Fresh off a bye and a much-needed win in Vancouver, the Argos host the hottest offense in the CFL with a shot to prove Week 5's 58-36 beatdown was a fluke.
Game Details
- Matchup: Calgary Stampeders at Toronto Argonauts
- When: Thursday, August 6 at 7:30 PM ET
- Where: BMO Field, Toronto
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Calgary Stampeders -1
- Moneyline: Toronto Argonauts +102, Calgary Stampeders -122
- Over/Under: 67
Toronto sits at 3-4 against the spread with the over hitting four times in seven games, while Calgary has been nearly impossible to bet the under on — 8-0 to the over this season with a 4-3-1 ATS mark. That over/under trend alone should tell you everything about how this one's expected to play out.
Overview
The Toronto Argonauts caught their breath over the bye and rolled into BC Place a week ago to win 26-12, with Chad Kelly tossing two touchdowns and Makai Polk piling up 91 yards on a pair of scores. That snapped a stretch where Toronto had dropped three of four, and now the Double Blue get their first home game in this stretch against a Calgary team that's won back-to-back and is starting to look like the version of itself that torched Toronto for 58 points back in Week 5.
That Week 5 blowout looms large here. Four of Calgary's five starting receivers scored touchdowns that night, and Zy Alexander picked off Kelly twice en route to what's now a league-best four interceptions on the year. Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 405 yards and accounted for seven total touchdowns in that one, and he's been even better since — Adams leads the CFL with 21 passing touchdowns and hasn't thrown a single interception all season, a streak that now stretches 295 attempts dating back to last year, third-longest in league history. Calgary's defense has quietly come alive too, scoring two touchdowns last week in Hamilton — a Kyle Wilson fumble recovery and a Derrick Moncrief pick-six — while holding the Ticats to a season-low 20 points.
Toronto has real advantages of its own, though. BMO Field has been a fortress the last five seasons (30-13), and Kelly is on a torrid personal pace — his 2,323 passing yards put him third in the league and he's projected for nearly 6,000 yards if he keeps this up, which would blow past Doug Flutie's franchise record. Shawn Lemon signed with the Argos ahead of the BC game and immediately delivered two sacks; he's now one shy of 11th all-time in CFL history. Still, this is a Calgary team that's won four of the last five meetings between these clubs and beat Toronto twice a year ago. Give the Stampeders the slight edge — their defense is finally rounding into form to match that explosive offense, and Adams Jr. is 5-1 against Toronto with a knack for making the Argos pay for mistakes.
Key Players
- Vernon Adams Jr. (Calgary Stampeders, QB) — Leads the CFL with 21 TD passes and zero interceptions, and he's five straight against Toronto over his career.
- Chad Kelly (Toronto Argonauts, QB) — Has five 300-yard games in seven starts this year and sits at 2,323 yards, on pace to challenge Doug Flutie's single-season franchise mark.
- Makai Polk (Toronto Argonauts, WR) — Leads Toronto with 525 receiving yards and six touchdowns, and he's 96 yards away from 2,000 for his career.
- Damonte Coxie (Toronto Argonauts, WR) — Torched Calgary for 148 yards and a score back in Week 5 and needs just five catches to hit 200 for his career.
- Jalen Philpot (Calgary Stampeders, WR) — Calgary's top target with 542 yards, part of a receiving corps that had four different guys score in the first meeting.
Keys to the Game
- Toronto's secondary has to find an answer for Adams Jr. and a receiving group that spreads the ball around too well to key on one guy.
- Kelly needs protection up front — a rebuilt offensive line missing Kendall Randolph has to hold up against a Calgary pass rush that's starting to find its groove.
- The Argos can't let this turn into a track meet; keeping drives long and controlling the clock is the best way to keep Calgary's offense off the field.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Desmond Bland (OL) | Toronto Argonauts | Available |
| Benjie Franklin (DB) | Toronto Argonauts | Available |
| Owen Goss (LB) | Toronto Argonauts | Out |
| John Haggerty III (P) | Toronto Argonauts | Out |
| Lirim Hajrullahu (K) | Toronto Argonauts | Out |
| Cameron Judge (LB) | Toronto Argonauts | Available |
| Chad Kelly (QB) | Toronto Argonauts | Available |
| Shawn Lemon (DL) | Toronto Argonauts | Available |
| Peter Nicastro (OL) | Toronto Argonauts | Available |
| Kendall Randolph (OL) | Toronto Argonauts | Out |
| Dakoda Shepley (OL) | Toronto Argonauts | Available |
| Alex Teubner (DB) | Toronto Argonauts | Out |
Depth Chart
Toronto Argonauts starters by position, built from the Toronto Argonauts depth-chart data provided. This table is for the Toronto Argonauts ONLY — the projected chart may not reflect any last-minute mid-season changes.
| Position | Toronto Argonauts |
|---|---|
| QB | Chad Kelly, Nick Arbuckle, Tucker Horn |
| RB | Sam Hicks, Isaiah Smith |
| FB | Jack Cassar, Sebastian Parsalidis |
| WR | Damonte Coxie, Dave Ungerer III |
| SB | Makai Polk, Kevin Mital, Tyler Kahmann, Janarion Grant |
| LT | Desmond Bland |
| LG | Ryan Hunter |
| C | Peter Nicastro, Chris Kolankowski |
| RG | Dakoda Shepley, Frank Vreugdenhil |
| RT | Brandon Kemp |
| DE | Shawn Lemon, Da'Marcus Johnson, Paris Shand, Jonathan Kongbo |
| DT | DeWayne Hendrix, Sonae Toia, Ralph Holley |
| LB | Brian Harelimana, Cameron Judge, Darius McKenzie, James Neal, Isaac Darkangelo, Derek Slywka, Adarius Pickett |
| CB | Benjie Franklin, Tarvarus McFadden, Louis-Philippe Gauthier |
| S/HB | Bubba Bolden, James Ceasar, DaShaun Amos, Ethan John |
| K/P | Brady Lidster, James Burnip |
| LS | Adam Guillemette |
Score Prediction
Toronto Argonauts 33 - Calgary Stampeders 34. Both offenses have shown they can move the ball in bunches, and with Adams Jr. still without an interception and Kelly capable of matching him blow for blow, this one plays out like a shootout that comes down to the final possession — with Calgary's improved defense making just enough plays to escape BMO Field with the win.
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Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.