary) | Damonte Coxie, Nolan Ulm |
| WR (Field) | David Ungerer III |
| SB | Makai Polk, Tyler Kahmann, Janarion Grant, Kevin Mital |
| LT | Desmond Bland |
| LG | Ryan Hunter |
| C | Peter Nicastro, Chris Kolankowski |
| RG | Dakoda Shepley, Frank Vreugdenhil |
| RT | Kendall Randolph |
| DE | Shawn Lemon/Da'Marcus Johnson, Gabriel Maisonneuve |
| DT | DeWayne Hendrix/Sonae Toia, Ralph Holley |
| LB | Brian Harelimana/Alex Teubner, Jordan Herdman-Reed/Darius McKenzie, Adarius Pickett/Derek Slywka |
| CB | Benjie Franklin, Ethan John |
| S/HB | Bubba Bolden, James Ceasar, DaShaun Amos/Dathan Hickey |
| K/P | Lirim Hajrullahu, James Burnip |
| LS | Adam Guillemette |
Score Prediction
Toronto Argonauts 30 - Winnipeg Blue Bombers 28. Toronto's league-best passing attack, riding a three-game win streak and Chad Kelly's hot streak, edges a Winnipeg team that's tough on defense but suddenly without its starting quarterback — this one comes down to the final possession, and the Argos' offense carries them across the line first.
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Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.