Toronto Argonauts: What we learned from their dominant win over Tiger-Cats

With first place in the CFL’s East Division locked up, the Toronto Argonauts sent a statement in their win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Going into their pivotal matchup against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Toronto Argonauts only two of their nine victories had been by seven or more points.

This is why Friday’s 31-12 win over their QEW rival came as a bit of a surprise to those who doubted the team could even get the job done. Look at the fact that the CFL writers all picked Hamilton to win this game.

The significance of this victory for the Argos isn’t lost on anyone. After Tuesday’s game against the Edmonton Elks, Toronto doesn’t play again until Dec. 5 when they host either the Tiger-Cats or Montreal Alouettes in the East Final.

That means the Argos will have 19 days to prepare for another big game which gives players ample amount of time to allow injuries to heal and tune-up parts of their game. Fortunately, this win over Hamilton provides them with something to build off of.

"“This is (the) best performance we’ve had all year and I think it was just our focus,” head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said after the game. “I felt good about this game going into it just because of the work week, guys were dialed in.“We’re not happy. We’ve got to be better but I thought it was a pretty solid outing by our guys.”"

This was definitely a game where the Argos were getting the contributions they need on all three phases. This was something the team had been missing to this point.

We finally saw the offence put points on the board with the defence giving them every chance to not only score first but pile on the points as well. The Tiger-Cats offence could not execute the big plays and that allowed Toronto to settle in on defence.

The common message from players is that while they achieved one of their goals, their sights are still set on achieving their ultimate goal of winning the Grey Cup. They can at least enjoy the fact that they just need to win one game at home where they are 6-0 so far to get to Hamilton on Dec. 12.

In a one-game scenario, it’s not just talent that allows teams to come away with the win. It’s the ones that can execute their game plan to the best of their ability and disrupt their opponents that usually come away on top.

What are your thoughts on the Argos win over the Tiger-Cats? Can they find a way to reach the Grey Cup? Let us know in the comments below.