TORONTO -- Ricky Ray completed a club-record 21 straight passes and threw three TD passes to lead the Toronto Argonauts to a hard-hitting 36-21 win over a determined Winnipeg Blue Bombers squad Thursday night.
Ray finished 39-of-45 passing for a career-high 505 yards to earn Toronto (11-6) first in the East Division for the first time since '07 and just the third time since '97. More importantly, the Argos cemented home-field advantage in the conference final Nov. 17 by sweeping the home-and-home series with Winnipeg (3-14).
Ray broke the Argos record of 19 straight completions in the third and finished one short of the CFL mark when he threw an incompletion to running back Chad Kackert, back after missing two games with a shoulder injury. But Argos receivers Jason Barnes and Andre Durie both lost fumbles deep in Winnipeg's zone following big completions by Ray that allowed the Bombers to hang around.
But Ray cemented the win with a 69-yard TD pass to Dontrelle Inman at 12:16 of the fourth. On July 19, Ray set the CFL single-game passing accuracy record by completing 19-of-20 passes in a 35-19 win over Winnipeg before suffering a knee injury.
Ray's brilliance before a Rogers Centre gathering of 18,478 overshadowed a nasty contest that saw both teams flagged repeatedly for vicious hits. And play in the first half was halted for several minutes while Toronto defensive back Neiko Thorpe was treated for a head injury.
Thorpe was hurt while tackling Winnipeg running back Will Ford. After the play, Thorpe lay motionless on the field surrounded by players from both teams as he received medical attention. Thorpe's head was immobilized and he was placed on a backboard, then a stretcher before being carted off the field.
Thorpe was taken to hospital but there was no further update on a night where players, coaches and officials all had pink-coloured apparel as part of the CFL's initiative to bring awareness to women's cancers.
Winnipeg, 2-7 on the road this season, was eliminated from playoff contention with last weekend's 26-20 home loss to Toronto.
Romby Bryant had the other two TDs for Toronto, which improved to 4-4 at home. Swayze Waters booted the converts, four field goals and a single. The other points came on a safety.
Wallace Miles and Rory Kohlert scored TDs for Winnipeg. Sandro DeAngelis added the converts and two field goals while Mike Renaud kicked a single.
Max Hall's eight-yard TD strike to Kohlert with 27 seconds remaining cut Toronto's half-time lead to 21-17 as the teams combined for 15 penalties for 171 yards. Toronto amassed 103 yards on its eight calls.
When play resumed after Thorpe's departure, Hall hit Miles on a five-yard TD pass at 14:01 of the first
Toronto linebacker Marcus Ball -- flagged earlier for roughing the passer -- and cornerback Pat Watkins both received unnecessary roughness penalties that led to Kohlert's TD. Earlier in the second, Winnipeg received three penalties -- unnecessary roughness and objectionable conduct against Brandon Stewart and roughing the passer on Greg Peach -- that led to Ray's four-yard touchdown pass to Bryant at 10:19.
Despite the chippiness Ray was brilliant, completing 21-of-22 passes for 232 yards and two TDs in the first half.
Notes: Aaron Maybin, a former All-American linebacker at Penn State and 2009 first-round draft pick of the NFL's Buffalo Bills, attended the game as the Argos' guest . . . Receiver Mike Sims-Walker, who had eight catches for 137 yards in his CFL debut last week versus Toronto, was among Winnipeg's pre-game scratches . . . Slotback Cory Watson played for the Blue Bombers despite missing the team's flight to Toronto after forgetting to bring his wallet to the airport in Winnipeg. Subsequently, he wasn't allowed to board the plane . . . Ray celebrated his 34th birthday Wednesday . . . Durie came in as the CFL leader in yards after catch with 685, the most since the league began compiling the stat in 2010 . . . Toronto safety Matt Black was back in the lineup Thursday night.
