After 2169 days, the Ottawa Redblacks returned to the playoffs. Unfortunately for R-Nation, their post-season run didn’t last long, coming to an abrupt end as a result of failures to overcome issues that plagued the team for the latter half of the season.
Be it an inability to finish drives, the absence of a running game, a porous secondary, untimely turnovers or special teams errors, as much as the Toronto Argonauts deserve credit for how they played, the Redblacks will spend the off-season wondering “What if?”
Here are all my thoughts on Saturday afternoon’s 58-38 East Semi-Final loss at BMO Field.
1) Quarterback Dru Brown came into the playoffs on a hot streak, riding two consecutive 400+ yard passing efforts. Although the back-to-back pick-sixes late in the game will be the image that sticks with many fans from Brown’s first postseason start, the reality is Ottawa’s quarterback had a strong outing against the Argos.
BACKYARD FOOTBALL IN CRUNCH TIME
Wynton McManis laterals to Tarvarus McFadden (@DaRealTeetime) for a back-breaking pick-six.#CFL #Argos #PullTogether #GCPlayoffs
pic.twitter.com/CrSDe5Tbo4
— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) November 2, 2024
Obviously, the two turnovers were brutal, and the 27-year-old missed on a handful of passes. Some sailed high, others were simply off-target and a couple were fortunate not to be intercepted. But overall, the only reason the Redblacks were able to hang with Toronto for as long as they did was due to Brown’s play.
On a day when his offensive coordinator asked him to drop back and pass 61 times (yes, you read that right), Brown set a CFL playoff record by completing 46 of those. Overall, Brown connected on 75 percent of his passing attempts and finished with 476 yards, three touchdowns and the above-mentioned interceptions.
The Redblacks answer b-Acklin!#CFL #Redblacks #RNation #GCPlayoffs @Jaelon_Acklin
pic.twitter.com/NWPkWEewAf
— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) November 2, 2024
Brown threaded a number of balls into tight windows and, for the most part, was in sync with his receiving corps, spreading the ball around to eight different receivers. If there’s one stat that stands out, it’s that of his 46 completions, only one went for a gain bigger than 30 yards. Brown was surgical in picking apart Toronto’s secondary at the short and intermediate levels, but there was never any real threat of deep, explosive plays. Brown also struggled with accuracy when rolling out of the pocket to his right, which is something that will likely be a focus to improve upon in the offseason.
Still, for every miss, there were multiple excellent completions and at the end of the day, Brown’s play was a huge net positive. Clearly, he is the Redblacks quarterback of the future, now the focus turns to helping him fine-tune and improve his game so he can be even more efficient going forward.
2) In the regular season, Tommy Condell’s offence finished with the league’s fourth-most production in terms of yardage but ranked dead last in terms of red zone production, scoring a touchdown on just 41.5 percent of their trips inside the 20-yard line. That trend continued against the Argos and proved fatal.
Condell had his offensive unit humming in the game’s opening 30 minutes, as the Redblacks marched up and down the field to the tune of 19 first downs and 273 yards of offence. Of the six possessions Ottawa had in the first half, five reached the red zone. The problem was that the Redblacks only managed to punch the ball across the goal line twice and settled for field goals the other three times. Had even another one or two of those drives ended in touchdowns, the final outcome could have been very different.
In the second half, the Argos seemed to adjust to what Condell was doing, which limited the Redblacks’ production to just 15 points. Still, Ottawa finished the game by converting 63 percent of their second-down opportunities.
Even though Ottawa’s run-to-pass ratio was completely out of whack — 61 pass attempts to 14 runs, seven of which were quarterback sneaks — Condell did a good job trying to compensate for the lack of a true running back on the game-day roster. There were flea-flickers, reverses, play-action, screens and plenty of short swing and hitch passes. To an extent, it worked. But you have to wonder how things might have been different if the Redblacks had a running back on their roster that they trusted.
Bralon Addison can’t be stopped! 
#GCPlayoffs on CTV, TSN, & RDS
: Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/etQdMbVrZA
— CFL (@CFL) November 2, 2024
3) Speaking of “running backs”, for the second week in a row, receiver Bralon Addison stepped up and into the role. He was only handed the ball four times but averaged 4.3 yards per carry.
