The Toronto Argonauts’ first game at BMO Field in 665 days saw the Argos win their home opener by defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 30-23.
The riveting home victory for The Argos over the Blue Bombers (2-1) brings the Boatmen’s record to 2-1 on their season. Winnipeg travels back home to play western division rival Calgary (1-2) next Sunday. On Thursday night, the Toronto Argonauts return to BMO to square off against the 1-2 Edmonton Elks.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Toronto Argonauts Week 3 Game Recap
An excellent kick 38-yard kick return by Daniel Braveman kicked off the game. The return set up the Argos with excellent field position on their first drive. The Bombers would allow one first down but would hold the Argos offense to a field goal attempt at their 45-yard line. Boris Bede would connect from 52 yards away to give his team an early 3-0 advantage.
Toronto’s defense would continue the teams’ positive start by forcing a quick two and out by Winnipeg’s offense. After a penalty on special teams by the Bombers during the ensuing punt. The Argos would once again be afforded terrific field position near midfield.
On a beautifully designed bubble screen that looked like a potential double pass, DeVaris Daniels would sprint down the field instead for 18 yards. RB DJ Foster, making his debut for Toronto, would factor in heavily on the drive. Foster would catch a 14-yard pass from Nick Arbuckle, and then three players would score his first CFL touchdown on a beautiful 10-yard cut-back run. Bede would make the extra point and give the Argos an early 10-0 lead.
The tide would continue to stay in the Boatmen’s favor on Winnipeg’s next offensive possession. Charleston Hughes would pressure Zach Collaros and force him into an errant throw into coverage, which was intercepted off a Henoc Muamba deflection by Dexter McCoil.
Taking over on the Bombers 35-yard line. The Argonauts would start their next series. Toronto would pick up one first down, but the drive would stall, and the Argos would settle for a short 31-yard field goal by Boris Bede. The score would put Toronto up 13-0.
The Argos defense would force the Bombers to punt the ball away on their next offensive series. Toronto’s offense would begin their next series with three straight completions by Nick Arbuckle and an eight-yard run by John White. Sending the game into the second quarter with Boatmen in full control.
Two more Arbuckle completions to DeVaris Daniels and Eric Rogers would set the Argos up at Winnipeg’s 20-yard line. Both Rogers and Daniels were involved heavily in the early going with seven combined receptions. However, Toronto’s momentum would be halted when Jackson Jeffcoat would chase down Nick Arbuckle, force a fumble recovered by linebacker Jesse Briggs, who would return it 83 yards for a touchdown. Tyler Crapigna would hit the extra point and trim the Argos lead to 13-7.
Needing to respond after a potential momentum shift in the game. Toronto’s offense would drive into Winnipeg territory quickly, using a mix of effective runs and passes. But the drive would stall at the 30, and Boris Bede would come out to connect on his third field goal of the day from 37-yards to give Toronto a 16-7 lead.
Winnipeg would finally get their 1st first down on their next offensive series. But the Argos defense would once again force them to punt the football away. However, the Bombers defense would return the favor and force Toronto to its first two and out on their next offensive drive.
The Bombers would get the football back in good field position near mid-field. Winnipeg’s offensive attack would finally get cooking on their next series driving into Argos territory. A mental error in the Argos secondary by Jamal Peters would lead to Zach Collaros finding the returning Darvin Adams 54 yards for the score. And all of a sudden, with the extra point, the Bombers’ who looked like they might get steamrolled early on, were back in the game down only two points. 16-14.
The momentum would stay on Winnipeg’s side as their defense sacked Arbuckle twice on Toronto’s next turn on offense. Toronto would punt the football away to Winnipeg with less than two minutes left in the half. Despite a major foul penalty by Jamal Peters on the Blue Bombers’ next possession. Toronto’s defense would stand up and halt Winnipeg’s drive.
With less than a minute left in the second quarter. Daniel Braverman would return a punt 18 yards to the 47 to give his team positive field position. Moments later, A Nick Arbuckle interception was called back on a debatable pass interference call on Deandre Alford.
