Looking to end a four-game losing streak and with the opportunity to host a home playoff game on the line, the Ottawa Redblacks spent the first 45 minutes of Saturday afternoon’s contest at BMO Field lacking intensity and failing to display any sense of urgency.
A 25-point explosion in the fourth quarter made the final score look better but the fact of the matter is that 15 minutes does not make a football game, which is why Ottawa fell by a score of 38-31 to Toronto.
Here are all my thoughts on the game.
1) In his first action after missing almost a month due to a nagging ankle injury, quarterback Dru Brown was sharp, completing 72 percent of his passes for 400 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
That’s not to say Brown was perfect — there were off-target throws and plays where he held onto the ball too long — but overall, it was an impressive outing from the 27-year-old given how much time he’d missed.
When he pushed the ball down the field, Brown repeatedly found success, hitting his receivers in stride. Where he sometimes got into trouble was when he settled for short checkdowns, such as on a third-and-goal early in the fourth quarter. Instead of throwing for the end zone, Brown checked the ball down to his running back at the six-yard line. It was a play unlikely to ever succeed as it meant making multiple defenders miss.
In regards to the turnovers, I’d argue neither was Brown’s fault. On the first-quarter fumble, left tackle Drake Centers whiffed on his block, allowing the Argo defender a free shot into Brown’s back. On the fourth-quarter interception, Brown had to push the ball down the field and it was a safe assumption that his six-foot-six receiver would win a jump ball over a six-foot-two defensive back.
2) There are only so many ways to say the same thing: Tommy Condell’s offence is broken. For the fifth game in a row, Ottawa never led. For the fifth game in a row, there was nothing remotely approaching a balanced offensive attack, with Condell calling 43 pass plays to exactly eight runs. For the fifth game in a row, the offence started slow and by the time it got going, it didn’t matter.
Six of Ottawa’s first ten drives failed to pick up a first down. Another two moved the chains exactly once before resulting in a punt. Although the Redblacks finished with 395 yards of total offence, 250 of those came in the fourth quarter when Toronto was already up 32 points and naturally letting their foot off the gas.
It’s not Condell’s fault that Bralon Addison dropped a perfectly placed ball on a promising opening drive. And it’s not his fault that Centers (twice) missed blocks that led to sacks on Ottawa’s first two possessions. But it is his fault that there has been nothing resembling a ground attack for six weeks. Explosive plays continue to be infrequent in his offence and Ottawa remains the worst team in the CFL in the red zone.
Until some of those things change, it’s hard to see Ottawa moving back into the win column.
3) The Redblacks need to give American rookie running back Khalan Laborn more touches. Period. It’s inexcusable that after 26 minutes of play, the 25-year-old had been given exactly two carries.
Obviously, the way a game flows and unfolds can impact how it’s called, but Laborn is the kind of physical back whose punishing running style wears defences down over the course of a game. When he’s given four carries, total, as was the case against Toronto, there’s no chance of that happening.
Laborn also added four catches for 42 yards and blocked well in pass protection. I’ll keep typing this until my fingers are sore — give the guy more touches and good things will happen.
4) With Ottawa’s receiving corps the healthiest it has been in months, one would have thought the offence would get back on track. Although there were a couple of standout individual performances, as a unit, the group still lacked consistency.
After missing last week’s game, Justin Hardy returned to the field and extended his streak of consecutive 100-yard games with four thanks to a seven-catch, 102-yard performance that also included a touchdown reception and a two-point convert. In his first action in two months, Bralon Addison made eight catches for 74 yards, had a pair of touchdowns and two two-point converts.
Rookie Kalil Pimpleton led all Ottawa receivers with seven catches for 114 yards, 45 of which came after the catch. Canadian Nick Mardner caught a six-yard touchdown slant and the rarely-used Marco Dubois snagged his second pass of the season for 27 yards.
Americans Dominique Rhymes and Jaelon Acklin combined for three catches for 35 yards. Given how both after capable of stretching the field and winning contested catches, it’s puzzling how often Ottawa has them running sideways across the field as opposed to vertically down it.
5) It wasn’t the offensive line’s worst performance of the season, but it also wasn’t their best. Drake Centers was back from injury at left tackle and struggled, especially early on. His missed blocks in the first quarter led to the end of one promising drive and a turnover. Although he eventually settled in, it was an adventure for most of the game.
Overall, the Redblacks allowed three sacks on 43 pass attempts.It’s worth acknowledging that Toronto’s pass rush is the best in the league and when there’s no running threat, play-action rings hollow. Ottawa also never dialled up any misdirection or much in the way of screens, which allowed the Argos to pin their ears back and really attack the pocket. That makes for a long day pass protecting.
