CALGARY — The Toronto Argonauts will travel west in Week 17 to matchup with the Calgary Stampeders for the second time this season.
Both the Argonauts and Stampeders have each clinched their spot in the CFL postseason, and with an 8-5 record and tiebreaker advantages over their East Division rivals, the Argos are guaranteed to host a playoff game.
However, clinching playoff spots are the not the only storylines to be following ahead of Saturday’s clash. Earlier in the week, the Stampeders signed quarterback Jake Maier to a contract extension that will keep him with the team until 2024.
Maier took over for the Stampeders to start the second half of their Week 11 meeting with the Boatmen from BMO Field. He completed 14 of his 18 passing attempts and threw for 158 yards as he led his team to a 22-19 comeback win over Toronto.
Since that moment, Maier has taken command of the Calgary offence and has led the Stamps to a 3-2 record in his time as the team’s starter, while averaging 33 points per game.
The Stamps pivot has demonstratively found his rhythm in the pocket since taking over for Bo Levi Mitchell at quarterback. Maier has completed 136 of his 178 passes for 1,653 yards and nine touchdowns. Additionally, he has proven to be one of the league’s most efficient passers, his completion percentage of 76.4 is the highest among active starting quarterbacks.
Speaking to team media earlier this week, Maier said that he is grateful for the extension, but knows that with the extension the expectations on him become heightened and that he needs to continually improve.
“The faith the Stampeder have shown means a lot to me,” Maier told Stampeders.com. “I have to keep getting better everyday. I need to clean up some of my mistakes and not repeat them. I need to make sure I’m a leader on and off the field, every quarterback needs to be that for their team. I look forward to getting better.”
Aiding Maier’s recent performances have been receivers Malik Henry and Reggie Begelton, who both rank amongst the league’s top 20 in receiving yards. Henry has caught 997 yards while Begelton has managed 764 yards of his own this season.
Henry is just three yards away from surpassing 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career, and if his recent play is any indication, the Calgary playmaker has no plans of slowing down. Over his last five games Henry has been targeted 46 times, reeling in 31 passes for 482 yards and five touchdowns. The Stampeders pass-catcher has recorded at least 65 yards and four catches per game in that same span.
With Toronto allowing the second most passing yards per game, there should be plenty of opportunity for Henry and the rest of the Stamps passing attack to find success when putting the ball in the air. However, they will need to be aware of an aggressive Toronto secondary that leads the league with 22 interceptions and recorded five in their Week 16 win over Ottawa.
When defending the ground, Toronto has shown their ability to limit opposing rushing attacks, allowing just over 90 rushing yards per game. However, Week 17 will pose an entirely new challenge with the league’s leading rusher, Ka’Deem Carey in the Calgary backfield.
Through 17 weeks of play, Carey leads all CFL running backs with 857 yards on 127 carries, while averaging an impressive 6.7 yards per carry. The Calgary back has also found the end zone eight times, giving him the most rushing touchdowns of any running back this season.
Making Toronto’s task of shutting down the Calgary offence even more difficult is the efficiency that the unit has been operating with. The Stampeders have allowed just 12 sacks this season, the fewest of any team, and have also thrown a league-low eight interceptions.
The Argonauts enter Week 17 following one of their most impressive defensive showings of the 2022 season. In a 45-15 win over the Ottawa REDBLACKS in Week 16, the Double Blue defence recorded three sacks, recovered a fumble and recorded five interceptions, two of which were returned for a touchdown. Toronto’s defensive unit forced six turnovers that resulted in 42 points in what was an outstanding display of defensive football.
Argos quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson leads the league in passing yards with 3,672 and completions with 302, and is third in touchdown passes with 19. In the team’s win over Ottawa, Bethel-Thompson completed 72 per cent of his passes and threw three touchdowns.
Facing a Stampeders defence that is allowing a league worst 290.4 passing yards per game, Bethel-Thompson and the Toronto offence should have opportunity to find success through the air in consecutive weeks.
While the passing philosophy of the Argonauts this season has seemingly been multi-dimensional, Kurleigh Gittens Jr. has still managed to have a breakout season and be the top target for Bethel-Thompson. Gittens leads all Argos’ pass-catchers with 60 receptions and 800 yards and his four touchdowns tie him for the team-lead.
His 800 receiving yards rank him among the league’s top 15 in receiving yards. In his past two games, Gittens has caught 11 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, no team in the Canadian Football League has allowed fewer points than the Boatmen’s 292. It’s a big reason they’ve locked down a playoff spot after 13 games.
Defensive lineman Shane Ray, Ja’Gared Davis and Shawn Oakman will be responsible for penetrating the wall that is the Calgary offensive line. The three lineman have combined for 14 of Toronto’s 26 sacks.
Linebacker Wynton McManis has also been a large contributor to the success of the Toronto defensive unit this season. McManis has recorded 85 tackles, three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble this season and his impact can be felt at nearly every level of the defence.
Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie sees the progress his team has made so far this season and believes that his team has to keep building with every day.
“I think we’re growing,” Dinwiddie told Argonauts.com. “Are we a great team? I don’t know yet. We’re still building. We’re going about the process and we don’t worry too much about the playoffs or the standings, we’re just worried about the next day.”
