Week 3 of the CFL season concluded on Sunday night with the Toronto Argonauts (2-0) visiting Commonwealth Stadium against the Edmonton Elks (0-3). The game featured two young quarterbacks Chad Kelly (TOR) and Taylor Cornelius (EDM).
Toronto was looking to keep pace in the East Division. With a win, they tie Montreal for first place. On the other side, the Elks were looking for their first win of the season and would have tied Calgary for fourth place. Early in the first half, Edmonton and Toronto went bell-to-bell.
Edmonton got the ball to start the game. Edmonton made a big play early in the first quarter when punt returner CJ Sims returned a punt for 42 yards to the Elks’ 54-yard line. Edmonton took advantage of the field possession.
Taylor Cornelius threw two passes for 20 yards and rushed for a gain of ten yards plus an unnecessary roughness penalty on Toronto moved the ball to the Argo’s 13-yard line. Then, Cornelius threw a short pass to Kevin Brown, who broke a couple of tackles and leaped into the endzone for the touchdown. It was 7-0 Edmonton with 8:19 left.
Toronto answered back on their next drive. They relied on their running game with A.J. Ouellette having three straight carries for 18 yards. Later, Chad Kelly found DaVaris Daniels for 23 yards. Two plays later, A.J. Ouellette ran up the middle for a three-yard touchdown which tied the game 7-7 with 1:44 left. Edmonton had the ball on their 47-yard line to begin the second quarter.
Edmonton had made it to the Argo’s 46-yard line but a sack from Folarin Orimolade forced the Elks to punt the ball. On the third play for Toronto, Chad Kelly tried to force a throw toward Cam Phillips but Loucheiz Purifoy jumped all over it with an interception for a 27-yard touchdown. It was now 14-7 Elks with 10:51 left.
Later in the game, Boris Bede converted a 42-yard field goal, pulling the Argo’s within four points 14-10 with 9:12 left. Edmonton had a chance to advance the ball but Toronto’s defense was strong with Thomas Costigan sacking Cornelius and Edmonton punted the ball on third down.
Toronto running back A.J. Ouellette had two carries on their next drive for 12 yards but that was all the Argo’s got and punted the ball back to Edmonton. The ball went into the endzone and Edmonton conceded a single point. It was now 14-11 Edmonton with 5:23 left.
Toronto’s defense continued to pressure Cornelius as Brandon Barlow was the latest to sack him, forcing Edmonton to punt the ball. It was the fourth sack for Toronto in the first half.
On the third play for Toronto, Chad Kelly threw a 30-yard pass to Cam Phillips. On the next play, Kelly threw a deep pass to David Ungerer III, who made the catch for a 44-yard touchdown. It was now 18-14 Toronto with 1:20 left. Just as time expired, Edmonton kicker Dean Faithfull made an 18-yard field goal which made it 18-17 at halftime.
The first half was competitive. Both teams showed a lot of grit, especially the defenses. Chad Kelly completed 7 of 14 passes (50%) for 160 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for 21 yards. Running back A.J. Ouellette had nine carries for 45 yards and one touchdown. Wide receivers David Ungerer III and Dejon Brissett combined with four catches for 96 yards, and one touchdown as part of the Argo’s 231 yards on offense.
Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius completed 12 of 16 passes (75%) for 130 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 10 yards. Running back Kevin Brown had four carries for 17 yards, two catches for 17 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Steven Dunbar had five catches for 49 yards as part of Edmonton’s 141 yards on offense.
The second half was a much different story. Toronto had the ball to begin the third quarter. On the fifth play, Chad Kelly threw a 31-yard pass to Cam Phillips at Edmonton’s two-yard line. Then, running back A.J. Ouellette punched it in for the touchdown. Toronto went for a two-point conversion and Chad Kelly ran it in. It was now 26-17 with 10:58 left.
Toronto’s defense buckled down in the second half. They took away opportunities from the quarterback and they had to settle for short passes but it did not get them anywhere. Edmonton punted the ball on their series.
Toronto continued its assault in the passing game. Chad Kelly threw two passes for 33 yards at the Elks’ four-yard line and A.J. Ouellette scored another touchdown. It was his third touchdown of the night for a 33-17 lead with 6:46 left.
Edmonton made a quarterback change with Kai Locksley replacing Cornelius. Locksley got off to a bad start. On the first play, Locksley fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Robertson Daniel. Toronto took advantage of the turnover when Boris Bede made a 16-yard field goal for a 36-17 lead with 3:56 left. After a two-and-out by Edmonton, Toronto got the ball and faced first down on the Elks’ 45-yard line to begin the fourth quarter up 36-17.
Toronto did not get far and punted the ball back to Edmonton. The Elks made another quarterback change as Jarret Doege replace Locksley. Doege threw a deep pass intended for Eugene Lewis and a defensive pass interference penalty on Toronto moved the ball toward the red zone. Then, Doege completed a pass to Lewis, who almost broke the plain until Jamal Peters stripped the ball from him and Toronto recovered and returned it for 24 yards.
Later, Doege intended pass to Dillon Mitchell was intercepted by Royce Metchie and returned for a 15-yard touchdown. It was now 43-17 with 5:41 left. In the last three minutes of the game, Edmonton scored two touchdowns. First, Jarret Doege threw a two-yard touchdown to Vincent Forbes-Mombleau plus a successful two-point conversion made it 43-25 with 2:38 left.
Finally, the last touchdown was scored on the final play of the game. Jarret Doege scrambled to avoid being sacked and threw the ball in the air. It tipped off the fingers of a Toronto player and caught by Vincent Forbes-Mombleau for an 84-yard touchdown. The two-point try failed and the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Edmonton Elks by the final score of 43-31.
Toronto played a great game. Chad Kelly did a good job completing 13 of 23 passes (56.5%) for 264 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and three carries for 21 yards. He does a good job seeing the field but he needs to stop forcing throws that are not catchable. He’s got decent speed and has gotten out of situations to gain a few yards.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had 18 carries for 84 yards, and three touchdowns, while wide receivers David Ungerer III and Dejon Brissett combined with seven catches for 118 yards and one touchdown.
As for Toronto’s defense, they did everything right. Toronto allowed 310 yards, with 38 tackles, six sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. They took away the receivers preventing the quarterback from making big plays.
They also did a good job tackling the ball and getting turnovers. Not many coaches teach nowadays how to tackle the ball. Toronto got two forced fumbles in this game and if they continue to play like this, the other teams are going to have a hard time getting by them.
For Edmonton, the quarterback carousel continues. Head coach Chris Jones can’t continue to tell the media that Taylor Cornelius is his guy when he took him out of the game for Locksley and Doege. I don’t think even he knows who he wants to start. Taylor Cornelius finished the night completing 14 of 18 passes (77.8%) for 135 yards, one touchdown, and led the rushers with two carries for 28 yards. Jarret Doege finished the night completing 9 of 11 passes (81.8%) for 163 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and three carries for one yard.
Jones needs to decide who will be the starter. This team looks confused at times as to who was taking snaps behind center. Both quarterbacks did not do a bad job. It’s great to have a quarterback problem but pick a guy and let him play. Otherwise, you are looking at another lost season.
Running back Kevin Brown had six carries for 16 yards, two catches for 17 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. had eight catches for 98 yards, while wide receiver Vincent Forbes-Mombleau had two catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Edmonton’s defense allowed 454 yards, with 46 tackles, one sack, and two interceptions.
Next Thursday, the Edmonton Elks visit the Ottawa Redblacks at 7:30 pm on CFL+, while the Toronto Argonauts host the B.C. Lions next Monday at 7 pm on CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
