Chad Kackert injured in practice, which could hurt the Argonauts’ East Final chances

The Toronto Argonauts aren't even playing this week thanks to the first-place finish that gave them a bye into the East Final, but their chances of going to the Grey Cup still may have taken a hit thanks to star running back Chad Kackert getting injured in practice Friday. Kackert, last year's Grey Cup MVP, missed over half of the Argonauts' games this year with various injuries, but was a key contributor for them when he did play; on the year, he has just 480 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 71 carries, but boasts a stellar average of 6.8 yards per carry, behind only Mike Reilly and Jon Cornish in those who ran more than 50 times this year. He also has been an effective weapon out of the backfield, catching 23 passes for 184 yards, and he was expected to be a crucial part of the Toronto offence in the postseason. That all may have changed Friday, though. Sportsnet's Arash Madani described Kackert's injury on Twitter, and it doesn't sound good:

Of course, the Argonauts do have other options. Jerious Norwood, the CFL rookie out of Mississippi State, has proven to be quite a capable fill-in this year when Kackert's been out, collecting 342 rushing yards and a touchdown on 58 carries (5.9 yards per carry) and adding 234 yards on 18 receptions. Fellow rookie Curtis Steele, a Memphis product, hasn't been bad either, picking up 187 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 39 carries (but his 4.8 yards per carry average could use improvement). They also have time for Kackert to possibly recover, as the bye this week means his injury happened 10 days before the Argos play. Still, if he's unable to go, that's a significant downgrade for the Toronto offence, and one that might hurt their chances of making it to the Grey Cup, much less repeating as champions.