WINNIPEG — Andre Durie and Dontrelle Inman caught touchdown passes and Swayze Waters booted four field goals as the Toronto Argonauts clinched a home playoff date and knocked the Winnipeg Blue Bombers out of the post-season picture with a 26-20 win on Saturday.
The narrow victory boosted Toronto’s record to 10-6 and stretched their lead atop the CFL East Division over the surging Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8-7), who travel to Montreal for a game on Sunday.
Winnipeg fell to 3-13 and were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
The Bombers did make a valiant effort at the end.
After being down 23-3 at halftime, Winnipeg kept Toronto scoreless in the third quarter and upped their own points to 23-10 with Will Ford’s one-yard TD run at 5:36 of the third.
Bombers quarterback Max Hall then put up a nine-play, 94-yard scoring drive that ended with Rory Kohlert’s 27-yard TD reception to cut Toronto’s lead to 23-17 at 5:02 of the fourth quarter.
Winnipeg placekicker Sandro DeAngelis surprised the crowd at Investors Group Field by completing a successful onside kick and recovered the ball himself at Winnipeg’s 50-yard line.
The Bombers were forced to punt, and Mike Renaud booted a 40-yarder that Chad Owens took, but could only return to Toronto’s 14-yard line.
Toronto punted and Winnipeg tried another comeback from mid-field.
Receiver Mike Sims-Walker, a former NFLer with Jacksonville and St. Louis, made two long catches in his impressive CFL debut and got the Bombers down to Toronto’s 13-yard line.
But on second down with two yards to go, the Bombers committed a huge error as Hall got called for a time-count violation and the Bombers lost a down.
DeAngelis made the 20-yard field goal and closed the gap to 23-20 with 2:05 left in the game.
Ray responded with a pass to Jason Barnes and got to Winnipeg’s 30-yard line, but the drive sputtered and Waters had to boot a 33-yard field goal for a 26-20 lead with 1:06 to go.
Hall marched the Bombers to Toronto’s 49-yard line, but couldn’t make enough connections and Winnipeg had to give up the ball on downs.
Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray, back for his second game after recovering from a shoulder injury, didn’t have his usual stellar outing, completing 21-of-35 pass attempts for 246 yards and his second interception of the season.
Hall had his best quarterbacking performance of the season, going 30-of-50 for 385 yards with one TD and one pick.
Waters also booted Toronto field goals from 37, 23 and 37 yards.