Toronto Argonauts and McLeod Bethel-Thompson dig deep for comeback victory

In a game that the Toronto Argonauts needed to win, they staged a 24-point comeback to beat the Ottawa Redblacks in stunning fashion.

There have been a lot of down moments in the Toronto Argonauts season so far which is why their thrilling 42-41 comeback win over the Ottawa Redblacks brought some much needed relief.

It was not a perfect game but encouraging to see the team get contributions from all three phases when it mattered rather than throw in the towel when things weren’t going their way.

"“Armanti Edwards came into the huddle and said ‘No more on me, it’s enough, I love you but let’s make this happen,” said James Wilder Jr after the game. “At that moment it hit me because we hold each other to a higher standard and with tough love we made it happen.”"

In his first CFL start, McLeod Bethel-Thompson overcame a slow first half finishing the game 25-for-37 for 302 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. He also showed off his mobility rushing for 54 yards on six carries.

What the Argos showed in this game which was lacking in past games was the ability to overcome adversity. Many of the mistakes that put them in a deep hole were self-inflicted but they were able to find a way to make the plays at crucial points.

"“That’s the amazing thing about this team, there is no give up,” said Bethel-Thompson in his postgame comments. “No one likes to start 1-5, there was not a single blink.“We just stopped shooting ourselves in the foot and everyone just did their 1/12th and I was doing half of my job and the guys never let go.”"

Where things turned around for Toronto was not the contributions from one player but relying on the collective effort from players who haven’t been able to get things going.

S.J. Green finished the game with 134 yards on nine receptions and two touchdowns, Llevi Noel made some crucial catches to help move the chains and Edwards had the big catch to win the game in the final seconds.

On special teams, Martese Jackson was able to break away for some big runs and keep a level head after a costly fumble gifted Ottawa a touchdown.

Last season Jackson was able to make some big plays on special teams but hasn’t been able to find that consistency this season and despite his costly mistake, his teammates and coaches didn’t quit on him.

"“It’s really important because no win can be won by one person,” said Jackson. “It has to be everybody together believing so if somebody makes a bad play the team comes together and pulls together.”"

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While getting the win was important, the team knows they need to keep the momentum going with Friday’s game between Montreal and Hamilton having early implications on the standings in the East.

Obviously, the Argos can only control what they do which is why getting a comeback win like this can help turn a season. They also can’t get too ahead of themselves because it could have been a different result based on how the game started.

Turnovers continue to be an issue for this team which goes against Marc Trestman’s philosophy of trying to play clean, smart football. The defence was able to get to buckle down and get pressure on Trevor Harris who was carving up the secondary with big plays to Diontae Spencer and Brad Sinopoli.

The difference between this game and the past three was the team atoning for their mistakes like Spencer’s 88-yard punt return for a touchdown which put Ottawa up 38-14.

That would have put the Argos away in past weeks but they pushed back with a long drive which was capped off with a James Franklin touchdown. Abdul Kanneh would pick off Harris not too long after setting up Green’s second touchdown reception.

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Those types of plays were not happening at the start of the game and the team can only hope that it continues after their bye week when they host the B.C. Lions.

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