On the eve of his return to the playoffs, Toronto Argonauts’ quarterback Chad Kelly had no interest in rehashing last season’s collapse in the East Final.
“No, we don’t focus on what happened in the past,” he said, shutting down a reporter with a sullen glare. “We’re focused on this game and only this game.”
The Argos will begin the postseason a week earlier this year, hosting the East Semi-Final instead of earning a first-round bye. They’ll have to face a different opponent as well, needing to overcome the underdog Ottawa Redblacks for a shot at redemption against Montreal. And yet, when the Double Blue take to the turf at BMO Field on Saturday, it will be hard to ignore what happened in the last playoff game they hosted.
Back in 2023, Toronto was a juggernaut defending champion with a historic 16-2 regular season record. They entered the East Final favoured by 10.5 points over the Alouettes, only to be upset in a 38-17 blowout by the eventual Grey Cup winners. It was one of the most shocking postseason defeats in CFL history but has not been addressed by this year’s team.
“We haven’t talked about it,” head coach Ryan Dinwiddie dismissed. “It’s a new team, new year. We’ve been battle-tested through 18 games this year.”
While there may be plenty of new faces around the organization, the bulk of last year’s team remains. The most important of those players is Kelly, who was at the centre of the whole ordeal.
The CFL’s eventual Most Outstanding Player finished his only playoff start to date 21-of-36 passing for 246 yards and one touchdown but was responsible for nine turnovers. He threw four interceptions — including two returned for touchdowns – fumbled once, and turned it over on downs four times. The high-powered Argos offence did not find the endzone until the fourth quarter, with a 105-yard kickoff return touchdown from Montreal taking the wind out of any comeback attempt.
While he attempted to deflect any importance away from last year’s game, Dinwiddie cited the two key elements of that loss as points of emphasis this week.
“Obviously, that’s a focus; taking care of the football and ending every drive with a kick. Our cover units as well,” he admitted. “Can’t have a return game, you’ve got to stop them. They’ve got two great returners and I’ve been a part of so many games where you give up a punt return or you give up a kickoff return — it doesn’t really end well for you. That’s been a focus for us this week.”
Questions have loomed over Kelly ever since the East Final upset. In the week that followed, he claimed a concussion had impacted his performance, though he was unable to pinpoint when it occurred and never informed the coaching or medical staff. Later that offseason, a lawsuit filed against Kelly by a former Argos strength and conditioning coach alleged that a confrontation between the two occurred in the week leading up to the game.
The lawsuit was settled out of court to the satisfaction of both parties and none of the allegations against the quarterback were ever proven. However, an independent CFL investigation corroborated three of the core claims, including the East Final week confrontation, to result in a nine-game suspension for violating the league’s gender-based violence policy.
Since his reinstatement, Kelly has made eight starts and thrown for 2,451 yards, 10 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. The 30-year-old has also run for 214 yards and five majors. His biggest blemish came in the first meeting with these same Redblacks, a four-interception performance which former teammate Adarius Pickett likened to his playoff implosion.
Despite that storyline and Kelly’s frosty demeanour at the podium, Dinwiddie believes that his quarterback is rounding into form at the right time.
“You’re always gonna have some ups and downs throughout the week when you’re going through different scout cards and different looks but he’s had a sharp week. I think he’s really turned it on the last few weeks as far as getting the rust off,” he insisted.
“I expect him to have a big game but like I said, he doesn’t have to be a superhero. He just got to manage the football game and put us in good spots to be successful.”
Kelly has turned that into an art form since his controversial return, going 5-3 at the helm while transforming into a game manager. However, he can’t ignore the added importance that comes with three-down football in November.
“There’s no do-overs so, obviously, it means a lot more than every other league,” Kelly acknowledged.
The Toronto Argonauts (10-8) will host the Ottawa Redblacks (9-8-1) for the Eastern Semi-Final on Saturday, November 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. EDT at BMO Field.
