East Division rivals Toronto and Ottawa are both seeking their first win of the young season on Saturday afternoon in the nation’s capital.
The visiting Argonauts (0-1) opened the 2026 CFL campaign with a 37-30 loss at Montreal on June 12. The Redblacks (0-1) have been idle since a 29-21 home loss to Edmonton on June 6.
These clubs engaged in a shootout in their last meeting. The Redblacks pulled out a 46-42 win on the road last August in a game with a combined 814 yards of offense. Toronto’s Nick Arbuckle and Ottawa’s Dru Brown were the signal-callers in that contest.
Both teams feature “new” quarterbacks this season. Argonauts star Chad Kelly returned from a 2024 leg injury and completed 28 of 46 passes for 445 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in the loss to the Alouettes.
Kelly, a two-time Grey Cup champion and the 2023 CFL Most Outstanding Player, also showed his fiery temperament in a sideline spat with head coach Mike Miller, who downplayed the incident.
“That’s Chad and I working together for five years and having a real, true understanding of each other. That’s what I have to say about that,” Miller said. “Chad’s a competitor, I’m a competitor. There’s a way that we interact, and I have no problem with Chad Kelly.”
Jake Maier is now under center for Ottawa after winning the Grey Cup last season as the backup for Saskatchewan. Before that, he started 45 games for Calgary from 2021-24.
Maier completed 22 of 37 passes for 203 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in the Week 1 setback against the Elks.
Whether he admits it or not, Saturday’s game in Ottawa is huge for new Redblacks head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie, who won two Grey Cups (2022, 2024) as the head coach for Toronto from 2020-25.
“None at all,” Dinwiddie said when asked this week if facing the Argos carried any additional importance, per the Ottawa Citizen.
“We’re obviously playing Toronto, but my mindset is we’re playing another opponent, we’re 0-1 right now. That’s what my focus is … cleaning up the stuff in this building and making sure we have a good plan to go win a football game.
“… It’s not about who we’re playing, it’s about us. So, we’ve got to find ways to get better.”
–Field Level Media
