A desperate Argos team heads west looking to snap a three-game skid against a Lions squad that can't find a way to close games out.
Game Details
Matchup: Toronto Argonauts at BC Lions
When: Saturday, July 25 at 7:00 PM ET
Where: BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, BC
TV: TSN
Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
Spread: Toronto Argonauts -3
Moneyline: Toronto Argonauts -185, BC Lions +154
Over/Under: 58
Toronto is 2-4 against the spread this season with four overs and two unders, while BC sits 2-3 ATS with four overs of their own — the number to watch here isn't whether points come, it's who scores them last.
Overview
Three straight losses have knocked the shine off what looked like a promising start for the Argonauts. Toronto dropped a heartbreaker to Hamilton 24-23 last week, blew a lead against Winnipeg the week before that, and got run out of the building in Calgary before that. At 2-4, the Argos are staring up at the East pack, and a trip to Vancouver against a struggling BC team feels like exactly the kind of game they need to find their footing again.
The Lions haven't made that easy on anybody watching from the outside, either. BC dropped a 19-17 heartbreaker to Edmonton last week after Chase Brice threw four interceptions, and the Lions have now lost four of their last five, including three straight defeats sandwiched around their lone win of the year over the Elks. At 1-4, BC has the league's lowest scoring offense at 140 points and has to find answers on both sides of the ball fast, or this season slips away entirely.
This one is a bounce-back game for both clubs, but Toronto has the far better quarterback and the better recent history in this series — even if BC swept the season series a year ago. Chad Kelly has been maddeningly inconsistent with nine interceptions already, but he's also thrown 15 touchdowns and the Argos rank second in the league in net offense. If Kelly cleans up the turnovers that cost Toronto last week, this is a game the Argos should control.
Key Players
Chad Kelly (Toronto Argonauts, QB) — 147-of-212 for 2,126 yards and 15 touchdowns, but his nine interceptions are tied for the most concerning number on the roster and he owned that after last week's loss to Hamilton.
Nathan Rourke (BC Lions, QB) — the Lions' passing leader it out.
Samuel Hicks (Toronto Argonauts, RB) — Toronto's lead back and a key piece if the Argos want to control clock and keep BC's defense off balance.
James Butler (BC Lions, RB) — BC's workhorse and the engine of a run game that's kept them competitive even during the losing skid.
Jonathan Kongbo (Toronto Argonauts, DL) — Toronto's sacks leader and a name to watch off the edge against a BC line that's been shuffled by injury.
Mathieu Betts (BC Lions, DL) — the Lions' top pass rusher and the guy who can single-handedly wreck Kelly's rhythm if Toronto's tackles don't hold up.
Keys to the Game
Kelly has to protect the football — the Argos have live wins on the board when he's clean and ugly losses when he's not.
Toronto's front, even missing Andrew Chatfield, needs to get after Chase Brice or Rourke and force the kind of mistakes that turned BC's last game upside down.
Establish Samuel Hicks early and take pressure off a passing game that's been feast-or-famine all year.
Injury Report
Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
Andrew Chatfield Jr (DL) | Toronto Argonauts | Out — Foot |
Janarion Grant (WR) | Toronto Argonauts | Available — Knee |
John Haggerty (P) | Toronto Argonauts | Out — Hamstring |
Lirim Hajrullahu (K) | Toronto Argonauts | Out — Not Injury Related |
Cameron Judge (LB) | Toronto Argonauts | Doubtful — Hamstring |
Dymere Miller (WR) | Toronto Argonauts | Out — Foot |
Dakoda Shepley (OL) | Toronto Argonauts | Out — Back |
Depth Chart
Toronto Argonauts starters by position, built from the club's official Week 8 depth chart. This table covers Toronto only.
Position | Toronto Argonauts |
|---|---|
QB | Chad Kelly (Nick Arbuckle, Tucker Horn) |
RB | Samuel Hicks (Isaiah Smith) |
FB | Sebastian Parsalidis (Jack Cassar) |
WR (Boundary) | Nolan Ulm |
WR (Field) | Dave Ungerer III |
SB | Makai Polk / Damonte Coxie, Kevin Mital, Tyler Kahmann, Janarion Grant |
LT | Desmond Bland |
LG | Ryan Hunter |
C | Domenico Piazza (Frank Vreugdenhil) |
RG | Peter Nicastro (Keegan O'Neil) |
RT | Brandon Kemp |
DE | Da'Marcus Johnson (Shawn Lemon) |
DT | DeWayne Hendrix, Sonae Toia |
DT | Ralph Holley |
DE | Paris Shand, Jonathan Kongbo |
LB | Jalen Rayam, Owen Goss |
LB | Darius McKenzie, Brian Harelimana, Isaac Darkangelo |
LB | Derek Slywka, Adarius Pickett |
CB | Benjie Franklin |
S | Bubba Bolden |
HB | Ethan John, DaShaun Amos |
HB | James Ceasar |
CB | Louis-Philippe Gauthier, Tarvarus McFadden |
K/P | Brady Lidster, James Burnip |
LS | Adam Guillemette |
Score Prediction
Toronto Argonauts 31 - BC Lions 28. Kelly's turnover issues make this closer than it should be, but Toronto's offense — second in the league in net offense — has enough firepower to outlast a BC team still searching for answers on both sides of the ball, and the Argos escape with their first win in four tries.
CFL Standings | Full Schedule | League Leaders
Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.