How the Toronto Argos, a team that barely made the playoffs, dominated the CFL’s top clubs and claimed the ultimate prize
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Riddle me this. How does a team that struggled to finish with a .500 record dominate the league’s top two clubs, win the championship – and can’t beat its greatest rival in three games this season?
This is the strange, perplexing journey that led the Toronto Argonauts to the Grey Cup.
I witnessed a significant chunk of this odd football metamorphosis. How so? I became a first-time Argos season ticket holder with an old high school friend, Chris. We had gone to several games the past two years with other friends and colleagues in tow and decided to see what an entire season in two designated seats would be like.
This was quite the transformation from my previous position about Canadian football.
 Photo by Dave Adamson |
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I used to enjoy the CFL, even though I always preferred the NFL. After losing my taste for the CFL for nearly 20 years, I came back as an experiment, watching several games with a clear mind and liking all nine teams equally (which is still the case today). “Moreover,” as I wrote in my Oct. 17, 2017 Troy Media syndicated column, “I would stop comparing the CFL to the NFL – and consider the former’s good and bad qualities as a separate, unique entity.”
This changed my perception of the CFL. It allowed me to gain “a brand-new appreciation for the Canadian game,” which has continued to grow and develop into an Argos season ticket holder. An unlikely journey, to be sure, but that’s how it happened.
Speaking of unlikely, let’s go through the Argos’ turbulent, Grey Cup-winning season.
The Argos went 16-2 in the 2023 regular season, tying with the 1989 Edmonton Eskimos (now Elks) for most regular season wins in CFL history. The similarities between these two teams also included being undefeated at home, losing at home during the playoffs and not reaching the Grey Cup. In Toronto’s case, it was a demoralizing 38-17 loss to the Montreal Alouettes in the East Final.
The 2024 season was much rockier. The Argos finished 10-8, sneaking into the playoffs with some late-season wins. They eked out a home-field advantage for the semi-finals by beating the Ottawa Redblacks 38-31 after nearly blowing leads of 31-6 and 38-20 in the fourth quarter.
In many ways, this defined Toronto’s season: massive ups and downs, tons of close calls and just enough in the tank to win it all.
A 2-0 start to the Argos season ended with a home-field loss to, as it happens, Montreal. A couple of two-game losing streaks occurred, along with a three-game winning streak near the end of the season. Toronto finished 7-2 at home, but all regular season games (except one) were decided by between 2 to 7 points. The team’s biggest win at home was the East Semi-Final against the Ottawa Redblacks. They won 58-38, which tied for the highest-scoring playoff game in CFL history.
One of the strangest parts of this season was the Argos losing all three games to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Two close losses in Hamilton by three points apiece, blowing a lead in Toronto and ultimately losing the final game by a mere two points.
Considering that the Ticats only won seven games all season, and beat no other team more than once, it doesn’t make sense why this happened. There are moments in sports where one team has an opponent’s number. That’s likely what happened in this year’s Argos-Ticats rivalry.
Equally unusual was Toronto’s dominance over the CFL’s two best teams.
The Argos would ultimately win two of three regular-season games against the top-ranked Als and gained revenge against them in the East Final in a 30-28 triumph. This accounted for half of Montreal’s six losses in 2024.
Meanwhile, Toronto beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in all three games. A close 16-14 win in overtime in Toronto, followed by a 14-11 victory in Winnipeg – and a stunning 41-24 win in Sunday’s 111th Grey Cup in Vancouver, outscoring them 24-11 in the fourth quarter.
Here’s what makes it even more bizarre. The Blue Bombers started the season a dismal 2-6. They would go on to win 10 of its final 12 games, finishing first in the West Division and reaching its fifth straight Grey Cup final.
The only team to beat Winnipeg during this stretch? You guessed it, Toronto.
How was any of this possible? Beats me.
What will the 2025 CFL season be like? My friend and I just renewed our season tickets, so I’ll let you know in 12 months’ time!
Michael Taube is a political commentator, Troy Media syndicated columnist and former speechwriter for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He holds a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics, lending academic rigour to his political insights.
The views, opinions, and positions expressed by our columnists and contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of our publication.
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