The Toronto Argonauts can clinch a playoff spot and extend their winning streak to four games Saturday night when they visit the Ottawa Redblacks.
The Argonauts (7-5) defeated the Redblacks (3-9) 24-19 on Sept. 10, also at Ottawa. Both teams had last week off.
Toronto would clinch a playoff berth with a win as long as Hamilton loses Friday. But Argonauts coach Ryan Dinwiddie does not want his team thinking about playoff scenarios.
“We’ve just been talking about the process,” Dinwiddie said. “I told the guys, ‘Don’t even look at the standings.’ We started off after the first nine weeks and said, ‘Now it’s a new season,’ and we’re 3-0 now trying to get to 4-0. We just take it one day at a time, understanding we’ve got work to do to be able to prepare on game day.”
Before losing to Toronto, Ottawa had won two straight. The Redblacks also defeated the Argonauts 23-13 in Toronto July 31.
“We each have one win, we play each other three times so we’d like to win the season series,” Redblacks coach Paul LaPolice said. “You make the playoffs by beating the teams in your division — that’s what you have to make sure you do. We’ve beaten Montreal (Alouettes), we’ve beaten Toronto, now we have another opportunity.”
LaPolice wants a quicker start offensively this time against Toronto.
“For us, we didn’t start great offensively,” he said. “We had a couple of penalties that put us in long yardage situations and then it took us a quarter or so to start moving the football.”
Dinwiddie, meanwhile, feels his team can improve on the last game.
“Offensively, we did some good stuff, but we didn’t finish the way we wanted to towards the end,” Dinwiddie said. “Defensively, we got a little bit tired. … We didn’t tackle well. Each side of the ball has to do better.”
Toronto linebacker Henoc Muamba (abdomen) is expected to play Saturday, with fullback Joe Carbone (calf) listed as doubtful.
Ottawa offensive lineman Darius Ciraco (hip) and defensive back Sherrod Baltimore (hamstring) are listed as out for Saturday.
–Field Level Media