Toronto, Edmonton set to air it out in first assembly of season

Two of the CFL’s top passers go throw-for-throw when the Toronto Argonauts visit the Edmonton Elks on Saturday afternoon.

The Argonauts (4-4) are on a two-game winning streak and the Elks (6-3) are on a two-game losing streak in this matchup of teams holding second place in their respective divisions.

Fireworks are likely as Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly leads the league’s No. 2 offense (431.9 yards per game) and counterpart Cody Fajardo fuels Edmonton’s No. 4-ranked unit (410.3). Entering Week 11, Fajardo (2,808) and Kelly (2,672) ranked second and third in the CFL in passing yards.

The Argonauts are coming off a 33-30 home win against Calgary on Aug. 6 in which Kelly threw for 349 yards with a touchdown and a whopping four interceptions. He leads the league with 13 picks.

Kelly will have to watch out for Edmonton defensive back Tyrell Ford, who shares the league lead with five interceptions.

“(Kelly) is a good quarterback, he’s got a big arm. I’ll be out there, though. I’ll be waiting on something, a bad decision,” Ford told reporters on Tuesday. “For all the quarterbacks, I’m always open, so they can throw it to me. I won’t be mad.”

Kelly’s top intended target will be wide receiver Damonte Coxie, who earned CFL Player of the Week honors after catching eight passes for a season-high 161 yards in the win against the Stampeders. He has 42 catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns through eight games.

Coxie pointed out that two Toronto teammates are also over 500 receiving yards and another has 481.

“It’s like we feed off of each other,” Coxie told TSN1050 on Thursday. “It’s hard to stop because if one gets rolling, it’s like we all made that catch, so it’s like a fire that just burns and once one person gets caught on fire all you need to do is just touch the next guy.”

Last weekend, Edmonton lost 48-30 at Montreal on Aug. 8. Fajardo passed for 231 yards with two touchdowns and one interception before being pulled in the fourth quarter.

This is the first meeting of the season between the Elks and Argos, with the rematch scheduled for Sept. 19 in Toronto.

–Field Level Media