Where he thrived — and I truly do mean excelled — was in the passing game. Addison hauled in ten of the twelve balls sent his way for 103 yards, with 63 of them coming after the catch, and a pair of touchdowns. Without exaggeration, his first-quarter touchdown catch is one of the best receptions of 2024.
HOW DID HE DO THAT @BralonAddison2 #GCPlayoffs on CTV, TSN, & RDS
: Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/EiQLgA8AMU
— CFL (@CFL) November 2, 2024
The 31-year-old had an injury-plagued season, but Addison deserves a ton of credit for how he finished the year. His toughness and skills were on full display in recent weeks, and his willingness to play out of position to help the team should give him a ton of credit with fans.
4) When the quarterback slings the rock 61 times, the receiving corps is naturally going to put up numbers. Rookie sensation Kalil Pimpleton led the way with a game-high 13 catches for 123 yards. Brown kept feeding the 5-foot-7, 175-pound speedster in hopes of him making people miss in space. But the Argos deserve a ton of credit for their open-field tackling, as they limited Pimpleton to just 19 yards after the catch.
After sitting out the regular season finale, Justin Hardy returned to action and was again, productive, catching seven passes for 83 yards. Four of his catches resulted in first downs. Jaelon Acklin turned nine targets into seven catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, while Dominique Rhymes made three catches for 42 yards. Canadian rookie Nick Mardner hauled in three passes for 24 yards, DeVonte Dedmon had a pair of catches for 25 yards and fullback Anthony Gosselin had one reception for six yards.
5) Given that the Argos boast the league’s best pass rush — having led the CFL with 48 sacks during the regular season — Ottawa’s offensive line deserves a ton of credit for how they bought time for their quarterback. While the group did give up three sacks, considering they were asked to pass-protect 64 times, they won much more often than they lost. Jacob Ruby, Drew Desjarlais, Eric Starczala, Dariusz Bladek and Zack Pelehos played their asses off and their efforts shouldn’t be overlooked in the loss.
If there’s one area to nitpick with the unit’s performance, it would be in the ground game, specifically in short yardage and quarterback sneaks. Brown’s three attempts each resulted in a yard, which is barely a passing grade, whereas backup quarterback Dustin Crum snuck the ball four times for a total of one yard. Some of that is on Crum — he repeatedly fails to get low when trying to fall forward, which makes life easier for the defence — but you’d still like to see a better push from the men up front.
6) There’s no sugar-coating that the majority of the blame for this playoff loss lies squarely with Barron Miles’ defensive unit. In particular, the secondary.
Ottawa’s offence held the ball for over 24 minutes in the first half, but it only took the Argos six minutes to put up 20 points, thanks to quarterback Chad Kelly’s ability to take advantage of blown coverages. A 70-yard bomb and a 41-yard strike in the span of two drives that lasted 33 and 49 seconds, respectively, completely flipped the game. Victimized on the deep balls were safety Money Hunter and defensive backs Brandin Dandridge and Deandre Lamont.
FIRE. THE. CANNONS. 
DaVaris Daniels reels in the long touchdown connection pic.twitter.com/NHLtKzZKER
— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) November 2, 2024
As much as it would be easy to point the finger at one player specifically, those blown coverages were part of a larger overall failure by the linebacking corps and secondary. Kelly shredded Ottawa’s defence to the tune of 358 yards and four touchdowns. Not only did he complete 90 percent of his passes, but he also scrambled twice for 29 yards and a touchdown. The defence got home a few times, notching three sacks, but on any play where Kelly had time to throw, it was a completion for a significant gain.
Of the Argos’ 11 possessions, eight ended in points, one in a fumble, and just two resulted in punts. Quite simply, the defence couldn’t get off the field. When you look at the final stats, you might be tempted to think Ottawa shut down Toronto’s ground game given that they finished with only 79 rushing yards, but that’s deceiving as the Argos averaged 6.6 yards per run. Besides, given how Kelly was completing pass after pass, there was no real need to establish the run.
Shoutout to defensive linemen Lorenzo Mauldin and Michael Wakefield. The former finished with four tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, while the latter had a tackle and two sacks. Both were relentless all game long. Rookie American linebacker Bennett Williams made four tackles and recovered the fumble Mauldin forced.
