Toronto Argonauts clinch final CFL playoff spot, eliminate rival Hamilton Tiger-Cats

The Toronto Argonauts have booked their ticket to the CFL playoffs with a 13-1 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday night.

The Boatmen scored a touchdown courtesy of Canadian receiver David Ungerer on their opening drive and never relinquished the lead throughout a hard-fought defensive battle. Brady Oliveira surpassed 100 yards from scrimmage but the Toronto defence sacked Zach Collaros seven times, stripped him once, and held him short by inches on a third-and-17 scramble late in the fourth quarter that was upheld on review.

With the win, the Argonauts become the sixth and final team to qualify for the postseason, temporarily moving into second place in the East Division. At the same time, they officially eliminated their arch-rival, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who could have mathematically made the playoffs if Toronto lost out after they swept the three-game season series between the two teams.

This marks the fourth straight year in which Toronto has made the playoffs, though they have secured a first-round bye in each of those years. Hamilton last missed the post-season in 2017, making five consecutive appearances. They have the longest active Grey Cup drought in the CFL at 25 years.

The Montreal Alouettes have already secured the top seed in the East Division, which leaves the Argos and Ottawa Redblacks to battle to host the East Semi-Final. Toronto (9-7) will host Ottawa for the deciding matchup on Saturday, October 19 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.