Can Toronto’s line hold off the Bombers? Can Winnipeg’s help Buck Pierce finish the fight?

Quality offensive line play (or the lack thereof) is often decisive in CFL matchups, but it may be even more important than usual on both sides of Friday night's Toronto Argonauts - Winnipeg Blue Bombers matchup (8 p.m. Eastern, TSN/ESPN3). The Argonauts' passing offence has been excellent thus far, with quarterback Ricky Ray throwing for 917 yards (second-best in the CFL) and six touchdowns with no interceptions and a 71.8 per cent completion percentage, but they're facing by far the league's best pass rush—the Blue Bombers have put up 18 sacks thus far (Montreal's second with 14) and are on pace for 108, which would be a CFL record. They're led by defensive end Alex Hall, who has a league-high five sacks thus far, but have seen solid showing across their defensive line. At home, with the loud Investor's Group Field crowd cheering them on, you have to think they'll do well: however, the Argos' pass-blocking has been terrific thus far, so it won't be easy for the Bombers' defence to get to Ray. That strength-on-strength clash will go a long way towards determining the outcome of Friday night's game.

The other side of the ball carries an equally important matchup, but a very different one. Winnipeg's passing attack has struggled thus far: quarterback Buck Pierce is third in the league with 701 passing yards, but has put up just a 58.2 per cent completion mark and tossed four interceptions against two touchdowns, and the Bombers have recorded a CFL-low 23 passing first downs (23) thus far. Much of those struggles are thanks to the league-high 14 sacks Winnipeg has allowed. The Argonauts' defence hasn't been dominant yet either, though, and their completely revamped defensive line (all four starters from last year's Grey Cup and several key backups are gone) isn't seeing great results to date: the six sacks they've recorded through three games mark the league's second-lowest total, behind only Saskatchewan's four. Thus, you have to wonder if the Toronto defence will find a way to break through and hit the oft-fragile Pierce (who used a 12-round boxing analogy this week, problematic for a guy often knocked out), or if the Bombers' line will improve against weaker competition.

It's also worth noting that neither team has been able to consistently establish the run to date. The Argos' 5.9 yards per carry average isn't bad (it's fourth-best in the CFL), but they've only run the ball a league-low 39 times, and are coming off a loss to Saskatchewan where Chad Kackert was held to 35 rushing yards on nine carries (3.89 yards per carry). Thus, it's not surprising that they're second-last in the CFL (Montreal's worse) with only 77.0 rushing yards per game. That may not get any easier Friday, as Winnipeg's defence has been the best in the country against the run thus far, racking up a league low in opponents' yards per game (68.7) and ranking second in the league in yards against per rushing attempt (4.3). The Bombers can't run all that well either, though: they gain just 5.0 yards per rush, second-worst in the league behind the Alouettes, and their 91.7 rushing yards are nothing to write home about. However, they're facing a Toronto defence that's conceded a league-high 162.3 rushing yards per game and 6.7 yards per rushing attempt (second-worst behind Hamilton), so this might be a good time for them to get their ground game on track.

On both sides, the offensive line and its success (or lack thereof) will be crucial to the outcome of this game. Can the Argos keep their passing attack ticking when faced with Winnipeg's fearsome defensive line? Will Toronto be able to open holes for Kackert against a tough Bombers' rushing defence? What about the Bombers' line: can they keep Pierce upright and healthy while paving the way for a strong rushing performance from Chad Simpson? Those questions may well determine which team improves to .500 and jumps into first place in the East after Friday night's action, and which team falls to 1-3 and starts facing even tougher questions.