CFL.ca/Jason Halstead
WINNIPEG — All good things come to an end. That saying rang true for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday night in the opening game of Thanksgiving Weekend presented by Purolator as the Toronto Argonauts handed the home team their first loss since July.
The Argos’ defence shut down Zach Collaros and company at Princess Auto Stadium and one touchdown scored would be all they needed for the road win. They survived a bit of a fourth-quarter scare to come out of Winnipeg with the result and book their spot in the playoffs.
Here are CFL.ca’s three key stats from the Argonauts’ win over the Blue Bombers in Week 19.
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7 – SACKS ON ZACH COLLAROS
Toronto’s pass rushers got to Zach Collaros early and often on Friday and by the final whistle, the visitors’ defensive front was the story of the game.
The Argonauts came away with seven sacks on Collaros, with five Boatmen producing a sack and Folarin Orimolade getting a pair of takedowns to go with his fourth-quarter interception. Mark Milton‘s sack in the third quarter knocked the football out of Collaros’ grasp, with Wynton McManis recovering for Toronto and slowing down the momentum that Winnipeg was building early in the second half.
82 – MAKAI POLK RECEIVING YARDS
The Argonauts’ weapons on offence shared the ball but when they looked to attack downfield, it was Makai Polk who stepped up with some big plays.
Polk finished the game with 82 yards on just four catches, ending up as the only Toronto receiver with over 35 yards receiving. His biggest play of the day was a 39-yard reception in the third quarter which brought the Argos down to Winnipeg’s goalline. He rounded out his day with a 26-yard gain in the fourth quarter to keep the chains moving for his offence late in the game.
2 – WINNIPEG TURNOVERS ON DOWNS
On top of their sacks and takeaways, the Argos’ defence also came up with a couple of key third-down stops to keep their opponent at bay.
After Janarion Grant fumbled a punt return in the first quarter, Toronto was able to stuff Terry Wilson Jr. at the goalline to get the ball back on their one-yard line and not conceded any points off their turnover. Then late in the game, McManis forced Collaros out of bounds on third down with Winnipeg’s quarterback dashing for the first-down marker on a potential game-winning drive.
