Toronto had this one. Then it slipped away in a hurry. The Argonauts came out throwing bombs and building a halftime lead, then watched it evaporate as Chad Kelly threw a pair of interceptions, the special teams unit botched some kicks, and Saskatchewan turned a slow start into a run of points that Toronto never answered. Head coach Mike Miller and his quarterback were left picking through the wreckage afterward, and neither one had much interest in pointing fingers anywhere but at themselves.
"I want to thank God for the opportunity to compete today," Miller said to open his press conference. "Give Mase and his staff and Riders credit. They played a good game. That's a good team, and we have a lot of respect for them. And they made the plays when it counted, especially in the second half."
A Fast Start That Didn't Last
Kelly and the Toronto passing game looked like they were going to run away with this thing in the first half, connecting downfield and building momentum. Then it all fell off a cliff. Kelly pointed to a brutal stretch of two-and-outs as the moment the game turned.
"I think we had 7 two-and-outs today. And obviously we had a lead going into halftime. I think they ended up having like 3 straight points... I think it was 5 in a matter of, 9 in a matter of 20 seconds. So, the momentum we lost. I mean, obviously I got to take care of the football." — Chad Kelly
Kelly didn't dodge the interceptions either. He broke down exactly what went wrong on both.
"Looking back on the interception, trying to throw a dig late, I gotta either lead him or expect him to come back to the football. And then just the other interception, whether it's a post or a dig, we both got to be on the same page to what the defense is doing. We got to be better." — Chad Kelly
He also owned a decision on second-and-two that he wishes he could have back. "I got to hand it off on that 2nd and 2, within 3 minutes, instead of trying to pull it and get a slant out to Dave," Kelly said. "So we got to just clean things up."
Second and Long Becomes the Story
Kelly kept coming back to one phrase when asked what changed for Saskatchewan's secondary in the second half: it wasn't the defense, it was the down and distance Toronto kept putting itself in.
"We were just in 2nd and long. We're in 2nd and long the whole time," Kelly said. "It's not an easy place to play. Every point, every everything matters, right? Whether it's a missed field goal, whether it's an interception, whether it's a 2-and-out, those are momentum changes."
He also gave Saskatchewan's front some credit for making him hold the ball longer than he wanted to. "They have a good D-line. They're very well coached. They have great players up front," Kelly said. "Sometimes you just got to check it down because there is no holes. They get paid to play defense too, right?"
Miller Points to Missed Kicks and a Costly Penalty
Miller didn't want to hang the loss on any single play, but he acknowledged the botched converts and a late offside penalty both stung.
"Well, I mean, sure, you wish you had the points, right? It changes the cosmetic of the game. But again, we still have to overcome it. We had opportunities to do that and we weren't able to. So we need to look at why and continue to get better." — Mike Miller
On the offside penalty late in the game, Miller was blunt about the standard he expects. "As I talked to the team, we got to be focused on discipline. It's a cornerstone of our culture and that's play in and play out," he said. "Guys got to look in the mirror, including coaches, because we're one team."
Asked directly whether that one penalty cost Toronto the game, Miller pushed back on the idea that any single play decides an outcome. "It really doesn't come down to one play. It really doesn't. I used to not believe that. But it is sincerely the truth," he said.
Defense Held Up, Coaches Point To Growth
If there was a silver lining for Miller, it came on the defensive side, where he singled out the physicality his group brought and the way players like Shawn Lemon rallied the sideline after the offense stalled.
"These guys are tough. We got to go against them at practice. They bring great physicality. I was pleased with the physicality of our team... They came up to me several times, Shawn Lemon, Ralph, saying, don't worry, Coach, we're going to get that back. And they did." — Mike Miller
Miller also defended the decision to punt late rather than go for it on third down, saying it was about field position and giving his defense a chance to get the ball back in better shape. "We had plenty of time. We were able to get them down in their end and, needing a touchdown, trying to get a better chance for the drive to get the touchdown," Miller said. Kelly, for his part, said he simply trusted the call. "Whatever he calls, we're going to execute," Kelly said, though he didn't hide that it stings to have the offense on the sideline in that spot.
The Hail Mary and the Health Question
Both Miller and Kelly were asked about the final Hail Mary attempt and a widely-circulated image showing Damonte Coxie's jersey being pulled by a defender with no flag thrown. Miller wouldn't touch it. "We are not, not to comment on officiating," he said. Kelly was a little more direct without breaking league rules on the subject. "They never really call those, right? So I mean, you'd like to hope that the review booth could see that, but not expecting a call there," Kelly said.
Kelly also confirmed he's playing hurt. "Yeah, I got a broken toe, but I'll be all right. I'll be all right," he said. Miller declined to add anything on Kelly's health, saying he wanted to wait for the training staff. "I don't really like to comment on those until I've had a chance to really be briefed by our training staff," Miller said.
What's Next
Toronto walks away from this one with a lot of "we'll look at the film" answers and a clear message from both coach and quarterback: the tools were there in the first half, the execution wasn't there in the second. Kelly summed up where his team stands right now without sugarcoating it. "There's a lot of things we need to get better at. We gotta stress some things a little bit more in practice and really execute on some of the details," Kelly said. "I thought defense played really well today. And we didn't give ourselves an opportunity to go win it."
Miller struck a similar tone, betting on his locker room to turn this one into a lesson rather than a repeat problem. "It's a real defeat if we don't learn from it," Miller said. "And I'm confident with our veteran leadership and our coaching staff that we will be able to do that."
Watch the Full Videos
Toronto Argonauts: Mike Miller | Post Game – August 29, 2026
Toronto Argonauts: Chad Kelly | Post Game – August 29, 2026