Tanner Marsh outduels Zach Collaros as Alouettes upset Argos Tuesday in Toronto

The Toronto Argonauts may have had a significant experience edge heading into Tuesday's battle of the backup quarterbacks, but the Alouettes' Tanner Marsh proved that didn't matter for at least one night, leading Montreal to a 20-9 victory. This game was about more than just quarterback play, of course, as the Alouettes' defence was impressive all night long (and it was directly responsible for one touchdown off a fumble recovery), but Marsh noticeably bested Argos' counterpart Zach Collaros. Moreover, Toronto looked rather weak without Ricky Ray under centre, and a potential injury to Chad Owens adds yet another reason for fans of the Boatmen to be concerned. On paper, this Argonauts' team still looks like the favourite to win the East, but Tuesday's game may well be an indication they have both substantial flaws of their own to fix and more competition than perhaps was expected.

Marsh's performance here was particularly impressive, and it was a huge leap forward from what he did in last week's surprising win over the B.C. Lions. Yes, it wasn't as spectacular, and there were no last-second Hail Marys involved this time, but Marsh made significant strides as a CFL quarterback, improving in almost every conceivable area. Last week, he threw for 329 yards and a touchdown, but completed just 14 of his 32 passes (43.8 per cent) and tossed four interceptions. This week, he threw for 309 yards and a touchdown, but completed 18 of 27 passes (66.7 per cent) and only threw one interception. He also looked much more composed in the pocket and was consistently making better decisions. This game definitely wasn't all about Marsh, as the Montreal defence may have been the most crucial factor, but he provided the first real optimism about their quarterback situation since Anthony Calvillo went down with a concussion. While the Alouettes will still be a better and stronger team with Calvillo than Marsh, they may not be doomed while they're waiting for their veteran leader to return.

Meanwhile, the Argonauts had some significant flaws exposed Tuesday. Collaros certainly wasn't awful, as he completed 21 of 32 passes (65.6 per cent) for 256 yards and a touchdown with one interception and a fumble, but he looked quite rattled most of the night and wasn't able to string together many consistent drives. Beyond him, though, things got even worse. There was no ground game whatsoever, as running back Curtis Steele accumulated just eight yards on six carries (1.3 yards per carry), and the Toronto receivers struggled, particularly after Owens was hurt. John Chiles and Dontrelle Inman had decent games, but once Montreal started focusing on shutting them down, there wasn't much happening offensively for the Argonauts.

Granted, this is a team with substantial injuries at the moment (they were already missing Ray and Grey Cup MVP Chad Kackert, and may now have to do without Owens, the league's 2012 Most Outstanding Player), but it's also a team that's looking like it doesn't know what to do without those guys. The Argos are still at the top of the East for the moment with a 5-4 record, but Montreal and Hamilton are close behind at 4-5. If Toronto continues to struggle in Ray's absence and the Alouettes and Ticats continue to improve, that first place spot in the East that seemed reserved for the Argos only a few weeks back may not be theirs at all by the end of the year.