Argos roll past Bombers in 111th Grey Cup

By: Sam Aucoin

Vancouver, BC – The Toronto Argonauts, without starting quarterback Chad Kelly, defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41-24 to win their 19th Grey Cup in franchise history. Toronto picked off Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros four times including a 61-yard pick-six from Robert Priester.

“For some reason, our defensive scheme gives them (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)  fits,” said Argonauts head coach Ryan Dinwiddie postgame when asked about the recent success against the Bombers. 

Going into this year's game, many thought it would be Winnipeg that would claim their third championship since 2019, especially with Chad Kelly going down with a leg injury in the east final against Montreal. Internally, the mindset was completely different.

“I don’t think anybody was doubting in our locker room… We feel we’re the best team in the league,” Dinwiddie said.

When the Argos beat the BC Lions in early September, Dinwiddie taped a coin to the top of his locker and said to his team that “[they’re] playing in this game (the Grey Cup).” After Sunday's big win, he got the coin and plans to put it in his trophy case next to his Grey Cup ring.

In a season with ups and downs, including Chad Kelly’s suspension which saw him miss nine games at the start of the season, the Boatmen found a spark with backup quarterback Nick Arbuckle. Arbuckle, who was not even on a roster at the start of the season, came up big late in Kelly’s absence to secure an east final win to send Toronto to the Grey Cup.

“I knew how much value that I could bring to a team,” Arbuckle said. “There was never a doubt in our room.”

Arbuckle completed 26 of 37 passes for 252 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the top pass defense in the CFL. Despite Toronto’s defense taking over late, Nick was named MVP of the Grey Cup.

The Argos held a Grey Cup celebration outside Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.

By Sam Rose

The Toronto Raptors broke their losing streak defeating the Indiana Pacers Monday night in Toronto. The team was carried by RJ Barrett, who scored a season high 39 points,  That broke the record for the most points by a Canadian in Raptors history.  The record was previously held by Chris Boucher who scored 38 points in 2021.  Jakob Poetl also scored 30 points with 15 rebounds giving him his third straight double-double. 

Prior to the game Monday the Raptors came into the game with a 2-12 record,- the worst in the NBA this season. This was Toronto's first win since November 2nd against the Sacramento Kings in overtime. Montreal’s own Benedict Mathuin of the Pacers scored 28 points with 17 in the fourth quarter, Obi Toppin scoring 19 points nearing a Pacers comeback. 

A bunch of Raptors remain on the injury roster including all-star forward Scottie Barnes, starting point guard Immanuel Quickley, forward Bruce Brown and backup center Kelly Olynyk. Barnes is currently recovering from an orbital fracture. Quickley is recovering from a partially torn UCL, Brown is recovering from knee surgery and Olynyk is suffering from a lumbar strain.

Scottie Barnes Injured - Sportsnet

An interview from the post game conference, RJ Barrett says he is grateful for Jakob Poetl, mentioning the centre is good at “setting a screen and then going” for the layup. Raptors Coach Darko Radjokovic says he Poetl is getting himself open and the team is getting the ball to him.  

For the pacers Tyrese Haliburton had a struggle with his offense, going 5 for 18 with his shot attempts and then 2 for 9 in three point attempts. 

The Raptors are having issues with turnovers giving up 20 within the first three quarters. They finished with 23 in this game against the Pacers. The Raps continue their season and host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday at 7:30 at Scotiabank Arena. 

by Darren Soler-Steele

Alphonso Davies' contract is coming to an end soon with Bayern Munich which has led fans to worry about him potentially leaving the club due to a disagreement on the final contract offer Bayern gave. According to Sky Sports Germany, Bayern made a final offer of 11-13 million Euros per year which would be 16-19 million CAD. Even with this seemingly big offer Alphonso asked if they could push it to 20 million and the club refused. If Bayern decides not to move forward with signing Davies, we could be seeing him move to a different club in 2025.

""I can say that we made Alphonso a very concrete, appreciative offer. At some point in life you have to say yes or no. The negotiations have been going on for a long time, but were a bit broken last summer. We are working on this topic.""  

Max Eberl, Bayern Munich's Director of Sport

There are always rumors at Old Trafford about new arrivals.  Manchester United did offer reportedly  10 million euros to the Canadian left-back. Theclub now says it will offer a “much bigger deal to make it happen”. This was a out of nowhere and sudden twist in the race to grab the Canadian if he decides to move.

Real Madrid has also joined the race to get Davies into the club. They are said to be leading against Manchester United and Bayern, offering him 20 million euros which is the most by a long shot but Real Madrid has stepped back a little bit since Man United has shown a even stronger interest in signing Alphonso.

For now this is all that anyone knows about this bidding war for the great Canadian left-back Alphonso Davies, as we can just sit back and wait anxiously for the next big move one of these clubs make.

