Toronto Argonauts face another stiff challenge against Blue Bombers in Week 1

Back on the road again, the Toronto Argonauts will look to pull off another upset as they take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the first of back-to-back meetings.

The Toronto Argonauts were not given too much time to celebrate their first win of the season as they will take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers coming off a short week.

Going up against the reigning Grey Cup champions, Toronto understands the challenge in front of them. Not only do the Blue Bombers thrive on mistakes made by the opposition but they have also found the right formula to success.

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In Week 1 against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Blue Bombers were dominant even though they didn’t score a lot of points. While studying the game tape, head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said Winnipeg’s performance was identical to the 2019 Grey Cup.

Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira torched the TiCats defence with 21 carries for 126 yards. The Argos will hone in on the Blue Bombers offensive line and running game as a point of emphasis in their game plan.

"“We have to match their intensity,” Henoc Muamba told reporters this week. “We have to match their physical game to give ourselves a chance.”"

Even if the Argos can limit Winnipeg’s rushing attack, Zach Collaros is no slouch throwing the ball. It will be up to their pass rush to keep him in the pocket and not be allowed time to find an open receiver down the field, especially Kenny Lawler.

The team continues to suffer blows on defence with Shane Ray placed on the six-game injured list with a hand injury and Robertson Daniel dealing with a concussion. This is where the team is hoping Eli Harold, Kony Ealy and especially Charleston Hughes can step up and fill the void.

Unfortunately, Toronto has struggled against the Blue Bombers with their last victory in Winnipeg coming on Aug. 15, 2015. This Argos team just ended their losing streak against the Stampeders in the regular season so there should be some faith that this group can get the job done.

Toronto Argonauts offence has work cut out for them once again

If their Week 1 performance showed anything, it’s that the Argos have no shortage of targets on offence. Ricky Collins Jr. led the way with six receptions for 126 yards and while he might get more attention from the Blue Bombers defence, it could benefit players like DaVaris Daniels, Eric Rogers or Juwan Brescasin.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson will be the starter again and it’s hard to not agree with that decision considering he had 354 yards through the air, two touchdowns but more importantly, he didn’t throw a single interception. He should be excited to see three rookies being started in the Bombers’ secondary but his biggest challenge is the pressure he will get from Winnipeg’s defensive line.

This is where the team’s running game should get more looks considering they didn’t really factor into the Week 1 victory. However, the team did make it a point to mix things up on offence by getting the ball out of Bethel-Thompson’s hand a lot quicker which should alleviate some of the pressure Winnipeg will try to put on the quarterback.

 What are you looking forward to watching in Week 2 against Winnipeg? Can the Argos get the job done? Let us know in the comments below.