Argonauts clinch playoff berth with dominant win over Redblacks

McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw three touchdown passes and the Toronto defence intercepted Ottawa quarterbacks five times as the Argonauts clinched a playoff berth with a 45-15 win over the Redblacks Saturday in Ottawa.

The Argos (8-5) scored 20 fourth-quarter points as Bethel-Thomson threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Markeith Ambles before the defence got two pick-six scores as Maurice Carnell (35 yards) and Chris Edwards (89 yards) intercepted Caleb Evans to complete the CFL rout. Boris Bede converted two of the three scores.

Evans started the second half in relief of Nick Arbuckle. Evans threw three picks before Arbuckle came back in late in the game and got a meaningless one-yard score with three minutes left. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful.

The loss for the Redblacks (3-10) was the 21st in their past 22 home games.

WATCH | Argos' Edwards notches pick-six against Redblacks:

The Argos went into the half up 18-6 but increased that lead to 25-9 in the third quarter thanks to a one-yard touchdown run by Chad Kelly late in the quarter.

Redblacks kicker Lewis Ward opened the quarter with a 35-yard field goal five minutes in. Bede tried to get those points back but missed a 50-yard attempt. DeVonte Dedmon attempted to bring the ball out of the end zone but had the ball stripped and the Argos recovered inside the Ottawa 10-yard line.

Three plays later Kelly ran the ball in for the touchdown.

After a scoreless first quarter that produced only seven combined first downs, things started well for the Redblacks in the second quarter.

The Argos then immediately took a defensive offside penalty before Arbuckle needed just one play to get his pass picked off by Carnell. Four plays later Bethel-Thomson connected with AJ