Two plays later, the red hot connection between Nick Arbuckle and Devaris Daniels (7-100 in the first half) would continue. As the two hooked up for a pretty pump and go 35-yard touchdown score. Up by eight with a 22-14 lead. Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie would opt to go for two, but the team would fail to convert. Keeping the game within one score.
Toronto would open the third quarter with the football. The second half would start with a dangerous collision between the Bombers Brandon Alexander and DeVaris Daniels. Alexander would be flagged for unnecessary roughness on the play for striking Daniels in the head during the play. Alexander made no play on the ball and delivered a vicious shoulder to Daniels’s helmet. DeVaris was out on the field but was helped to his feet and the sidelines.
The Argos offense would stall and punt the ball away after Jackson Jeffcoat would sack and force another fumble on Nick Arbuckle that Philip Blake was able to recover. The Bombers would also punt on their opening series of the third quarter.
Toronto would turn the football over on their next possession when a well-timed blitz by Richie Hall would send several free blitzers into the Argos backfield. John White and Nick Arbuckle would fumble the exchange leading to Brandon Alexander recovering the football and returning it to Toronto’s 35-yard line.
The Argonauts’ defense would hold and limit the Bombers’ offense to a 37-yard field goal attempt. Former Argo Tyler Crapigna would miss the kick wide, but Winnipeg would be awarded a single to cut the Argos lead to 22-15.
The Argos would respond on their next possession, thanks to the running of DJ Foster. The CFL rookie would spring free for a 39-yard run. Two plays later, Nick Arbuckle would connect with Dejon Brissett for a 31-yard pickup down to the Winnipeg 5-yard line. A spearing penalty by Deatrick Nichols would set the Argos up at the one-yard line. And Nick Arbuckle would punch in the td score with a quarterback sneak. The extra point by Boris Bede would extend Toronto’s lead to 29-15.
Charleston Hughes would knock down a Zach Collaros pass on second down on their next offensive series, leading to another Blue Bombers punt. Toronto’s offense would also kick the ball away on their next series, but a Boris Bede punt into the end zone would lead to Winnipeg conceding the single. Toronto would go up 30-15.
Another two and out by the Bombers would bring Toronto’s offense back on the field, up 15 late in the third quarter. Two first down runs by the red-hot DJ Foster and a twenty-yard completion from Arbuckle to Brissett would set the Argos up at midfield as the game went into the fourth quarter.
Toronto would open the final frame with two negative plays. A 4-yard loss on a John White run and an errant shotgun snap that Nick Arbuckle recovered for a loss of 12 yards. Winnipeg’s nest series would lead to a single on Marc Liegghio’s punt into the end zone. Cutting the Boatmen’s lead to 30-16.
The Argos would punt the ball away on their next series. The Bombers would get the ball with less than ten minutes left in the game at their own 46-yard line. Winnipeg would drive into Argos territory. A Vontae Diggs sack would stall the Bombers at the 40. The field goal attempt from 47 yards was missed by Crapigna and returned by Daniel Braverman to the Toronto 15-yard line.
Looking to grind out the clock with a two-score lead. Nick Arbuckle would connect on a big 23-yard completion to his new target Dejon Brissett. DJ Foster would go over a hundred yards rushing during the series. However, the Argos would throw an incomplete pass, stopping the clock, and would have to punt the ball away with under 4 minutes left in the game.
The Bombers, who at this point, only had the football for 18 minutes on offense. were in a position, needing two scores with time working against them. Collaros and Kenny Lawler would connect for a 39-yard pass play down to the Toronto 31 yard line. Three more completions would bring the Bombers to Toronto’s 8-yard line.
Winnipeg’s first trip into the red zone all game would pay off when Zach Collaros would connect with Rasheed Bailey for the score. The extra point would cut the Argos lead to 30-23 with 2:12 remaining.
Needing to run the clock out. And with Winnipeg having no timeouts with 2 minutes left. Ryan Dinwiddie would call an aggressive play call with Nick Arbuckle passing from an RPO-designed play on 1st down.
