The first rematch of last year’s Grey Cup final takes place Saturday night.
Neither the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers nor the defending champion Toronto Argonauts are going into it with any kind of positive momentum.
Winnipeg (3-2) has dropped two straight, including a 41-20 pummeling on July 18 at home against Calgary. Toronto (1-5) dropped a tough one July 17 with a come-from-ahead 26-25 loss in Montreal after owning a 25-7 halftime advantage.
It’s the first time that the Argos have started 1-5 or worse since 2019, leaving a sour taste in the mouth of linebacker Wynton McManis.
“There’s no time to waste,” McManis said after last week’s loss. “There’s got to be some type of urgency. There’s no reason we should have lost that game. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be celebrating coming out victorious.”
For Toronto to reverse its fortunes, it simply has to avoid the mistakes that have plagued it. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle’s late fumble at the Argos’ 21 led to Montreal’s winning touchdown last week.
“We’ve got to have more ball security in the pocket and awareness of the game situation,” Toronto coach Ryan Dinwiddie said.
While the Argonauts seek a more detailed effort, the Blue Bombers attempt to bounce back from consecutive routs at Calgary’s hands. The most recent one featured four interceptions — two each for starter Zach Collaros and Chris Streveler.
Collaros was knocked out with a neck injury after tossing his second pick in the second quarter but said he will play in Toronto.
The focus for Collaros and offensive coordinator Jason Hogan is cleaning up the mistakes that defined the back-to-back losses against the Stampeders.
“We have got to be clean and that means taking better care of the football,” Hogan said. “If we do that, we have proved with both quarterbacks we can drive efficiently down the football field. We just have to put the nail in the coffin and score. Six points are better than three.”
This is the first of a home-and-home series between Winnipeg and Toronto. They’ll meet again on Aug. 1 in Manitoba.
–Field Level Media
