Week 12 of the CFL season is upon us. The Toronto Argonauts are coming off a highly charged come from behind victory in Hamilton. The 6-3 Argos triumph over the Ti-Cats on Thanksgiving put them in control of the East, but for how long? At 5-4, the Alouettes are standing directly in the Argos path.
This Friday, Toronto will head to Montreal in a rematch from the Argos 30-27 victory over the Alouettes in Week 8. Since that meeting, Montreal has won three straight games. They are now within one game of Toronto in the standings. A loss by Double Blue on the road against the Als will put both teams in a tie at the top of the East with only four games left to play.
EAST DIVISION
| RK | TEAM | GP | W | L | T | PTS | F | A | HOME | AWAY | DIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 201 | 207 | 4-0-0 | 2-3-0 | 4-1-0 |
| 2 | Montreal | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 228 | 206 | 1-2-0 | 4-2-0 | 4-2-0 |
| 3 | Hamilton | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 179 | 166 | 2-2-0 | 2-3-0 | 3-3-0 |
| 4 | Ottawa | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 169 | 285 | 1-4-0 | 1-4-0 | 0-5-0 |
The Alouettes Versus The Argos, Then Versus Now
Montreal looks a lot different from the last time they squared up with Toronto. And that’s because quarterback Vernon Adams is injured and is no longer on the pivot for the Als. Fifth-year CFL quarterback Matthew Shiltz is at the helm for Montreal. Shiltz led the Alouettes to two straight victories over Ottawa, one coming off the bench, after Adams went down to injury and leading his team to a game-winning drive. And in week 11, as he threw for 281 yards and scored two touchdowns, one on the ground.
However, there’s another plot twist heading into Friday’s eastern clash. Montreal made big news on Sunday acquiring former Argonauts quarterback Trevor Harris away from the Edmonton Elks. Reports are that Harris has been brought on as veteran insurance for Matthew Shiltz for the time being. He is not expected to start for Montreal, at least not right now. But Harris should be in uniform and ready to go if needed in week 12.
Back To Work With The Same Argos QB1
The Argos are back off their mini-bye week, and they practiced over the weekend, as the team worked out at Centennial Stadium on Sunday afternoon. But their workweek will rev up in the next three days, as they get set for their next most important game of the season.
That’s the way this thing works. With more wins comes greater responsibility. The stakes have been raised. The Toronto Argonauts will be back at BMO Field on Saturday afternoon, October 30th, at 4 pm ET. But the Boatmen would like to return home, still retaining sole possession of the East.
As it pertains to the quarterback position on the Argos side, the question is, Will McLeod Bethel-Thompson retain his starting job moving forward? Many feel that he will and should, based on winning his last three starts. And based on Bethel-Thompson’s heroics in Hamilton. But Toronto has stopped short of making that declaration.
Nonetheless, McLeod Bethel-Thompson has been taking first-team reps at practice. It appears that barring injury; it will be MBT’s job to lose moving forward.
Nick Arbuckle is healthy, and during Toronto’s mini-bye week, he was the subject of trade rumors. The CFL trade deadline is on Wednesday, October 27th.
Some observers suggested the insane possibility of Toronto shipping Arbuckle to division rival Montreal during the past week. Now with that absurdity off the table due to the Harris trade. The Argos can move forward feeling comfortable with the security they have at the quarterback position.
One thing is for sure, heading into Friday’s game. Toronto can’t become complacent, and they can’t afford to have a letdown after their thrilling victory on Thanksgiving day. It felt like the Argos had won the East when they exercised their demons in Hamilton. But they didn’t. They took a significant step forward towards accomplishing that goal. However, to lay claim of the East, Toronto will need to beat the Alouettes in Montreal first.
