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On a breezy Saturday afternoon, the Calgary Stampede faced off against the winless Toronto Argonauts, and let’s just say it was a battle of survival. With both teams grappling with their own demons, Calgary emerged victorious with a 29-19 score.
But was it really a glorious win, or just a testament to Toronto’s sheer incompetence? You decide.
The first half: A disaster or a defensive masterpiece?
Dave Dickenson, the Stampeders’ head coach, had to be sweating bullets as his team struggled through a dismal first half.
It’s almost as if the offense had decided to take a nap while the defense was left to fend for itself. “The defense really held us in to the first half,” he remarked, possibly while rolling his eyes at his offense’s lackluster performance.
But hey, a win’s a win, right? Let’s just ignore the fact that the Argonauts had their own set of injuries to deal with, including the loss of Deonta McMahon and Wynton McManis. What a mess.
Second half revival or just a lucky break?
After a shaky start, Vernon Adams Jr. and Dedrick Mills took it upon themselves to turn the tide. Adams Jr. dashed in for a touchdown with an eight-yard run, putting Calgary up 26-11. But wait, is it really a triumph if you’re just beating a team that can’t seem to get their act together? And then there was Mills, who added to the score with a one-yard run.
Did anyone else feel like they were just watching a poorly scripted drama unfold? Absolutely riveting. But let’s not forget, Toronto did make things interesting when Nick Arbuckle connected with Damonte Coxie for a 46-yard touchdown. You could almost hear the collective gasp from the Calgary fans as their lead shrunk to just seven points.
Ah, the sweet taste of chaos.
The cost of victory
Amid the celebration, the Stampeders lost their all-star receiver Reggie Begelton to a knee injury early on. Classic, isn’t it? Just when you think you’re building a strong team, someone goes down. And there he was, crutching around the sidelines like a sad puppy, ice taped to his knee. Meanwhile, Paredes, the kicker, had his own ups and downs, missing a couple of kicks that could have sealed the deal sooner. But who needs consistency when you can have a rollercoaster ride of emotions?
Looking ahead: Are they really going to improve?
So now the Stampeders are 2-0, but with all the glaring issues showcased in this game, can we really call them a strong team? “Wanna’ be better on offense for sure, earlier in the game,” Adams Jr. said, but will they? Or will they continue to rely on the chaos of their opponents’ mistakes to scrape by? The next matchup against the Ottawa Redblacks is looming, and it’s anyone’s guess if they’ll actually step up their game or just ride the wave of mediocrity.
