The Toronto Argonauts lost to Ottawa after quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw an interception with about two and a half minutes remaining, and head coach Mike Miller elected to let running back Isaiah Smith score a touchdown with 30 seconds left rather than run clock and kick a field goal.

Arbuckle said the decision to go for the touchdown came up in a timeout discussion with Miller after Ottawa stopped the clock near the goal line.

"I went over to Mike and we talked about, should we center the ball or should we try to run it? We decided on, let's try to run it on the first one because no matter how short your field goal is, it's not gonna be guaranteed," Arbuckle said. "I'll leave it to the mathematicians to decide whether you have a better chance of holding the other team from getting a touchdown with 20 seconds left or making a field goal."

Miller said he does not regret the decision, pointing to the team's momentum at that point in the game.

"No, we're playing hard. I liked where we were at. And no, I don't regret that," Miller said. "It's unfortunate it didn't work out for us. But I'll look at that again. I'm always trying to analyze and reanalyze game management, but I felt at that point I like where we were momentum-wise and I wanted to give our guys an opportunity."

The Interception

Arbuckle broke down the throw that was picked off, describing a concept with three vertical routes into the boundary against a Cover 4 look.

"I was really just reading off the inside safety because there was a cover 4 look and the inside safety took the crossing route inside enough to make me feel like I could get that seam route out to Kevin over his outside shoulder," Arbuckle said. "But I did not see the corner come off of the comeback and try to fold over top and kind of play over top of Kevin. Just didn't have good vision for that. And it missed."

Arbuckle said the team did not get discouraged after the turnover because of the field position Ottawa's ensuing punt created. "We felt like, oh, that was such a great punt, 50-yard punt down the field. We'll get the ball back and win on the next drive, which, you know, we were able to score and unfortunately just wasn't enough," he said.

Respect For Ottawa

Asked whether the loss stings more given Ottawa's record coming into the game, both Arbuckle and Miller pushed back on the framing. Miller said the team's preparation did not change based on the opponent's record.

"That's never in our focus. That's nothing we even talk about," Miller said. "We've got a lot of respect for RD and their staff. And their players play hard. They play hard on the film. We understood that, and everything we did to prepare was as normal."

Arbuckle echoed that sentiment from the quarterback's perspective, saying Ottawa's film doesn't reflect its record.

"I know the record doesn't really reflect that. But you watch them on film and on TV, they battle. They battle every game, week in, week out, and have been really close at the end in a lot of games. And obviously they were able to pull it out this time," Arbuckle said.

Arbuckle also noted Ottawa showed new coverage looks compared to the teams' meeting a month earlier, pointing to turnover in the secondary. "They have a lot of new personnel, like they have a lot of new defensive backs, especially, that weren't with the team or weren't playing last time," he said. "It felt like they were keeping it probably pretty simple schematically for their new guys, which makes sense. But you see a lot of promise from their young DBs, and their D-line was getting after it."

Learning From a Game That Didn't Count

With Toronto's playoff seeding already determined, Arbuckle said there is still value in the loss.

"It always stings to lose anytime, whether you're playing all your starters or you're not," Arbuckle said. "But at the same time, you gotta reset and you gotta look at it as a great opportunity to learn from some interesting and dynamic situations that can maybe help us down the road in the playoffs. There's no way you can go over every end-of-game scenario in practice that exists. Only experience is going to help you."

Chad's Status

Arbuckle said he had not spoken with quarterback Chad since the injury but saw him in the locker room afterward. "He seems in good spirits. He was lively on the sideline there in the second half. I have no idea what happened to him. I know obviously we probably took an abundance of caution given the standing situation, but he's a warrior, and I'm looking forward to getting back to work with him next week," Arbuckle said.

Miller was more measured when asked directly about the injury and whether Chad could have returned under playoff stakes.

"The information I have at this time was that his lower body, he was not to return in the game and he will be further evaluated. I have not talked to our trainers. So that's all I can say about anything that has to do with Chad," Miller said.

Asked if the injury could change how the team handles Chad's status going forward, Miller said, "Possibly. I don't know until I have a chance to talk to the trainers and figure some things out. But that's all the information I have to go on right now."

Bryson Barnes

Miller was also asked about Ottawa quarterback Bryson Barnes, who made his first start in the game. Miller said he had not fully broken down the film from the defensive side but offered a brief read.

"I really haven't had a chance to take a look at the film often during the defense. I'm preparing for the offense. When I looked up and saw some plays, I mean, he's athletic. Give him credit. He made a lot of plays tonight," Miller said. "But not having a chance to really digest the film, I really wouldn't be able to comment any further. But yeah, I mean, he looked like he was effective."

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Toronto Argonauts: Nick Arbuckle | Post Game – October 16, 2026

Toronto Argonauts: Mike Miller | Post Game – October 16, 2026