Toronto Argonauts’ strong start blocked by Alouettes in opener (& nine other thoughts)

Photo: Raphael Williams-Claudio/RWC Photography/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Toronto Argonauts opened the 2026 regular season with a loss to the Montreal Alouettes by a score of 37-30.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

Did Chad Kelly get his swagger back?

Making his first meaningful start since the 2024 East Final, Chad Kelly returned to the very field where he suffered that gruesome leg injury and put all the doubt about his performance after a long layoff to bed. While the team didn’t come out on top, Kelly turned in an impressive stat line: 28-of-46 passing for 445 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.

Those 445 yards marked Kelly’s third career 400-yard passing game in the CFL. However, it wasn’t his highest single-game total, as he threw for 463 yards against the Ottawa Redblacks in 2024.

The one complaint I have with Kelly’s performance was the lone interception he threw to Alouettes’ defensive back Bubba Bolden. It was an off-schedule play where his primary read wasn’t there, and he decided to chuck the ball up like a kid playing Madden. Except this isn’t a video game, it’s real life. That pick resulted in a turnover that stalled the Argonauts’ drive.

With time, I expect Kelly to clean up those moments. If he continues playing hero ball like he did a couple of times in Montreal, it could backfire for the Argonauts.

How did Mike Miller fare in his debut?

Friday was a long time coming for Mike Miller, as he made his head coaching debut for the Argonauts. While the team didn’t end up with the win, Miller did come away with a victory that former head coach Ryan Dinwiddie didn’t get too many of during his Argonauts tenure: winning a coach’s challenge. The call was on a forced fumble by Benjie Franklin that James Caesar was credited with recovering, but the command centre overturned it, giving Miller a rare win in the challenge department.

Some of Miller’s play-calling and strategic decisions, particularly the defensive approach against Davis Alexander and Tyson Philpot, played a significant role in the Argonauts’ downfall. One thing I do appreciate about Miller is his willingness to be upfront with reporters. However, his tendency to defer judgment until after reviewing the film isn’t always ideal. Immediate accountability following a game can go a long way in identifying and correcting issues or miscues sooner rather than later.

When asked about Miller’s first performance as head coach, veteran linebacker Adarius Pickett was complimentary.

“Poise. We pretty much pushed the game to the fourth quarter, and us finishing in the fourth quarter, we did that. We pushed the game to the fourth quarter,”  he said.

“We were up for a good portion of the game. It was a fight against a good football team, and they happened to make a play towards the end of the game. Other than that, we were right there.”

Heat of the moment or more to it?

One moment that stood out during the game was an apparent heated exchange between Miller and Kelly, which required teammates to step in and separate them. Miller confirmed postgame that the incident occurred, noting that both he and Kelly are competitors and have known each other since 2022. Still, even if this was a minor incident, it’s something to watch. If it continues during games, it will draw more attention, and that kind of hot-headedness could negatively impact the team. It may only be Game 1 of an 18-game season, but situations like this need to be put behind them.

Special teams, not so special moments

One critical moment came late in the fourth quarter, with the Argonauts trailing by one and forced to punt. John Haggerty’s kick was blocked by Micah Awe, and the ball rolled into the end zone where Arthur Hamlin recovered it, all but sealing the Alouettes’ win.

Even usually reliable kicker Lirim Hajrullahu struggled, going three-for-five and missing two key kicks that proved costly. Toronto’s special teams unit is typically a strength, but coordinator Mickey Donovan and his group will need to clean up these mistakes quickly to avoid similar breakdowns moving forward.

Miscue after defensive miscue

A glaring issue the Argonauts showed was their inability to cover and tackle the Alouettes’ offensive weapons.

Jerreth Sterns had 114 yards, and Tyson Philpot torched Toronto’s defence with nine catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns. He also made the game-sealing catch, which led Davis Alexander to signal goodnight toward the Argonauts’ bench.

“Philpot is a special receiver, and those guys are going to get their place; you’ve got to do your best to minimize them,” Miller acknowledged post-game.

Add in 197 yards after the catch, and the Argonauts’ defence has a lot to work on if they want to be contenders.

Toronto continued to use cover zero against Davis Alexander, and it was one of their downfalls. The Montreal quarterback finished the night with 441 passing yards and the two touchdowns that Philpot caught.

“I think you have to press him,” Miller said, sticking to his guns. “I think you have to try to dictate where you can and take advantage of those opportunities. Again, they’re going to make plays. We had this game right down to the wire, but we’ll get a chance to get the first one in. Now we get a chance to make those corrections and move forward.”

New contract, same Mital

On the eve of the Argonauts’ season opener, Kevin Mital signed a contract extension with Toronto through the 2027 season. He then backed it up by being the team’s best receiver in Montreal, finishing with seven catches for 109 yards, including a team-long 63-yard reception and a touchdown.

Mital looks poised to be Kelly’s top Canadian target throughout the 2026 season. If that performance is any indication, it could prove to be money well spent by the Argonauts’ front office in a loaded CFL receiver market.

Spreading the ball around 

With Kelly back at quarterback, the Argonauts’ receiver room saw seven different targets connect with him.

Two of those receivers went for over 100 yards: Mital and Tyler Kahmann, who was making his CFL debut. Kahmann turned in an impressive stat line with six receptions for 106 yards, a long of 43, and added a late touchdown.

“We focus on one game at a time, and tonight was an opportunity for him,” Miller said post-game. “I felt he capitalized on that, made some really big plays for us.”

When it came to how Kelly felt about his receivers, he kept it brief: “They did great.”

Welcome to the CFL, kid

If you remember the preseason game two weeks ago, I spotlighted Owen Goss after his pick-six and said that even a preseason touchdown like that is a play he can hang his hat on. He added another signature moment to his early highlight reel in this one, punching the ball out of Phillip Brooks’ hands on a punt return. That set up a Derek Slywka recovery, which gave the Argonauts life and a second chance when they were nearly out of it.

If Goss keeps showing up in key moments like that, it will be exciting to see what he does next to swing momentum.

A reunion with your ex next?

After losing to the Alouettes, the Argonauts have eight days to prepare for their next game in the nation’s capital, where they’ll face their former head coach, Ryan Dinwiddie, and the Ottawa Redblacks. It has all the makings of a grudge match, with both teams eager to prove they’re doing just fine without each other.

The game opens a Saturday tripleheader, with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m. EDT. With both teams 0–1 entering this matchup and each suffering losses that shouldn’t sit well with either side, you know both Miller and Dinwiddie will have their respective squads ready to go on Saturday, June 20, in Ottawa.