Can Argos’ offence convert against B.C.?

Heading into Saturday's game against the B.C. Lions (7 p.m. Eastern, TSN), the Toronto Argonauts' offence appears rather inconsistent. On one hand, they've done very well in most statistical metrics; they were second to only the Lions with 382.6 yards of offence per game heading into this week, second to Montreal with 303.0 passing yards per game and had the league's highest number of completed passes. Quarterback Ricky Ray enters Saturday's action with a league-best 70.2 per cent completion rate, and he's second in the league with 3,030 passing yards, only 100 behind the Alouettes' Anthony Calvillo. However, the Argonauts have generally been unable to turn those impressive offensive numbers into points, and that could be problematic against a superb B.C. defence.

Toronto's largest issue this season has been putting up points. Despite their ability to move the ball, the Argos have only averaged 25.5 points per game, third-worst in the league. That could be even more difficult this week, as starting running back Chad Kackert's going to miss this one with a leg injury; Kackert's career-high 172 rushing yards and three touchdowns last week were crucial to the Argonauts' 45-31 win over Hamilton. Thanks to Toronto's release of Cory Boyd earlier this year, they'll now have to rely on the unproven Gerald Riggs Jr. in the ground game. He'll have a tough task, too, as he'll be going up against the league's best defensive unit.

The Lions' defence has been absolutely dominant this year in just about any category you care to examine. Stopping the run? Yes, they've allowed a shockingly-low 69.1 rushing yards per game, 23.2 yards less than second-place Montreal. Sure, teams have run on B.C. less than anyone else, but they've been efficient on a per-play basis too, holding opponents to a league-low 4.5 yards per carry. They've also been effective against the pass, allowing a CFL-low 229.0 passing yards per game and a league-low gain of seven yards per pass. Opposing quarterbacks are only completing 61.2 per cent of their passes against the Lions, second-worst in the league, and B.C.'s also racked up 24 sacks, tied for first in the league. It's points allowed that may be the most impressive, though, as the Lions had only conceded 181 points on the year heading into this weekend, 24 points less than second-place Edmonton. That adds up to 18.1 points per game, so if they play the way they have all season, Toronto's point totals might drop even further.

Yet, there is reason for a little optimism in Hogtown. The Argonauts are coming off perhaps their best offensive game of the season in last week's victory over Hamilton, and that should supply them with some momentum. Ray was tremendous in the passing game, completing 26 of 32 passes (81.3 per cent) for 331 yards (although he did have an interception), and the ground game was superb, with Kackert collecting 172 yards and three touchdowns on just 16 carries. Perhaps most importantly, Toronto was finally able to convert some of their field position into points. That's going to be much more difficult in B.C. against a strong defence and without Kackert, but if their offence can continue at least some of what it did so effectively against the Tiger-Cats, they can't be ruled out completely.