(Photo credit: Bruce Fedyck-Imagn Images)

The Toronto Argonauts hope their recent success in even-numbered years continues as they open their season on Friday night at the Montreal Alouettes.

The Argonauts won their 18th and 19th Grey Cups in 2022 and 2024 but missed the CFL playoffs last season with a 5-13 record that included three losses to the East Division rival Alouettes.

Coming off a loss to Saskatchewan in the 2025 Grey Cup, Montreal (1-0) opened its 2026 season last Thursday by rallying for a 30-27 overtime victory at Hamilton.

A 17-yard field goal by Jose Maltos in the extra period capped the Alouettes' comeback from a 24-10 third-quarter deficit. Robert Kennedy III set up the winning kick by stripping the ball from Tiger-Cats receiver Keric Wheatfall.

'That's Coach (Jason) Maas,' said wide receiver Tyson Philpot, who caught a game-tying touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. 'He talks about those last three minutes every day since the start of camp. That's the culture of this team. We bend and we don't break. This is just the start.'

Davis Alexander completed 26 of 38 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns and Tyler Snead caught nine passes for 163 yards and a score to lead Montreal.

Friday marks the head coaching debut of Toronto's Mike Miller, whose 30-year coaching career includes a stint as the Arizona Cardinals' offensive coordinator (2011-12). Miller was Toronto's quarterbacks coach from 2022-25.

The Argonauts are considered a longshot to maintain their streak of every-other-year championships.

'We're not really focused on anything that's outside the building. Going into this, we're always going to be about us. That's where our focus is, and we know how we want to play football,' Miller told 3DownNation on Wednesday.

'I believe our players and our coaches and our veteran leadership have embraced it. We're just about working to improve each day, so whatever anyone says about us -- good or bad -- outside the building, there's nothing that we're paying any attention to. We're focused on each other, and again, we're going to get better every day.'

Argos quarterback Chad Kelly, the 2023 CFL Most Outstanding Player, will make his first start since sustaining a broken right tibia and fibula in the 2024 East final against Montreal -- in the same stadium as Friday's game.

--Field Level Media