Backup QB Arbuckle, Argos defence combine to give Toronto convincing Grey Cup win over Winnipeg

Nick Arbuckle’s first Grey Cup start ended in a victorious performance as he led the Toronto Argonauts to a 41-24 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday, securing the MVP title. Arbuckle stepped in as the starter after Chad Kelly, the regular quarterback, suffered a leg injury in the East Division final.

The victory marked Toronto's 19th Grey Cup championship, the most by any team in CFL history. The Argonauts have now won each of their last eight Grey Cup appearances since 1991, and they are undefeated in the big game against Winnipeg with an 8-0 all-time record.

Winnipeg, appearing in its fifth consecutive Grey Cup, suffered its third straight loss in the final.

Toronto's defense dominated in the fourth quarter, intercepting three passes and returning them for a combined 164 yards—a Grey Cup record—along with one touchdown. The Argonauts outscored Winnipeg 24-11 in the final frame, tying the game record for interceptions with four.

Lirim Hajrullahu kicked a 14-yard field goal at 9:49 in the fourth to give Toronto a 27-16 lead, following DaShaun Amos’s 45-yard interception return and a misconduct penalty on Winnipeg’s Deatrick Nichols that placed Toronto on the Bombers' eight-yard line.

Arbuckle threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Dejon Brissett at 7:29 to extend Toronto’s lead to 24-16. Brissett was later named the game's top Canadian player.

Robert Priester sealed the victory for the Argonauts with a 61-yard pick-six, increasing their lead to 34-16 with 3:12 left to play.

Ka'Deem Carey added a four-yard touchdown run at 12:46, following a 58-yard interception return by Wynton McManis.

Arbuckle completed 26 of 37 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns.

Winnipeg's quarterback Zach Collaros, making his fifth straight Grey Cup start, went 15 of 30 for 202 yards and four interceptions. Brady Oliveira, this season's outstanding player and top Canadian, ran for 84 yards and scored a touchdown on a one-yard run, adding a two-point conversion late in the game.

In a surprise moment before the game, Prince Harry made a brief appearance, receiving a warm reception from the crowd of 52,349 at B.C. Place. The Duke of Sussex is in Vancouver promoting the Invictus Games, which will be held in February 2024 in Vancouver and Whistler.

The game saw a dramatic sequence at the end of the third and the start of the fourth quarters. Winnipeg’s Michael Ayers blocked a punt from Toronto’s John Haggerty late in the third, but a penalty for loose ball interference gave Toronto possession at their 23-yard line.

Early in the fourth, Winnipeg’s Willie Jefferson intercepted Arbuckle and returned it to the Toronto 30-yard line, but the Bombers only managed a 23-yard field goal by Sergio Castillo to narrow the gap to 17-16.

Kevin Mital scored the Argonauts' other touchdown, and Hajrullahu added four field goals and four extra points, while Haggerty contributed a single.

Winnipeg’s Terry Wilson scored the Bombers' only touchdown, with Castillo adding the convert and three field goals.

After the Jonas Brothers' halftime performance, Haggerty’s 70-yard punt in the third quarter resulted in a single point, tying the game at 10-10. Arbuckle then put Toronto ahead 17-10 with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Mital, set up by Jack Cassar’s recovery of Willie Whitehead’s fumble on a punt return.

Castillo’s 40-yard field goal at 12:46 in the second quarter pulled Winnipeg to within 17-13 after Terrell Bonds' interception set up the score.

Hajrullahu made two field goals late in the second quarter, bringing the Argonauts to within a point of Winnipeg at halftime, trailing 10-9. He connected from 45 yards following an interception by Benjie Franklin and added a 35-yard field goal after a penalty and sack forced Toronto to settle for a shorter kick.

Arbuckle started strong, completing his first eight passes for 44 yards. By halftime, he had completed 15 of 18 passes for 146 yards, distributing the ball to eight different receivers.

Collaros struggled early, completing 6 of 12 passes for 114 yards and an interception, with Ontaria Wilson leading Winnipeg's receiving corps with four catches for 85 yards.

Castillo’s 20-yard field goal at 8:48 in the first quarter gave Winnipeg a 10-3 lead after Wilson’s three-yard touchdown run put the Bombers ahead 7-3. Hajrullahu opened the scoring for Toronto with a 13-yard field goal at 7:02 to cap their first possession.