OTTAWA — The Ottawa Redblacks went into Saturday’s key divisional clash against the visiting Toronto Argonauts, knowing they had to contain quarterback — and reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player — Chad Kelly.
Mission accomplished. And then some.
The Redblacks defence intercepted Kelly four times — with two being run back for first-half touchdowns by Damon Webb — as the home side thumped the Argonauts 41-27 to remain undefeated at TD Place.
The Redblacks improved to 8-3-1 overall, 6-0-1 at home, and are now three points behind the East-leading Montreal Alouettes after a dozen games. They also created some space between themselves and the third-place Argos (6-6-0).
Kelly, making just his third start since returning from a league-mandated nine-game suspension, did find his rhythm in the second half as the Argos went pass-heavy trying to cut into a 31-3 halftime deficit. He hit Tommy Nield with a 15-yard TD strike in the third quarter before connecting with Damonte Coxie twice in the fourth.
For the game, Kelly finished 36-for-56 for 463 yards, but the damage was done early as he was clearly off-target with his throws during a rainy first half.
Ottawa set the tone in the opening quarter, jumping ahead 13-3. Webb jumped in between two Argos blockers to intercept a screen pass in the flat to David Ungerer III, and run 29 yards for the game’s opening score.
A second Kelly interception, on Toronto’s next series, resulted in a 37-yard Lewis Ward field goal.
After the teams traded field goals, Webb recorded his second pick-six early in the second quarter, returning an interception 96 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Redblacks’ lead to 20-3.
“The first one, I knew they were running a screen,” said Webb. “The second one, the quarterback threw a bad pass, it got tipped it into the air and fell into my hands. My guys did a good job blocking for me downfield.
“I knew I was this type of player, I just needed a full season to show it. This is my first year starting the season as a starter. The arrow is still pointing up. More picks and more big plays to happen.”
Ottawa extended its advantage when Brown connected with Andre Miller, who found space and sprinted from the 30-yard line for a 27-3 lead.
The Argonauts struggled to create any kind of momentum, conceding a single before Ward nailed a 51-yard field goal, sending the Redblacks into halftime with its 31-3 advantage.
The Argonauts offence found a spark in the third quarter, with Kelly finding Nield at Ottawa’s 10-yard line for a touchdown.
On the next drive, however, Ottawa marched down the field, and Khalan Laborn, making his CFL debut, capped it off with a 33-yard touchdown run, extending the Redblacks’ lead to 38-10.
Kelly looked for the big play early in the fourth quarter, but Toronto had to settle for a 35-yard field goal from Lirim Hajrullahu. With 10 minutes left, Coxie ran in a touchdown and Kelly added a two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 38-21.
Ottawa responded with a 24-yard field goal by Ward with just more than seven minutes left, but in the final minute of play, Kelly and Coxie connected again, but were unable to connect on the two-point conversion.
“We beat ourselves and we gave them the opportunity to take the game over in the first quarter,” Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said. “We had to fight our way back and the guys fought, but it was too tough to come back from.”
The Argonauts have struggled on the road with a 1-4 record.
“I can’t even put a grade on it,” Kelly said. “It’s a whole team effort and I’ve got to do a lot better being a leader.”
Up next for the Argonauts is a trip to the west coast to face the B.C. Lions on Friday.