Photo courtesy: Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca

In their home finale for the 2025 season — and their last home game until well into next summer — the Toronto Argonauts fell 47-29 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in front of 19,846 fans on Saturday afternoon.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

Growing pains for Toronto’s QB

When Nick Arbuckle went down early with an injury to his right arm, Jarret Doege was thrust into action to lead the Argonauts. While he showed some bright spots, completing 34-of-49 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns, he also threw four interceptions. That painful stat only added salt to the wound of yet another Argonauts loss.

Doege will likely be the Argonauts’ starter for the remainder of the 2025 season. At this point, it’s largely about him playing for himself and the pride of his team. However, he will face two teams fighting to secure their playoff berths, and the Argonauts can still play spoiler.

“I think when you don’t make the playoffs, you’re really playing for your jobs,” Doege said post-game.

“Every week you’re playing for your job, but then you really see who wants to be a part of the team, who wants to keep their job, and who wants to go out there really with nothing to play for.”

Protection issues plague Argonauts again

Once again, the offensive line did little to support Doege.

Despite committing fewer penalties than last week, the unit still made both of their quarterbacks’ lives difficult in the pocket, allowing nine sacks this afternoon. The poor performance of this offensive line in 2025 cannot be overstated, and it clearly needs a serious overhaul to have any chance of success in 2026.

The lone bright spot came when Peter Nicastro scooped up a fumble by Doege after a sack and managed to gain a few yards before handing it off to Jake Herslow.

“Just trying to get as many yards as possible,” Nicastro said of the play. “Obviously, I’m not used to having the ball in my hand.“

Carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey 

Thanksgiving may still be a week away, but the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ defence wasted no time carving up the Argonauts like a holiday turkey. They relentlessly exploited a vulnerable Toronto defence early and often, scoring two long touchdowns that set the tone for the game.

Bo Levi Mitchell dominated the airwaves, throwing for 320 yards and four touchdowns, including key connections with Kenny Lawler, who caught two majors. This crushing defensive performance effectively ended the Argonauts’ playoff hopes and left fans with a bitter taste after what was supposed to be a memorable home finale.

Despite a valiant Toronto comeback effort in the third quarter, the visiting Tiger-Cats maintained control and cemented their status at the top of the East Division.

Season-ending injury sidelines Arbuckle

On the team’s first offensive drive, Nick Arbuckle was sacked and fumbled the ball. He later left the game and spent the remainder of the contest on the sidelines wearing a sling. After the game, it was revealed that Arbuckle requires additional testing, effectively ending his season with two games remaining. The team is also officially eliminated from the 2025 playoffs.

“We don’t know exactly what it is. He’s got to get some imaging done,” head coach Ryan Dinwiddie told me.

“It looks like his season’s probably going to be over. Unfortunately, it happened that early. I feel for Nick. He was trying to make a play early on, and we lose him there. It’s tough, but I’m proud of Nick’s performance all season.”

Argonauts and Bills unite to inspire youth football

The Argonauts celebrated their new partnership with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills on Saturday with an event dubbed the “Future of Football” game. This initiative aims to grow the sport in the GTA and Southern Ontario, with Pro Football Hall of Famer and Bills legend Jim Kelly in attendance, alongside Argonauts and CFL legend Doug Flutie.

This partnership benefits both organizations by expanding the Bills’ reach into a new market to grow the “Bills Mafia,” while giving the Argonauts increased exposure in the GTA. Together, they hope to attract more fans and develop football at the youth grassroots level.

MLSee you next summer 

With the Argonauts’ 2025 home season and playoff hopes now over, this game marked their last true home contest at BMO Field until at least late July 2026 due to the FIFA World Cup. The performance fell far short of the send-off that the 19,000-plus fans in attendance were hoping for, as the team’s 5-11 overall record and 3-6 home mark delivered a harsh blow.

Even with playoff baseball taking place less than five kilometres away, it was encouraging to see a strong turnout at BMO Field, though a large majority wore the black and yellow of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and left after a rousing rendition of the famed Oskee-Wee-Wee chant.

Standing by the Argonauts to the end

Now that the Argonauts’ playoff dreams have been dashed, they have two games remaining. The next one is in six days, on October 10, when they travel to Regina to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I’ll still be here to share my thoughts on the game, so stay tuned, Argonauts fans.