CFL 2024 Season Week 10 Game Preview/Prediction: Calgary Stampeders at Toronto Argonauts
In a rematch from Week 9, the Calgary Stampeders will look to sweep the second part of a home-and-home series with the Toronto Argonauts.
Last Sunday, the Stampeders stormed back at home, scoring 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and sinking the Boatmen 27-23. Calgary has not had a back-to-back sweep over Toronto since 2008. But head coach Dave Dickenson's recent and long-term success against Ryan Dinwiddie's Argos (14-2 overall) suggests that a Stamps victory could be in the cards Friday night.
CFL Week 10 Preview: Calgary Stampeders (4-4) at Toronto Argonauts (4-4)
Game Notes/ Information
Date/Location: Sunday, August 9, 2024, BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario
Spread: Argos -1, Over/Under:50
TV/Streaming: TSN, RDS, CFL+
Kickoff Time: 7:30pm ET
Weather Forecast: Cloudy, Low 17C. Winds WNW at 15 to 30 km/h.
- Calgary is 4-0 at home this season but 0-4 on the road. The team has one victory in its last 10 games away from McMahon Stadium.
- Seven of Calgary’s eight games have been decided in the final three minutes.
- The Argonauts have won 12 of their last 13 games at BMO Field and their past eight in a row at home against West teams.
- Against Calgary last week, Cameron Dukes had a league-wide season-high 95 rushing yards by a quarterback.
Week 10 Depth Charts/Lineup Notes
There are no significant changes on Calgary's depth chart from Week 9. However, the big news is that Toronto has finally pulled the trigger and will be starting Nick Arbuckle at quarterback. Cameron Dukes assumes a reserve role.
Keys To The Game
Argonauts-Stampeders games since 2021, perhaps more so than any other CFL matchups, are determined by strategy and in-game coaching adjustments. The familiarity between both sides and their schemes trumps all other aspects.
Last Sunday, it appeared that the Argonauts would sail to victory through three quarters, but the Stampeders flipped the script schematically against Toronto. It wasn't just Calgary's offense and defense that stepped up. The Stampeders' special teams also took charge, curtailing the Argo's lethal return game with Janarion Grant. Coming into Week 9, the Boatmen were first in the league in punt return average but averaged only seven yards against Calgary.
Stamps defensive coordinator Brent Munson won his battle last week against his former colleague Dinwiddie's offense. After some adept in-game tweaks, Toronto's offense went ice-cold in the second half. The Argos were limited to 90 yards of net offense, with their only score coming from a rouge in the third quarter. All seven of Toronto's second-half drives ended with a punt or turnover.
Calgary's defense penetrated Toronto's line for six sacks last week. As a result, The Argos have made the switch at QB to former Stampeder Arbuckle. The hope for them is that he doesn't show the same indecisiveness that Dukes did in the pocket.
The Stamps played a different hand than the one they showed initially. In a back-to-back game setting, the losing team in the first meeting usually has an advantage in counter-punching knockout blows, but it's unlikely that Calgary will play Toronto's offense the same way they did in Week 9. Especially with Arbuckle now at the controls.
The Argonauts defense struggled to put any pressure on Jake Maeir in Calgary. It enabled the veteran pivot to calmly engineer a comeback. Toronto's defense must pressure the mistake-conscious Maeir into early throws and drive-killing plays.
With Toronto's current low-octane offense, the Argos' only recipe for success is building lead-off big plays from their defense and special teams.
Prediction
Toronto is in desperate need of a bye week. Beyond the obvious decline of its offense due to the absence of Chad Kelly, the Boatmen are a banged-up bunch. Even with the benefit of a home game at BMO Field in a rematch setting, the Stampeders are not an ideal get-right opponent. Calgary has Toronto's number and that will continue on Friday night.
Calgary Stampeders 23 Toronto Argonauts 18
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MIKE MITCHELL