Fresh off a walk-off comeback and without their starting quarterback, the Ticats head to BMO looking to sweep the season series against Toronto.
Game Details
- Matchup: Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Toronto Argonauts
- When: Saturday, August 22 at 7:00 PM ET
- Where: BMO Field, Toronto
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Toronto Argonauts -3
- Moneyline: Hamilton Tiger-Cats +180, Toronto Argonauts -218
- Over/Under: 61
Hamilton sits at 5-5 against the spread this year with an offense that's leaned under (4 overs, 6 unders), while Toronto is 4-5 ATS and has also trended low-scoring overall (4 overs, 5 unders) despite the flashes of fireworks in individual games.
Overview
Both of these clubs are treading water at .500-ish in a crowded middle tier of the East, and both are coming off ugly losses to the league's best — Hamilton got run out of the building by Calgary and Montreal before rediscovering life, Toronto just got torched 42-12 in Edmonton on a Chad Kelly pick-six and a defense that couldn't get off the field. The Tiger-Cats (4-6) enter Week 12 having won their last outing, a wild 26-19 comeback over the defending champs, while the Argonauts (4-5) are trying to shake off that Edmonton no-show and protect home turf at BMO.
This is round two of a season series Hamilton already leads. Back in Week 7, Tre Ford relieved Bo Levi Mitchell and rallied the Ticats past Toronto 24-23 at Tim Hortons Field, and per the official series notes, Hamilton has now won six of the last seven meetings between these two. That history matters again this week because Mitchell is out with an ankle injury, which means Ford is back under center full-time — and Ford is a career 2-1 against the Argos. He was electric in relief last week too, going 13-of-17 for 151 yards and a touchdown with 38 rushing yards to spark the comeback over Saskatchewan, and that late-game form is the biggest thing Hamilton has going for it heading into BMO.
Toronto still has the sharper resume on paper — better point differential context aside, Chad Kelly is 4-3 in his career against Hamilton and sits just 192 yards from 10,000 for his career, a number he'll likely cross Saturday night. But this Toronto defense has been leaky all year (291 points allowed, worse than Hamilton's 280), and the turnover bug that bit them in Edmonton is a real concern against a Ticats team that just found some rhythm. Give the edge to Toronto at home behind the higher-scoring offense, but don't be shocked if Hamilton's recent mastery of this series continues to make it interesting into the fourth quarter.
Key Players
- Tre Ford (Hamilton Tiger-Cats, QB) — Now the full-time starter with Mitchell out, Ford is 2-1 in his career against Toronto and just authored a comeback that saw him go 13-of-17 for 151 yards and a TD in relief last week.
- Chad Kelly (Toronto Argonauts, QB) — 4-3 all-time versus Hamilton and 192 yards from 10,000 career passing, but he's thrown 14 interceptions this season and just gave up a pick-six in Edmonton.
- Larry Rountree (Hamilton Tiger-Cats, RB) — Hamilton's workhorse with 120 carries for 509 yards, he'll need to keep the Ticats' offense balanced against a Toronto front that's had its moments getting after the run.
- Damonte Coxie (Toronto Argonauts, WR) — Toronto's top target with 47 catches for 722 yards and 2 touchdowns, the clear focal point of a passing game that needs to bounce back after the Edmonton dud.
- Isaac Darkangelo (Toronto Argonauts, LB) — Tied a season-high with nine tackles last week and needs just five more to reach 150 on the year, a sign of how busy Toronto's defense has been on the field.
Keys to the Game
- Hamilton needs Ford to play as decisively from the opening snap as he did coming off the bench last week — no feeling-out period against a Toronto defense that can be had.
- The Ticats have to avoid letting this one slip in the fourth quarter — Hamilton has blown the most leads after three quarters of any team in the league this year, so a slow start could be fatal.
- Force Kelly into mistakes early; Toronto's offense has been explosive but careless, and Hamilton's back end, led by Stavros Katsantonis and Jamal Peters, needs another takeaway-heavy night like the ones that have fueled this season series edge.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Devynn Cromwell (DB) | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Out — Knee |
| Charbel Dabire (DL) | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Available — Arm |
| Harrison Frost (QB) | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Available — Back |
| Mario Kendricks Jr. (DL) | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Questionable — Ankle |
| Bo Levi Mitchell (QB) | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Out — Ankle |
| Myron Mitchell (WR) | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Available — Shoulder |
| Tyler Ternowski (WR) | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Out — Shoulder |
Depth Chart
Hamilton Tiger-Cats starters by position, built from the club's official Week 12 depth chart. This projected chart may not reflect any last-minute mid-week moves.
| Position | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
|---|---|
| QB | Tre Ford (Harrison Frost, Jake Dolegala) |
| RB | Larry Rountree III (Johnny Augustine) |
| FB/TE | Ante Milanovic-Litre (Max Mang, Daniel Bell) |
| WR (Boundary) | Kenny Lawler |
| WR (Field) | Keric Wheatfall |
| SB | Kiondre Smith / Isaiah Wooden Sr, Kurleigh Gittens Jr / Tyson Middlemost, Myron Mitchell |
| LT | Trevor Reid |
| LG | Brandon Revenberg (Nate Dumoulin-Duguay) |
| C | Liam Dobson |
| RG | Jonathan Denis |
| RT | Brayden Swartout |
| DE | Mitchell Agude / Julian Howsare (boundary), Owen Hubert / Philip Ossai / Isaiah Bagnah (field) |
| DT | Charbel Dabire / Miles Fox (boundary), De'Jon Benton (field) |
| LB | Jordan Crook / Braxton Hill (W), Wynton McManis (M), Reggie Stubblefield (S) |
| DB | Jamal Peters / Zamari Walton (corners), Destin Talbert / Ronan Horrall / Quavian White (halfbacks), Jake Nitychoruk / Robert Panabaker / Stavros Katsantonis (FS) |
| K | Marc Liegghio |
| P | Mitch McCarthy |
| LS | Gordon Whyte |
| KR/PR | Isaiah Wooden Sr |
Score Prediction
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 29 - Toronto Argonauts 32. Ford keeps this thing close and true to recent history — Hamilton has owned this matchup — but Toronto's offense, even in a shaky stretch, has enough firepower at home behind Kelly and Coxie to squeak out the three-point edge the number suggests.
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Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.