MICHAEL WAKEFIELD PINS THE ARGOS DEEP #GCPlayoffs on CTV, TSN, & RDS
: Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/K6hEFYSMqu
— CFL (@CFL) November 2, 2024
7) As frustrating as it was to watch the back end of Ottawa’s defence be picked apart, it’s not like the issues crept up out of nowhere. Since at least early September, the unit was routinely victimized by blown coverages and overall poor play. Whether that’s because players couldn’t grasp the scheme, were playing through injuries, or something else, the reality is Ottawa’s secondary was the weakest part of the team for months and this playoff loss only hammered that point home. It’s an area that must be overhauled this off-season.
FIRE THE CANNON MAKAI POLK
The @TorontoArgos strike back!#GCPlayoffs on CTV, TSN, & RDS
: Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/AyH9VMV4hv
— CFL (@CFL) November 2, 2024
8) The great when it comes to Ottawa’s special teams play was, as ever, kicker Lewis Ward. The 32-year-old was a perfect four-for-four on his field goal attempts, nailing kicks of 17, 20, 17 and 42 yards out. He was also two out of two on converts.
The good was global linebacker Tyron Vrede making two nice open field tackles to lead the way in terms of special teams tackles. Also good was punter Richie Leone averaging 49 yards per punt.
The bad was Leone absolutely butchering an attempt at a squib kick right before the half. With just six seconds left to play and following Ottawa taking a five-point lead thanks to Brown’s touchdown pass to Acklin, the Redblacks should have headed into the half on a high.
Instead, Leone’s kick was struck poorly and bounced off the closest Argo. It was immediately recovered and gifted Toronto a field goal attempt that should have never happened. Predictably, it resulted in a free three points.
While some fans have been quick to blame head coach Bob Dyce for the outcome, the replay clearly shows Ottawa wasn’t attempting an onside kick. What they were trying to do was avoid a situation where the dangerous Janarion Grant had an opportunity for a big return. A squib kick should have been a safe option that resulted in someone other than Grant with the ball in their hands for the final few seconds. It was a sound decision that aged like sour milk because of terrible execution.
In hindsight, what the Redblacks should have done is what the Argos did to them to keep the ball out of Dedmon and Pimpleton’s hands. Sky-high kickoffs that sacrificed a bit of distance but landed in the arms of players like Anthony Gosselin (three times) and Kene Onyeka (once), who were out there as blockers.
9) The loss is a disappointing end to the year, to be sure, but the 2024 season was a positive one for the Redblacks’ organization.
To start with, the team finally remembered/figured out how to win at home, posting a franchise-best 7-1-1 record while playing at TD Place. The team also rediscovered a way to play an exciting brand of football, something that fans have been clamouring for since 2018. There’s also the fact that for the first time since the 2018 Grey Cup, R-Nation had the chance to watch their team play a meaningful game in November. Obviously it didn’t feature the outcome anyone wanted, but a return to postseason play was long overdue. Finally, the team debuted a stellar retro-inspired home look, something fans have been demanding for a decade.
And that’s without getting into the fact that the team now has a legit starting quarterback in Dru Brown, who is only going to get better. There was the emergence of Pimpleton in the receiving corps. The offensive line is in the best shape it’s been in in recent memory. The defensive line remains a strength. And before being hurt, Adarius Pickett came exactly as advertised.
This is a roster that clearly has holes and needs that must be addressed, but it’s also one that features plenty of useful pieces. In the aftermath of a disappointing playoff loss, it’s easy to overlook the positives.
10) The Redblacks’ season might be over, but that doesn’t mean my coverage is. Be sure to check in with 3DownNation all offseason long, as I will continue to break down and analyze every move Ottawa makes.
As always, I appreciate you, dear reader, and I take the responsibility of writing about the Redblacks for you seriously. I’ll continue to strive to always be honest, fair and knowledgeable so that you’re always well informed. Enjoy the rest of the playoffs, and thanks for reading!
The post Familiar flaws fatal for Redblacks in East Semi-Final loss to Argos (& 10 other thoughts) appeared first on 3DownNation.
