Stampeders carry rare momentum into visit from Argonauts

Now that they finally have a win this season, the Calgary Stampeders can get back to .500 on Thursday night when they host the Toronto Argonauts.

But their defense might need to perform better than it did on Saturday in a 41-33 victory over the B.C. Lions in Kelowna, B.C. Calgary avenged last November's playoff loss to B.C. by controlling both sides of the ball and building a 38-17 fourth-quarter lead before a couple of late Lions touchdowns made the game closer.

The uneven ending didn't thrill defensive lineman Folarin Orimolade.

"We needed one," he said. "Sometimes, the hardest one to get (is) the first one. We did enough to win and the most important thing is getting in the win column. But I think we finished the game poorly."

The Stamps (1-2) played well until the endgame. Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns, while the defense sacked Nathan Rourke four times. Tyreik McAllister returned a punt 90 yards in the fourth quarter for a game-sealing touchdown.

They might need four quarters of consistency instead of three against Toronto (2-1), which logged a statement win Friday night with a 40-34 decision in Saskatchewan. Chad Kelly threw for 321 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, including one on the ground.

In three games, Kelly has thrown for 1,190 yards and a league-high nine touchdowns. Calgary coach Dave Dickenson hopes his defense can force some mistakes from Kelly, who tossed four interceptions two weeks ago in Ottawa.

"I'd like to see us get as many turnovers as possible," Dickenson said.

The Argos' defense gave up a lot of yardage, but did make the necessary plays to keep the Roughriders in check. One was the interception by Tarvarus McFadden in the end zone that turned a potential Saskatchewan touchdown into a field goal drive -- a 10-point swing that might have made the difference.

"We can get a lot better," McFadden said of a defense yielding 31.7 ppg. "We've got a lot more to do."

--Field Level Media