The Argonauts get a much-needed win, but not in particularly convincing fashion

The Toronto Argonauts may have managed a 25-22 victory over Winnipeg Wednesday night and improved to 2-2 in the process, but they sure didn't look like the high-flying team they were expected to be this year. The offence had okay moments, but often struggled to convert field position into points, and they were frequently bailed out by their defence and special teams. Moreover, this wasn't against a terribly formidable opponent; the Blue Bombers were 0-3 coming into this matchup, were coming off a 42-10 pasting by Edmonton, were starting backup quarterback Alex Brink thanks to an injury to Buck Pierce and lost several other crucial starters during the course of the night. Ugly wins still count the same in the standings, and the Argonauts will be happy to come away with a victory here, but they have a lot of work to do if they're going to compete with the league's best.

Once again, the Argonauts' offensive issues shouldn't be pinned on quarterback Ricky Ray. Ray has been consistently good this year, a huge upgrade over the quarterbacks who have suited up for the Argos over the last couple of years, and he once again generally had a solid night Wednesday. He completed 23 of 34 pass attempts on the night (67.6 per cent) for 325 yards and three touchdowns, and saved Toronto's (Canadian) bacon late with a perfect down the middle to old Edmonton teammate Jason Barnes (who the Winnipeg defence unbelievably left wide open). That resulted in a 37-yard touchdown that gave the Argonauts a three-point lead they'd never relinquish. Yes, Ray threw one interception and could have been sharper at certain points, but his overall numbers on the night are quite impressive, and they're infinitely better than what we've become accustomed to from Hogtown pivots in the last few years.

Instead, a lot of this has to do with the Argonauts' line. They're a group with several new faces and players in new positions this year, and although they only allowed two sacks on the night, Ray was under a lot of pressure for most of the evening. His interception came when that pressure forced him into a throw that went off a defensive lineman's arm and was then picked by Dustin Doe, and many of the times when the Argonauts' drives stalled were thanks to pass-protection issues. A week after a superb run-blocking performance against the Tiger-Cats, too, the line was far less effective on that front Wedesday; Cory Boyd was held to 56 yards on 13 carries this week (a 4.3 yard per carry average), far inferior to the career-high 168 yards he collected on 19 attempts against Hamilton (8.8 yards per carry), and much of the difference came from the blocking. This is a group that has plenty of talent, but it's still trying to gel as a cohesive unit and become used to Ray and head coach Scott Milanovich. They've got the potential to do much better, but whether the Argonauts find sustained success this year will largely depend on if they live up to those expectations.

There are plenty of things to be happy about here for Argonauts' fans, of course. They pulled off a difficult win coming off a short week (they last played Saturday in Hamilton), and showed considerable resilience after falling behind late. They received another solid showing from Ray, an impressive performance from their defence, which held Winnipeg quarterback Alex Brink to nine completions on 34 attempts for 185 yards, an atrocious 26.5 per cent completion mark. They also picked Brink off twice and sacked him three times, largely thanks to a terrible offensive line that couldn't stop a slowly-rolling beach ball. The Toronto special teams stepped up in a major way after getting run over by Chris Williams last week. Still, at home against a banged-up Bombers' squad that turned in a terrible offensive performance, the Argonauts let this one stay way too close. They'll have to be way better if they really want to succeed this season.