Toronto Argonauts hang on for pivotal win over Montreal Alouettes

The Toronto Argonauts were able to hold on for a 30-27 win against the Montreal Alouettes in an important victory against an East Division opponent.

The Toronto Argonauts needed McLeod Bethel-Thompson to rise to the challenge against the Montreal Alouettes and he delivered when called upon.

Bethel-Thompson got Toronto on the board going 5-for-5 for 5/5 for 59 yards and finding Kurleigh Gittens Jr. in the endzone.

The Alouettes would respond with a touchdown by Eugene Lewis from Vernon Adams Jr.  and would take advantage of a fumble by Chandler Worthy on the kickoff to put another three points on the board.

With the Argonauts trailing by a field goal, Bethel-Thompson would march the Argos down the field with a 25-yard dart to Worthy and then Ricky Collins Jr. would bounce off a few tackles to get them to the three-yard line. D.J. Foster would punch it in to get Toronto ahead 14-10.

With under a minute to go in the first half, Adams Jr. would try to get some points on the board but would get intercepted by Chris Edwards. Bethel-Thompson would take advantage of the turnover completing a 45-yard touchdown pass to Worthy to put Toronto ahead 21-10.

In the second half, Montreal would start to chip away at the deficit with William Stanback rushing in for a touchdown to cut the lead to four. In the fourth quarter, the Argos would regain the two-score advantage with a pair of easy field goals for Boris Bede.

The Argos and Alouettes would trade field goals before Montreal made things interesting with a minute to go in the game. Adams Jr. threw a strike to Jake Wieneke as he had to knock down to himself then on the next play, he would get open in the endzone for a 27-yard touchdown.

1. McLeod Bethel-Thompson shows no rust in first game in weeks

The Argos offence got off to a strong start in the first half as Bethel-Thompson showed the team that he could come in when called upon to lead the offence.

He didn’t have overwhelming numbers throwing for only 210 yards and two touchdowns but what was more important was the fact that he didn’t record a single turnover. He also found instant chemistry with Damion Jeanpiere who replaced Eric Rogers in the lineup with Rogers dealing with an injury and led to the team .

Another player that benefitted from Bethel-Thompson behind centre was Chandler Worthy who had his best game with the Argos. Worthy had 85 yards including his big touchdown late in the second quarter and said his bond with Bethel-Thompson has helped him in many ways especially after he was cut by the team and eventually found his way back to the team.

“That’s my brother,” Worthy said about Bethel-Thompson after the game. “Even when I was released and I wasn’t here, we were in a park throwing together. The love extends beyond that field, so just to be able to go to war with him and score a touchdown for him meant a lot to me.”

2. Toronto Argonauts run defence struggles again but salvage night with big turnovers

In their first game against Chris Jones, the Argos defence struggled to contain William Stanback who had 133 yards on 19 carries. On 25 carries, Montreal put up 178 yards on the ground.

What saved Toronto’s defence was getting four turnovers including two interceptions by Adams Jr. who was forced into some tough throws because of the pressure he faced. If it weren’t for those plays, this game could have gone in another direction.

It was also crucial for the Argos defence to make Montreal settle for field goals when it looked like they were marching down the field. The Alouettes held a significant advantage in possession time and yards but in true fashion, the Argos defence did not break even with Montreal pushing to tie the game late.

What were your thoughts on the Argos win? Can they continue this pace especially at home? Let us know in the comments below.