‘We know the team we can be’: Bethel-Thompson excited after Argos’ first win
The Canadian Press
TORONTO — The Toronto Argonauts began the season with six straight losses and appeared to be facing another defeat in Week 8 after trailing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by 20 points in the first half. But the Argos found life before half-time, tied the game in the third quarter and completed an incredible comeback in the final seconds to win their first game of the season.
“We never lost doubt,” Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson said after the win. “We kept fighting back, and we finally got the breaks. That’s all it was. The breaks went our way today, and they haven’t gone our way in the past.”
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While there is still a long way to go, the Double Blue now have a crucial win against a tough opponent that they can build upon moving forward. Bethel-Thompson is confident that the best is yet to come for the Argos.
“We know the team we can be, and to be honest we got a lot to get better at, so that’s the exciting part,” Bethel-Thompson said. “The football team we can be down the road is a football team that we can be proud of. There’s a lot more work, but this is a start. It’s a tipping point.”
The 31-year-old quarterback had his best game of the season in the victory over Winnipeg, completing 76 per cent of his throws for 343 yards and three touchdowns against no interceptions. Bethel-Thompson also kept drives alive by adding 44 rushing yards on five carries, and he stepped up when his team needed him most by delivering an accurate touchdown strike to receiver S.J. Green with 13 seconds left.
“You can’t get caught up in the moment,” Bethel-Thompson said. “You just got to be peaceful and in the process, right there, right now.”
Green’s touchdown catch capped off the receiver’s best performance of the season. The 34-year-old receiver hauled in 10 passes for 120 yards against the Bombers, surpassing the 100-yard mark for the first time since 2018.
“It’s been a rough year for me,” Green said. “Personally, I haven’t been able to really get going how I wanted to, but tonight was magical. My family was here to watch me, and they watched us get a big win and watched me perform at a high level, and that’s why we do this.”
Bethel-Thompson said he knew a win against Winnipeg was pivotal, especially heading into a bye week. The team showed major resilience by overcoming a 20-point deficit and coming back once again late in the fourth quarter to win the game.
“It’s huge,” Bethel-Thompson said. “You can’t start a season with more obstacles, more adversity than that. These men in this locker room are warriors, top to bottom. Everyone kept fighting.”
The Toronto Argonauts will get a week off before they battle for their second win in a home matchup against the Edmonton Eskimos in Week 10.
“Now we got to turn that one win into a win streak, so a lot of work ahead,” Bethel-Thompson said.
