This championship belongs to you, Toronto.
— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) November 21, 2022
Celebrate with us this Thursday at Maple Leaf Square! 🌊 pic.twitter.com/5CDYGzIHxb
The Toronto Argonauts 6-game Grey Cup streak went up against the 3-peat hopes of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2022 Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan.
The game itself was kind of a snoozefest in the first half though in typical CFL style, the end of the game was exciting.
The Argos bested the Blue Bombers in a 24-23 battle to win the 109th Grey Cup.
The kickers were definitely in the spotlight.
Toronto's Boris Bede missed a 36-yard field goal attempt early in the second quarter but did get a single. That was theoretically the difference in the 1-point win. Winnipeg's Marc Liegghio missed a convert after Janarion Grant's Grey Cup record-setting 102-yard punt return.
Liegghio made a 45-yard field goal but had a 47-yard field goal attempt blocked. Bede was 3-6 in field goals, missing from 36, 52, and 42 yards, one of those being a blocked field goal attempt.
The kicker could be to blame, depending on which team won the Grey Cup. Many Blue Bombers fans haven't been happy with Liegghio for some time.
THE MAN IS SOMETHIN’ ELSE
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) November 21, 2022
pic.twitter.com/ZInSGU4Zz9
Chad Kelly has had very few chances to shine as the Toronto backup quarterback. McLeod Bethel-Thompson barely was a .500 quarterback, going 15-for-28 for 203 yards before dislocating his thumb in the fourth quarter. Kelly went 4-for-6 for 43 yards with a key scramble that set up a late touchdown.
Zach Collaros was relatively human, going 14-for-23 for 183 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Collaros was dealing with an injured ankle. Credit to the Argos defence for putting considerable pressure on Collaros. The Argos defence had 4 sacks and 2 interceptions.
Earned & Deserved! 😤 @HenocMuamba pic.twitter.com/6GcnorGdIW
— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) November 21, 2022
The idea of the same winning player winning the Grey Cup most valuable player award and most outstanding Canadian award seemed impossible. Andrew Harris changed that in 2019 and now Toronto middle linebacker Henoc Muamba pulled off the feat in 2022.
Muamba had a key interception late in the fourth quarter.
Getting back to the Grey Cup had been a long road for Muamba, who played for Winnipeg in 2011 when the Blue Bombers lost to BC. That was Muamba's rookie year and only Grey Cup appearance before last night.
Speaking of Andrew Harris, this was his 4th Grey Cup win and 3rd in a row.
Teagan Littlechief delivers an O Canada rendition that incorporates English, French, and Cree. 🇨🇦 #GreyCup109 pic.twitter.com/qLqaxh1Owm
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 20, 2022
Toronto's Robbie Smith, who just a few plays earlier had extended the game with a 15-yard face mask penalty, also blocked Legghio’s kick. A fine line between goat and hero.
AJ DOES IT AGAIN!!!! pic.twitter.com/JXMGV7mqFQ
— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) November 21, 2022
The Toronto Argonauts did lose the Grey Cup in 1987 to Edmonton. Since then, the Argos won the Grey Cup in 1991 (Calgary), 1996 (Edmonton), 1997 (Saskatchewan), 2004 (BC), 2012 (Calgary), 2017 (Calgary), and 2022 (Winnipeg).
The Edmonton franchise has the only 2 streaks of longer than 2 straight Grey Cup wins since the modern CFL era started in 1954.
Years | Team | Streak |
1978-1982 | Edmonton | 5 |
1954-1956 | Edmonton | 3 |
2019, 2021 | Winnipeg | 2 |
2009-2010 | Montréal | 2 |
1996-1997 | Toronto | 2 |
1968-1969 | Ottawa | 2 |
1961-1962 | Winnipeg | 2 |
1958-1959 | Winnipeg | 2 |
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats wouldn't mind just winning a single Grey Cup. The Ticats streak dates back to 1999.
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The Toronto Argonauts are now 7-0 in Grey Cups over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. True, those previous wins came between 1937 and 1950. The Argos were victorious in 1937-1938, 1945-1947, and 1950.
Taking in my first #CFL game as a fan in almost 20 years! Should be a great game! Love both teams but cheering for @Wpg_BlueBombers today! pic.twitter.com/1jTGsD0RnL
— Sara Orlesky (@saraorlesky) November 13, 2022
Was odd not seeing Matthew Scianitti or Sara Orlesky on the sidelines at a Grey Cup game on TSN. Scianitti is in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup and Orlesky works for the Winnipeg Jets. Claire Hanna and Farhan Lalji did really well on the sidelines for the 2022 Grey Cup.
We should also note that this was a season free of screwups from the ESPN channels, ESPN+, and TSN. No audio issues from the TSN studio or technical issues from the ESPN folks. Hopefully, that will keep going in 2023.
CFL Commissioner Randy Ambroisie leaked out that the league will switch to Saturday playoff games though the Grey Cup stays on Sunday. If this sounds familiar, the CFL did this in 2008 and then switched back in 2009. We may start to care in about 11 months.
The 110th Grey Cup will be in November 2023 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.
Twitter captures: @TorontoArgos; @Wpg_BlueBombers; @TorontoArgos; @TSN_Sports; @TorontoArgos; @saraorlesky
logo credit: CFL