The Ottawa Redblacks find themselves in a precarious position after an 0-2 start to the 2026 CFL season, with their next two games against last year's Grey Cup combatants. Following a 20-point loss to the Toronto Argonauts at TD Place on Saturday, head coach Ryan Dinwiddie acknowledged the urgency to turn things around quickly.
Slow start compounds challenges
From the official start of training camp, the Redblacks had 27 days to prepare for their season and home-opening game against the Edmonton Elks, which they lost by eight points. After a bye in Week 2, they had 14 days to prepare for the Argonauts, only to lose by 20. The Elks and Argos are expected to improve this season, but just eight months ago, the only team that finished lower than them in the CFL standings was the 4-14 Redblacks.
“It gets tough,” Dinwiddie admitted after the loss. “We knew that we had to find a way to start fast. The only thing we can focus on is Montreal these days, but we can’t be fighting our ass off at the back of the standings to get going. We’ve got to get going now. So, we’ll look at it, find ways to practise maybe a little bit differently. We’ve got to have an answer for these guys. We’ve got to help them out, too.”
Daunting schedule ahead
The Redblacks travel to Montreal to face the Alouettes next Sunday, then return home to host the champion Saskatchewan Roughriders on July 3. Six days later, they head to Edmonton to face the 2-0 Elks, who just handed Als quarterback Davis Alexander his first loss in 14 regular-season starts. After that, they host the always-difficult Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 19. Following another bye, they face Montreal and Saskatchewan again consecutively.
This brutal stretch has some observers wondering if the schedule maker is taking out frustrations on the national capital’s football team. The Redblacks appear to be the free space on everyone’s Bingo card.
Fan patience wearing thin
Attendance has already suffered. For the Argos game, only 13,943 turned out for a 1 p.m. start with ideal conditions for football-watching. At one point in the fourth quarter, an exasperated fan in the southside shouted: “No wonder the stands are empty!” If the Redblacks are 0-6 when they host the Als on July 31—their last home game for a month—there could be more Montreal fans than Ottawa residents in attendance.
The team is also grappling with a new system under a new coaching staff. The Redblacks are one of only two teams that changed coaches in the offseason, and the other promoted from within. Quarterback Jake Maier, widely recognized as the worst of the CFL’s starting QBs entering the season, has yet to inspire confidence. Against a defence that gave up three touchdowns to the Als the previous week, Ottawa managed only one touchdown on 17 possessions.
“We’ve got to find ways to get going now,” Dinwiddie said. The Redblacks need to reverse their fortunes quickly to avoid a slippery slope that could define their season.