The gamble would pay off as Ricky Collins would reel in the pass and race down the field for 43 yards. Toronto would come close to picking up another first down on the running of John White and Arbuckle.
Facing 3rd and 1 at Winnipeg’s 37 with 1:08 remaining. Ryan Dinwiddie would opt to go for it rather than attempt the field goal, and Arbuckle would get the first down on the sneak and ice the game for the Boatmen.
Final Score: Toronto Argonauts 30 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23
Argos-Blue Bombers Box Score
PASSING
| PLAYER | CP/AT | % | YDS | TD | INT | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18/33 | 54.5% | 204 | 2 | 1 | 51 |
RUSHING
| PLAYER | CAR | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 28 | 4.0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 |
RECEIVING
| PLAYER | REC | ATT | YDS | YAC | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 7 | 61 | 2 | 12.2 | 39 | 0 | |
| 2 | 7 | 57 | 8 | 28.5 | 51 | 1 | |
| 4 | 7 | 29 | 14 | 7.2 | 10 | 0 | |
| 4 | 8 | 29 | 7 | 7.2 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2 | 3 | 20 | 11 | 10.0 | 12 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 8.0 | 8 | 0 |
FIELD GOALS
| PLAYER | FGA | FG | LG | S | YDS | FG MISS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37, 47 |
PUNT RETURNS
| PLAYER | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 18 | 4.5 | 7 | 0 |
KICKOFF RETURNS
| PLAYER | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 72 | 24.0 | 31 | 0 |
FG MISSED RETURNS
| PLAYER | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|
PUNTING
| PLAYER | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | S | NET | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 366 | 45.8 | 66 | 1 | 296 | 37.0 |
KICKOFFS
| PLAYER | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 155 | 51.7 | 60 | 0 | |
| 2 | 132 | 66.0 | 69 | 0 |
DEFENCE
| PLAYER | DT | ST | QS | INT | FR | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
PASSING
| PLAYER | CP/AT | % | YDS | TD | INT | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23/32 | 71.9% | 310 | 1 | 0 | 43 |
RUSHING
| PLAYER | CAR | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 101 | 10.1 | 39 | 1 | |
| 12 | 24 | 2.0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 18 | 0 | |
| 5 | 6 | 1.2 | 2 | 1 |
RECEIVING
| PLAYER | REC | ATT | YDS | YAC | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 8 | 100 | 17 | 14.3 | 35 | 1 | |
| 5 | 8 | 69 | 9 | 13.8 | 24 | 0 | |
| 5 | 7 | 52 | 46 | 10.4 | 43 | 0 | |
| 2 | 2 | 51 | 23 | 25.5 | 31 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | 23 | 7 | 23.0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | 14 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 2 | 0 |
FIELD GOALS
| PLAYER | FGA | FG | LG | S | YDS | FG MISS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 52 | 0 | 120 |
PUNT RETURNS
| PLAYER | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 35 | 7.0 | 18 | 0 |
KICKOFF RETURNS
| PLAYER | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 70 | 23.3 | 38 | 0 | |
| 1 | 22 | 22.0 | 22 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
FG MISSED RETURNS
| PLAYER | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 23 | 0 |
PUNTING
| PLAYER | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | S | NET | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 308 | 44.0 | 68 | 1 | 255 | 36.4 |
KICKOFFS
| PLAYER | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 211 | 70.3 | 77 | 0 |
DEFENCE
| PLAYER | DT | ST | QS | INT | FR | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Boxscore
WPG
| Player | Position | Pass. CMP | Pass. ATT | Pass. YDS | Pass. TD | Pass. INT | Rush. ATT | Rush. YDS | Rush. TD | Rec. Targets | Rec. YDS | Rec. | Rec. TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
TOR
| Player | Position | Pass. CMP | Pass. ATT | Pass. YDS | Pass. TD | Pass. INT | Rush. ATT | Rush. YDS | Rush. TD | Rec. Targets | Rec. YDS | Rec. | Rec. TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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