Bryson Barnes breaks Ottawa Redblacks’ record 22-game losing streak

Photo courtesy: Patrick Doyle/CFL.ca

The Ottawa Redblacks have ended their 22-game losing streak, recording a 40-39 victory over the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night.

Rookie quarterback Bryson Barnes delivered Ottawa’s first win of the season in his first career start, completing 27-of-37 passes (73 percent) for 339 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, while rushing for 62 yards. After Ottawa fell behind by six with 30 seconds left, the Utah State product led a three-play, 52-yard drive to find Ayden Eberhardt for a 24-yard touchdown with six seconds on the clock. Paul Geelen kicked the winning PAT.

Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly was injured in the first quarter, leaving backup Nick Arbuckle to finish the game.

The result marked the Redblacks’ first win since September 5, 2025, when they defeated the B.C. Lions by a single point. Since then, Ottawa had lost 22 games in a row, setting a modern CFL record. That included 16 consecutive defeats to begin this season, surpassing the previous all-time worst start achieved by the Shreveport Pirates in 1994.

The Redblacks have avoided becoming the first winless team in CFL history. However, they could still tie the 2003 Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the losingest season ever with a defeat next week. The Tabbies were one of five teams to finish a season with a single victory, including the 1954 B.C. Lions (1-15), 1959 Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-15), 1961 B.C. Lions (1-13-2), and the 1964 Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-14-1), but the only one to accomplish the inauspicious feat while playing an 18-game schedule.

Ottawa (1-16) will conclude the 2026 regular season on Saturday, October 24, when they visit the Tiger-Cats (5-12). The two teams met in Week 18, with Hamilton prevailing 34-16.