Toronto Argonauts officially eliminated from CFL playoff contention

Photo courtesy: Maggie Stemp-Turner/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Toronto Argonauts will miss the playoffs for the first time in the Ryan Dinwiddie era.

The defending Grey Cup champions sealed their fate with a 47-29 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field. It marked the final home game for the Argos for at least 10 months, as they prepare to be evicted from their stadium until at least late July due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Argos can no longer finish better than 7-11 on the season. With the Ottawa Redblacks’ elimination on Friday, a Western crossover team is now guaranteed to fill the third playoff spot in the East Division.

Toronto has never finished worse than second in the division since Dinwiddie was hired as head coach ahead of the cancelled 2020 season, winning two Grey Cups over that span. They last missed the postseason in 2019 with a 4-14 finish.

The 2025 season for the Argos has been overshadowed by the health saga of franchise quarterback Chad Kelly, who has yet to fully recover from a broken leg suffered in last year’s East Final. Nick Arbuckle, who was named the MVP in last year’s Grey Cup victory, has performed admirably in relief, but has been limited by a porous offensive line, suspect running game, and inconsistent defence. He was unable to finish Saturday’s loss due to a right arm injury, giving way to Jarret Doege.

The Argonauts (5-11) have two games remaining in the regular season. They will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (11-4) on Friday, October 10, before wrapping up the year in Calgary on Saturday, October 18.