On the ground, the group only mustered 3.5 yards per rush, but I’ll cut them some slack because of how infrequently the team even attempted to run the ball.
6) Sometimes stats don’t tell the whole story, but sometimes they do. Barron Miles’ defence was putrid in the first half and by the time they showed any kind of pushback, the game was already long out of reach.
Toronto’s first four possessions were touchdowns and Argo quarterback Chad Kelly was literally playing pitch and catch. Kelly torched Ottawa’s secondary, completing 81 percent of his passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns. Those numbers would be even higher if not for two overthrown balls that should have been another pair of easy walk-in touchdowns.
What was so disheartening about Toronto’s first-half offensive performance was that they gutted Ottawa again and again with deep balls. I’m not talking about perfectly placed passes where the defender was just unlucky as receivers made great catches. Instead, it was Argo receivers running wide-open thanks to blown coverages. Time after time, the Redblacks’ secondary and linebackers were exposed and completely out of position.
Deandre Lamont, Alijah McGhee, Money Hunter, Damon Webb, and Bennett Williams were all beaten deep for huge gains or touchdowns. As previously mentioned, two other deep balls were also blown coverages that the Argos (fortunately) failed to take advantage of. As much as the offence starting slow was a factor in this loss, the secondary failing to be within five yards of Argo receivers on deep routes in the first half was just as, if not more, guilty.
Overall, Toronto averaged 6.8 yards per play and converted 62 percent of their second-down opportunities. They also put up 117 yards on the ground.
As hard as it might be to believe, there was a bright spot on defence, and his name is Aidan John. The second-year Canadian made the most of his second career start at defensive end, playing with a relentless motor. The 24-year-old Halifax native had five tackles, including one for a five-yard loss, and notched his fourth sack of the season. It was the only time the Redblacks got to Kelly all day.
7) If there was one area of the game in which Ottawa outperformed Toronto, it was on special teams. Let’s get the bad out of the way first: Lewis Ward missed a 43-yard field goal attempt but made one from 38 yards out. He also had a convert blocked (again), but it certainly seemed like the Argo defender was offside. Aside from those two blemishes, the Redblacks special teams were spectacular.
Punter Richie Leone hammered five balls for an average field positional field of 46.4 yards per punt. Ottawa’s kick coverage was outstanding, led by former Ottawa Gee-Gee James Peter. The second-year linebacker made four thunderous special teams tackles, including one that forced a fumble that was recovered by Dawson Pierre.
In terms of the return game, Pimpleton handled all return duties and looked a threat to take it for a touchdown every time the ball was in his hands. Pimpleton averaged 21.3 yards per punt return, with his longest gain coming in at 36 yards. On kickoffs, he averaged 23.3 yards per return, with a long of 35 yards.
Finally, Ward attempted three onside kicks, two of which were struck perfectly, allowing defensive lineman Kene Onyeka and receiver Jaelon Acklin to recover possession for Ottawa.
8) With the loss, the Redblacks drop to 2-7 on the road in 2024 and are officially set to open the playoffs at BMO Field in two weeks.
On an interesting note, it will be the Redblacks’ first road playoff game in franchise history. To date, the franchise has played seven playoff games in their ten-year history. Four have been at home (with three wins) and three have been in the Grey Cup. Since Grey Cups don’t count as road games, this year will be the Redblacks’ first.
If you’re the type to grasp for potential positives, Ottawa’s Grey Cup win came at BMO Field, so they have won before at the venue in the postseason.
9) Firmly locked into third place in the East Division, Bob Dyce’s squad closes out the regular season next week at TD Place by hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Standings-wise, it won’t count for anything, but given that it’s been six weeks — 43 days as of my writing this — since Ottawa has won a football game, next Saturday’s contest is still important.
Teams can’t suddenly flip a switch and play better. Even if it’s just a single win, it would be significantly better to head into the playoffs on a one-game winning streak as opposed to a six-game losing streak. For that to happen, Dyce will need to ensure his team plays with an intensity and attention to detail that has been lacking for quite some time.
The desire to right the ship per se versus wanting to ensure everyone enters the playoffs healthy must be carefully weighed. Given how many players have missed time this season, I’d argue it’s important the Redblacks give them as many reps as possible next week for everyone to knock off any lingering rust. They need to try and find some kind of formula that they can bring back to Toronto in two weeks for the playoffs.
