TORONTO – It seemed the team holding the ball last would emerge victorious in the ToonieBet Rivalry Game, but it was the Ottawa REDBLACKS who left BMO Field with a 46-42 win over the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday.

After a chaotic first quarter, the REDBLACKS stormed back behind some Dru Brown magic to improve to 3-6 in an important East Division shootout.

The Argos appeared in control early but couldn’t keep pace with Ottawa’s dynamic aerial attack, falling short in the nail-biter to drop to 2-7.

CFL.ca brings you three stats that defined Ottawa’s Week 10 win over Toronto.

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5 – DRU BROWN TOUCHDOWN PASSES

 

Brown set post-season records for completions (46) and attempts (61) in his last outing against the Argos — a 58-38 loss in the Eastern Semi-Finals. After missing his chance at a rematch in Week 4 due to injury, Brown looked determined to deliver at BMO Field. He did just that, throwing five touchdowns while piling up 373 yards and posting a near-perfect quarterback rating.

Brown powered his top receivers to monster games: Bralon Addison finished with 115 yards and a score, Justin Hardy added 106 yards and two touchdowns, while Eugene Lewis contributed two majors of his own.

18 – SECOND-QUARTER UNANSWERED POINTS

The Argos didn’t dominate the first quarter as much as the 22-1 score suggested, but after Brown’s fumble was returned for a touchdown in the closing seconds, the game looked headed for a blowout. Instead, the REDBLACKS answered with a dominant second quarter, scoring 18 unanswered points to claw back into it.

It was a full-team effort — Ottawa’s defence forced two two-and-outs against Nick Arbuckle, Khalil Pimpleton ignited momentum with a huge punt return, and Brown’s pinpoint precision was all key to turning the tide and setting up a second-half opportunity.

1 – BIG PLAY ALLOWED

Heading into Week 10, one name stood out for the REDBLACKS’ defence: Damonte Coxie. Coming off back-to-back career-best performances that vaulted him past Kenny Lawler as the league’s leading receiver, Coxie’s weapon of choice was the long ball — he leads the CFL with 10 receptions of 30-plus yards. That posed a challenge for a REDBLACKS front that allowed the second-most big plays this season, with 27.

But Ottawa clamped down, holding Coxie to just two catches for 20 yards and limiting the Argos to a single big play all game.

While Toronto managed to pile up points, they had to do so methodically, as Ottawa dared Arbuckle to test their deep coverage. When Arbuckle needed a score in the fourth quarter, the REDBLACKS stood tall — Robert Priester made a key pass breakup to end a drive, then sealed the game with a clutch interception.