Hosts Ben Grant and JB take you through the Toronto Argonauts season with previews, postgame reactions, chalk talk, the occasional therapy session, and complete coverage of everything Double Blue.
The Argos came up one yard short.
With Chad Kelly sitting this one out because of his hand injury, Nick Arbuckle stepped in and played well enough to give Toronto a chance to knock off one of the hottest teams in the CFL. But after driving all the way to the BC one-yard line in the final minute, the Argos were stopped on second and third down, ending a 24-17 Lions victory at BMO Field.
JB is back alongside Ben Grant for the Xs and Argos Postgame Reaction, and there's plenty to unpack from a game Toronto easily could have won.
Start with the defence, because it was outstanding. Nathan Rourke and a dangerous BC offence never reached the end zone. The Lions were forced to settle for eight field goals, several of them after drives stalled deep in Toronto territory. Rourke completed just 15 of 32 passes, and the Argos defence repeatedly kept the game within reach.
They also deserved a little better luck.
BC put the football on the ground four different times - and recovered every one of them. Instead of potentially game-changing takeaways for Toronto, the Lions kept possession each time and escaped without paying for their mistakes.
On offence, Arbuckle acquitted himself very well in Kelly's absence, completing 27 of 33 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns. Dave Ungerer III had a huge afternoon with 12 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown, and Toronto moved the ball well enough to have an opportunity to tie the game in the final seconds.
Unfortunately, the turnovers mattered. Arbuckle was careless with one throw that was intercepted, while his second pick came on one of the strangest plays you'll see - a tipped ball that Arbuckle tried to knock down, only for it to land in the hands of a BC defender lying on the turf.
And yet, despite all of it, Toronto still had a chance.
Trailing by seven, Arbuckle marched the Argos down the field in the final minutes and got them to the BC one-yard line. But on third down, Toronto couldn't punch it in.
One yard.
Ben and JB break down the defence, Arbuckle's performance, the turnovers, some rotten luck and that final sequence on the latest Xs and Argos Postgame Reaction.
1 Oct 2026
Pregame Walkthrough — Lions at Argonauts
Two of the hottest teams in the CFL collide at BMO Field.
With JB away, 3DownNation's JC Abbott joins Ben Grant as the BC Lions, winners of seven of their last eight, come to Toronto to face an Argonauts team that has quietly won seven of its last nine. And there's another trend working in Toronto's favour: BC has won just once in Toronto over the last decade. Is there anything behind the Lions' struggles when they make the trip east?
The show starts with the biggest concern of the week: Chad Kelly's throwing hand. Kelly finished last week's dramatic win in Winnipeg, but sat out Tuesday's practice with a hand injury. Ben and JC look at a couple of plays where the injury may have occurred and discuss what we know about his status heading into Saturday.
Then there's the CFL's secret trade deadline - or at least that's what it felt like. The deadline came and went with remarkably little fanfare, so what did the Argos do, what didn't they do, and was there an area of the roster Toronto should have tried to address before the playoffs?
There are a couple of intriguing additions to discuss as well. Former Oregon and Missouri defensive tackle Kristian Williams joins the Argos after spending time with the Denver Broncos. Ben went back to Williams' college film and found a potential CFL nose tackle. And a familiar face is back in Double Blue, with Ali Fayad returning to Toronto.
Then Ben sits down with Dr. David Greenberg, Head General Practitioner for the Toronto Argonauts, for a special conversation about sleep, travel and athletic performance. The Lions will cross three time zones for a 3 p.m. ET kickoff - noon according to their West Coast body clocks. How much can that actually matter? Dr. Greenberg explains what happens when athletes travel across time zones, how teams can prepare, and what all of us can learn about sleep and recovery.
Plus, we've got Pick Six, the Injury Report, OCDC, One Thing, Put Me Down for 20, and Challenge Flag!
It's BC and Toronto, two of the hottest teams in the CFL, and we've got you covered on the Xs and Argos Pregame Walkthrough.
26 Sept 2026
Postgame Reaction — Toronto 30, Winnipeg 28
How on earth did the Argos win this game?
Ben Grant goes solo with JB away for a Postgame Reaction to one of Toronto's strangest victories of the season - a 30-28 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on a night when the Argos spent much of the first half looking completely out of sorts before finding big plays everywhere they needed them.
Toronto fell behind 21-7 and, offensively, was going nowhere. At halftime the Argos had run just 14 offensive plays, produced only 100 yards of offence and six rushing yards, and possessed the football for a remarkable 8:21. The reason they were even within a touchdown? Janarion Grant's 128-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown.
Then the game changed.
Chad Kelly and the offence finally found some explosives. Tyler Kahmann hauled in a 56-yard touchdown, and then Damonte Coxie blew the game open with an 84-yard touchdown reception. Coxie finished with 149 yards receiving as Kelly rebounded from a difficult start to throw for 290 yards and two touchdowns.
The defence found another gear as well. After Winnipeg controlled the first half, Toronto began creating pressure and turnovers, finishing with four sacks and two interceptions. But even then, the Bombers weren't done. A 76-yard QB sneak by Bryce Perkins put Winnipeg back in front 28-27 with just over six minutes remaining.
Which set the stage for one more bit of chaos.
With Toronto needing something from its return game, Grant fielded the ball and pulled off a Music City Miracle-style lateral pass to Dave Ungerer III, giving the Argos the field position they needed for one final drive. From there, Lirim Hajrullahu did what he's been doing since returning from injury: delivered. His late field goal put Toronto ahead, and James Ceasar's interception on Winnipeg's final possession slammed the door.
It was a night when special teams didn't just contribute, they were absolutely central to the victory. Grant scored one touchdown and helped manufacture the field position for the winning points, while Hajrullahu was clutch.
The Argos didn't run the ball particularly well, but it was better than last week. They lost the time-of-possession battle again. They were outgained on the ground 232-62. And for a good portion of the night, Winnipeg looked like the better football team.
But Toronto found explosive plays on offence, takeaways and sacks on defence, and game-changing moments on special teams.
Argos 30, Bombers 28.
Ben breaks down a wild one from Winnipeg, solo, on the Xs and Argos Postgame Reaction.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
71,306
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
4.8 / 5
44 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 83 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
99
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
90
Contact Xs and Argos Podcast
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Xs and Argos Podcast
Who hosts Xs and Argos Podcast?
Ben Grant and JB host the show. Published by Ben Grant and JB.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does Xs and Argos Podcast take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Host of Xs and Argos Podcast?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
