Argonauts score 33 straight points in 34-22 win, a historic fourth-straight road victory

Given their currentstadium issues, it's perhaps appropriate that there seems to be no place like the road for the Toronto Argonauts. The team piled up their fourth-straight road victory Saturday night in Edmonton with a 34-22 win over the Eskimos, and they did so with an impressive comeback, scoring 33 straight points in the second half. Four-game road trips are unusual in the CFL, but not unprecedented; winning all four of those games, however, had never been done until the Argonauts pulled it off. This road-warrior team (they're 6-1 on the road, 3-3 at home) has proven to be the class of the East Division, and their 9-4 mark puts them in excellent shape to pick up first place and its accompanying crucial first-round bye.

It wasn't as much of a blowout as the score indicated, though. The Eskimos led 15-1 by the half and 22-1 shortly thereafter, and this one went right down to the wire. Edmonton had a chance to win it inside the final minute, which they entered trailing 27-22. A first-half injury to star quarterback Mike Reilly (likely a concussion: he stayed in for a few plays after taking a shot to the head, and the Eskimos letting him continue was a questionable decision that was deservedly criticized by the TSN panel at halftime, but to their credit, they did eventually pull him) meant that 39-year-old Kerry Joseph was the man under centre for Edmonton, though, and while he looked decent at times, he also made some poor decisions. One of those came on that last drive, where Joseph threw a pass that was easily picked off and taken to the house by Toronto linebacker Marcus Ball, making the final score 34-22. It was one of Joseph's two interceptions on the night (Reilly also threw one), and he finished with just a 50 per cent completion rate. With their top pivot under centre on that final drive, this might have been a different outcome for the Eskimos.

The Argonauts did plenty to earn this win, though. However, oddly enough, this was one of the few Toronto wins of late not catalyzed by quarterback Zach Collaros. Collaros has generally done an excellent job of filling in for injured starter Ricky Ray, but Edmonton's defence did well against him Saturday, holding him to just 17 completions on 32 attempts (a 53.1 per cent success rate) for 152 yards and a touchdown while picking him off once as well. Instead, running back Chad Kackert served as the primary offensive catalyst, impressing in his first full game back from injury. Kackert showed off the form that made him the Grey Cup MVP last year, rushing 13 times for 155 yards (giving him an incredible average of 11.9 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. The Eskimos couldn't contain him, and that's the main reason why they lost.

With the win, Toronto's status as the first seed in the East Division looks almost sure. The Argonauts are now 9-4, and their closest rival, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, fell to 6-7 after a 35-11 pummelling from Calgary Saturday. Toronto's up three games with just five to play, and they seem to be in much better form as well. The Argos and Ticats do play twice over the next two weeks, so things could change if Hamilton somehow sweeps that series, but even a split would likely confirm that Toronto's the top dog in the East. That's great news for a team that's been through a lot lately, from injuries to travel calamities. First place is theirs to lock up, and if their form on this road trip is any indication, they'll be doing just that quite soon.