Toronto Argonauts second-half performance proves costly in Labour Day loss

After entering halftime with a double-digit lead for the second consecutive week, the Toronto Argonauts faltered down the stretch, costing themselves yet another win.

Another game, another heartbreaking loss for the Toronto Argonauts.

Their nightmare season added a whole new chapter Monday, as a terrible second half saw the Argos squander a career-high game from receiver Derel Walker as they dropped to 1-9 on the season.

More from Tip of the Tower

• Cam Phillips making his mark on Toronto Argonauts offence
• Toronto Argonauts: 4 storylines ahead of matchup against Redblacks
• Federico Bernardeschi ready for new challenge with Toronto FC
• Toronto Argonauts overcome Roughriders in entertaining Touchdown Atlantic
• Buffalo Bills: Von Miller drawing inspiration from Bruce Smith

For the second consecutive week, Toronto let a double-digit halftime lead slip away in the fourth quarter, losing their third straight game and all but ending their season.

The best the Toronto Argonauts could finish now is 9-9, and that is assuming they somehow find a way to limit the mistakes that have plagued them all season long and put a full sixty minutes of good football together.

To put it bluntly, that is not going to happen.

The Argos have been an interesting case study this year – seemingly arguing against some of the old adages that are used by football fans around the world.

“You are what your record says you are” comes to mind as a common saying that these Argonauts have seemingly refuted through the first few months of the season. Yes, the team has struggled to gain wins, but the soul-crushing ways they have lost close games almost gave the team and fans a sense of confidence.

They may not have won, but they felt close.

It was all a mirage, an inability to recognize an inconvenient truth – that this team is just not very good.

Yes, the B.C. loss was a last-second heart breaker, but so is the Argos one win, a one-point last-second come-from-behind score that was far from a dominant performance. Yes, the Alouettes (and now this TiCat loss) both occur because of an unbelievable second-half comeback from their opponents, but shouldn’t good teams stop those comebacks?

The Argos have argued that they weren’t as bad as their record all year long, that potential was laying just under the surface. For a while, it was believable. But not anymore.

“A CFL season doesn’t start until after labour day,” or so the saying goes.

But not in this case. In this case, Toronto is done, playing for next year before the league down south even kicks off.

The problem the Argos now face goes beyond the dropped games to Eastern opponents­­ – the west is so strong that it will make the battle for third in the east irrelevant. With three games against Ottawa still to come, Toronto could singlehandedly crawl themselves out of the East division basement by winning the season series, but that won’t do a thing for their playoff hopes.

Will the Argos care about that little victory?

They should. It would show a fire and self-pride that Coach Chamblin has cited throughout the year as being a reason for each and every man to come to work and keep getting better.

What’s next for the Argos is anyone’s guess.

Four of their next seven are at home, bringing an end to a rather tumultuous time for the team who has had to practice around road closures and festivals at their own stadium grounds for the better part of a month. And yes, if you believe the company motto, “we can pull together”, and use the remaining eastern matchups to pull themselves out of last.

But win or loss, one thing is clear.

It’s too little, too late.

What are your thoughts on the Argos Labour Day loss? Should the team be thinking about making big changes this off-season? Let us know in the comments below.