By: Jorey Perry

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves has been suspended five games for his hit on Saturday to the head of Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse. The hit occurred around the 17-minute mark of the second period in Toronto’s 4-3 overtime win against the oilers. Nurse was skating behind the net along the end boards in his team’s zone when Reaves caught him with a high hit. 

Nurse was shaken up by the play, as his helmet flew off of his head and he had blood on his face. The Oilers defenceman struggled to get to his feet following the hit, and exited the game needing medical attention. Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch announced on Monday that the 29-year-old will miss 5-10 days as a result of the injuries he sustained. Defenceman Josh Brown has been called up to take Nurse’s spot in the lineup for the time being. 

Several Oilers players reacted to the hit following the game, expressing their frustration with Reaves’ intentions. Forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins called the player “a dangerous play” going on to say “(Reaves) has got to know that Nursey doesn't see him coming and choose the right path there, and he doesn't. It's tough to see one of your teammates on the ice like that.” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch called Reaves out, describing the hit as “unnecessary”, saying plays like this have no place in the sport. 

Many Maple Leafs players defended Reaves in post-game comments, offering their support for the gritty forward. Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube spoke on the hit saying "They've come down hard on hits to the head. It's not like Reavo tried to hit him in the head. It's a tough play”. Several Leafs players including Mitch Marner, Matthew Knies, and Bobby McMann stated that they don’t believe the outcome of the hit was intentional, and offered their thoughts to Darnell Nurse.

The NHL Department of Player safety announced the 5-game suspension on Sunday, along with a fine of $35,156.25 USD. Reaves was also ejected from the game and received a five-minute major penalty for an illegal check to the head and a game misconduct. According to Elliote Friedman, Ryan Reaves went towards Edmonton room for a face-to-face apology during the third period..

Reaves has a history of suspensions throughout his career, being suspended three times for a total of six games in his NHL career. The 37-year-old winger is struggling throughout the early season, only putting up one assist in 15 games.

The absence of Reaves puts an additional strain on the Leafs depth offensively, as they are already down three forwards with Auston Matthews, Max Pacioretty and Calle Jarnkrok out with injuries. Toronto has won five of their last six games, carrying a 11-6-2 record in the season. They will look to continue their winning ways Monday night as they return home to take on the Vegas Golden Knights. 

By: David Cabrias

Last year, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson took home his second MVP trophy. His numbers are even better so far this season, and yet, the current narrative around him is negative. Why? The stats are starting to suggest he comes up short in the most important moments. But he might win MVP again this year regardless.

Jackson came into the league in 2018 as a player that was overlooked as a quarterback prospect. For Louisville, Jackson was one of the best athletic quarterbacks in college football history. But his efficiency as a passer was inconsistent, which led most NFL teams to question if he could pan out as a pro. The Ravens took that chance and have since developed Jackson into one of the most talented and productive quarterbacks in the league. 

Today, Jackson is a highly respected two time league MVP (2019, 2023) who leads a Ravens offence that has been formidable ever since he took the helm. But his loss on Sunday to the Pittsburgh Steelers has reminded many football fans that while Jackson is Superman, a few select teams seem to be his kryptonite. Jackson has 2 wins and 10 losses in his career against the Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs, whereas his ratio against everyone else is 62-15.

While Jackson has dominated the regular season, the other knock on his career is his lack of playoff success. He has a disappointing 2-4 record in the playoffs. In last season’s playoffs, Jackson fell to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, but to Jackson’s credit, so has nearly every other team over the past half-decade. Based on his consistency and championship pedigree, Mahomes is widely regarded as the best football player in the world. And while many believe Jackson isn’t far behind Mahomes, his lack of results in the clutch are holding his legacy back.

While Jackson can be excused for not playing his best against what is a modern dynasty in Kansas City, his record against his biggest adversary is harder to explain. The Ravens and Steelers have one of the most storied rivalries in the league’s history,  but Jackson’s instalment has been unfavourable for his team. He is 1-4 against the Steelers and statistically plays his worst football against them. His career touchdown to interception ratio is an impressive 3:1, yet against the Steelers he has 5 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. The Steelers have a defense that seems to match up favourably against him, as they overcame the Ravens on Sunday 18-16. In a postgame interview Jackson credited the loss to him making “too many mistakes” but he didn’t acknowledge why those mistakes are more frequent against the Steelers even when he was asked directly. He seems to dodge that question the way he evades sacks on Sundays.

So if Jackson struggles so consistently against his most important opponents, why is he a multiple time MVP winner and so highly regarded? Well, he simply performs really really well against almost everyone else. His combination of his threat as a runner and his developed passing prowess has made him one of the most dominant quarterbacks of recent memory. He has the third most total touchdowns since 2019. But his overall success makes his poor record against specific teams that much more baffling. The Ravens currently are 7-4 and still look in position to be a playoff contender this season, giving Jackson another chance to change his narrative.