Chad Kelly delivered a massive performance with four touchdowns and four interceptions as the Toronto Argonauts beat the Ottawa Redblacks 44-24. The win gives Argonauts head coach Mike Miller his first CFL victory, while Ottawa drops to 0-2 after struggles acr
OTTAWA — On a day Toronto looked ready to celebrate, Chad Kelly also looked ready to remember what it took to get back.
The 32-year-old quarterback was instrumental as the Toronto Argonauts (1-1) beat the Ottawa Redblacks 44-24 on Saturday afternoon. Kelly, in his second straight start, finished 25-for-32 for 424 yards, throwing four touchdowns and four interceptions.
The scoreboard said “win.” The turnovers said “lesson.” Kelly didn’t deny the interceptions mattered. but he also framed it through the distance he’s had to travel to reach this moment. He missed the entire 2025 season after suffering a fractured tibia and fibula in the 2024 East final. then worked through a rehabilitation he called gruelling.
“The first (win) feels good,” Kelly said. “Definitely builds confidence, right? Doing it for (head coach) Mike Miller, O-line played great, receivers got open when they needed to. I’ve got to clean up a lot of things, but we all stuck together.”
Toronto’s performance carried the kind of momentum that makes a first successful step feel bigger than it is on paper. Kelly has thrown for more than 400 yards in his first two starts of the season, and he admitted he spent his recovery wondering if he’d ever reach this level again.
“I think it’s just feeling comfortable knowing your guys out there, pushing yourself each and every day, even when you’re tired and just trying to get better,” Kelly said.
For Mike Miller, the victory also landed as a milestone with an emotional edge. It was his first CFL victory as head coach, after he took over from Ryan Dinwiddie following Dinwiddie’s move to the Redblacks last off-season.
Miller was showered in Gatorade after the game. He enjoyed it, but he also couldn’t ignore the sting of how the day unfolded—because it came at the expense of a longtime friend.
“I don’t really love playing my friends,” Miller said. “I like being on a team, but we understand this is the business we’re in.”
Miller spoke about Kelly’s journey with visible pride, stressing what the quarterback had carried through the past year.
“He gives us a chance every week,” Miller said. “He continues to see the field well, he makes adjustments every week and every day in practice too. There’s usually just playing quarterback some throws you wish he had back and I’m sure he would say that about a couple of those today. but he made some big plays for us.”.
For all the sharp moments from Kelly, Ottawa’s frustration still found its way into the locker room—especially in how the Redblacks handled the details in key stretches.
Dinwiddie, still searching for his first victory as general manager and head coach of the Redblacks, pointed to execution across the board. He named missed tackles on defence, shortcomings on offence, and problems on special teams.
“Missed tackles on defence, not executing on offence and we didn’t execute that great on special teams either,” Dinwiddie said. “It’s frustrating we’re not playing really good football right now.”
Dinwiddie also said his team made life too easy for Kelly at times. When Ottawa tried to slow him down, it did manage to pick off Kelly three times in the second half, but it couldn’t turn those takeaways into enough scoring to swing the game.
The early swing was especially costly for Ottawa. Jake Maier remained in control as Ottawa’s quarterback, finishing 25-for-40 for 281 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. But the first pass attempt set the tone—Maier threw an interception on his opening attempt. and Kelly converted it into a touchdown on the Argos’ first drive. From there, Ottawa trailed.
Maier pointed to moments that slipped away—specifically falling short on a quarterback sneak, failing to convert on third-and-one, and passes he said he would like back.
“There’s just critical moments in the game that we didn’t meet head-on and didn’t execute,” Maier said. “We got what we deserve when you don’t do that.”
The Redblacks’ season now sits at 0-2 as they head to Montreal next week to face the Alouettes.
“The only thing we can focus on is Montreal these days,” Dinwiddie said. “We can’t be fighting our ass off at the back of the standings and get going. We’ve got to get going now. We’ll look at it and find ways at practice.
We’ve got to find an answer for these guys and we’ve got to help them out too.”
Toronto next plays Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday, while Ottawa’s next test comes June 28 against the Montreal Alouettes.
CFL Chad Kelly Toronto Argonauts Ottawa Redblacks Mike Miller Ryan Dinwiddie Jake Maier Montreal Alouettes Saskatchewan Roughriders