Article by Griff Bordignon
Saturday afternoon started off with excitement and pride at BMO Field as the Toronto Argonauts raised their 19th Grey Cup banner, a moment fans and players alike had been looking forward to. As soon as the game got underway, the celebration quickly faded.
The Argos just couldn’t seem to get in sync against the Calgary Stampeders, and the energy in the stadium shifted. Toronto couldn’t build on the momentum from their pre-game festivities and ended up losing 29-19.
Now sitting at 0-2, the Argonauts are already feeling the pressure to bounce back and make a change at quarterback. The banner ceremony was a great reminder of what this team is capable of, but this loss made it clear there’s still a lot of work to do if they want to get back to championship form.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Is a QB change on the horizon?
Nick Arbuckle made his second start of the season for the Argonauts and put up some respectable numbers, completing 31-of-42 passes for 309 yards. However, it wasn’t all positive for Arbuckle, who threw two interceptions, both picked off by Calgary’s Adrian Greene. One of those turnovers proved especially costly, as Greene took it all the way back for a pick-six.
Looking back, that play could open the door for newcomer Tucker Horn to get a shot at starting. But when asked about the possibility, head coach Ryan Dinwiddie shut down any speculation immediately, making it clear that Arbuckle remains the team’s number one until Chad Kelly makes his return.
“I didn’t talk to him at all about that. I don’t think that’s the right thing to do unless I really felt like he was going to be going,” he said of Horn. “But those guys know they should be ready to go at all times. There was no reason why I wouldn’t put (Jarret) Doege in there as well.”
Dinwiddie suggested that Kelly could be out for at least another week, which could make it Arbuckle’s team yet again.
Defensive injury woes
The Argonauts’ defence felt the sting of a significant loss with the absence of star linebacker Wynton McManis. The two-time CFL all-star left the game after his knee injury was re-aggravated during the contest, leaving a noticeable void in the Argos’ defensive front.
According to Dinwiddie, McManis is expected to miss at least a few weeks as he recovers from the setback.
“I’ve got to go sit down with the doctors, once I get a chance to go with him. He had the MCL at camp and it’s the same injury, but a different ligament,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure we get an MRI, make sure it’s stable. But I would say it’s probably going to be a few weeks.”
Next man up
With McManis out, it was next man up for the Argonauts. Isaac Darkangelo saw significant action but one player who’s normally a special teamer also had his name called.
Jack Cassar got some playing time at middle linebacker and recorded one defensive tackle. After the game, he provided this insight into how he performed when called upon.
“Overall, my performance wasn’t too bad, it could have been better. When you have a guy go down, it’s just the next man up mentality, so you gotta be prepared at all times.”
What’s next for Nick
Circling back to Arbuckle, there’s no question the Argonauts’ quarterback showed signs of improvement from Week 1 to Week 2. His command of the offence looked sharper, and he moved the ball with more confidence.
Still, the same issues that plagued Toronto in their season opener resurfaced, costly turnovers and a predictable, one-dimensional offensive approach. That combination proved to be the recipe for the Argos’ second loss of the young season.
Arbuckle hasn’t quite recaptured the magic that made him a Grey Cup MVP just last year. With only two touchdowns through two games, the offence has struggled to find its groove, and Arbuckle’s knack for dialling in during big moments hasn’t materialized yet in 2025.
“We just, unfortunately, took too long to find our rhythm. Made a couple bad throws early, the turnovers and stuff can’t happen. Those are hard to come back from, especially one that leads to points,” he acknowledged.
“But I was proud of the way we fought back in the fourth quarter, we got it going. It was just by then we put so much strain on our defence with two-and-outs and things like that. It’s hard for them to hold up for four quarters when they were on the field, battling so hard for the first three.”
Onto Week 3
As Week 2 wraps up for the Argonauts, the team finds itself in unfamiliar territory, 0-2 for the first time since 2019 and under Ryan Dinwiddie’s tenure as head coach. All signs point to Nick Arbuckle getting the start again Friday night as the undefeated Saskatchewan Roughriders come to town. While some fans are calling for a change at quarterback, Dinwiddie made it clear he hasn’t considered it, so Arbuckle remains the guy until Chad Kelly is healthy enough to return.
Despite Arbuckle’s struggles with turnovers and the offence’s slow starts, Dinwiddie is standing by his quarterback and holding himself accountable to simplify the playbook and get the team back on track. As the Argos look to avoid an 0-3 start, it’s worth noting Dinwiddie has never lost three straight games as Argonaut’s head coach. Whether that streak holds will be answered soon enough, as only time will tell if the Argonauts can right the ship this coming week.
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