After four-straight losses, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have something to celebrate with a 31-28 win over the Toronto Argonauts on Labour Day.

Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell had one of his strongest outings of the season for Hamilton, throwing for 347 yards and two deep ball majors to Tim White, who had 180 receiving yards. Running back Greg Bell came in for James Butler once again and had another solid game with 78 rushing and 40 receiving yards. Taulia Tagovailoa, brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, made his first appearance in a CFL game, rushing for a touchdown and completing a six-yard pass in the win.

Toronto’s defense played well in the second half, allowing just four points, and the offense came back from 12 points down in the third quarter to take the lead during the fourth quarter. Chad Kelly completed 80% of his passes for 322 yards and one touchdown to one interception. The Argos closed the game with two straight two-and-outs.

Hamilton improved to 3-9 on the season while Toronto dropped to 6-5.

Mitchell looked like his Calgary days, as he threw pretty deep balls to Tim White throughout the game. His young backup, Tagovailoa got his first shot to play and he scored his first CFL touchdown on a designed QB run, which is something fans will see the rest of the season. With Taylor Powell also in the picture, the quarterback situation is interesting for Hamilton entering the bye.

Toronto’s second half was stellar as Kelly connected with all his receivers through the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. Hamilton’s defensive front caused the Argos offense trouble in the last couple of drives, however, as Toronto couldn’t get anything done despite the Tiger-Cats’ offense making mental mistakes. For some reason, Mitchell and the Tiger-Cats are the Achilles heel for the Argos this season, with a second loss in 2024.

Although winning the East Division seems very unlikely, Toronto still maintains the third-best record in the CFL. While winning would have been nice, it was not the end of the world for the Argos as they are good in the playoff hunt.

On the other hand, Hamilton must focus on winning almost every game this season to stay in the playoffs. Technically, a West Division title could still happen, but the Tiger-Cats are more focused on getting into the playoffs. Next week’s game could determine how close Hamilton truly is to a playoff appearance.