The wild, often unpredictable nature of Canadian football is exactly how Makai Polk remembers it.
Polk had six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown in the Toronto Argonauts' exciting 35-33 Labour Day win Monday over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He rejoined the CFL club just last week following a tryout with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.
And he returned just in time to have a front-row seat to an epic comeback.
Hamilton went ahead 33-32 on Kenny Lawler's eight-yard TD catch with 18 seconds remaining. Toronto took over at its 44-yard line with 12 seconds remaining following Jake Herslow's 34-yard kickoff return.
Nick Arbuckle then found Dejon Brissett in between Hamilton defenders DaShaun Amos and Stavros Katsantonis at the Ticats' 35-yard line. Brissett then headed toward Toronto's sideline but instead of going out of bounds to stop the clock, he headed upfield figuring he had a chance to score.
Brissett was ruled out at Hamilton's four-yard line seemingly with no time remaining. Upon review, one second was added to the clock, allowing Lirim Hajrullahu to boot the game-winning 11-yard field goal.
And that gave Polk the last laugh with a Ticats fan who had been chirping him since before the opening kickoff.
"I was talking to him throughout the game and I said, 'Watch this, we're going to make a play,'" Polk said. "Eighteen seconds, you know, I believed.
"That's just God right there."
Polk, 24, also brought his 2024 Grey Cup ring to Hamilton Stadium with him, almost like a good-luck charm.
"I wanted to show it off a little bit," he said. "I had to bring it out here to show people I've got it."
Polk's return was quite timely with veteran receivers Damonte Coxie and DaVaris Daniels both injured. The Richmond, Calif., native led Toronto in catches (61), receiving yards (1,024) and TDs (five) as a rookie in last year's championship season.
Monday's victory was an important one as Toronto (4-8) headed into its bye week still in playoff contention in the East Division. First-place Hamilton (6-5) visits Montreal (5-6) on Saturday, so at worst, the Argos will be four points out of second with all three clubs having six games to play.
Toronto will resume its schedule on Sept. 13 against the visiting Edmonton Elks, with both Coxie and Daniels expected back. The Argos are also at home to Montreal on Sept. 19 and Hamilton on Oct. 4.
"This was definitely a big game for us, a must-win and a clutch win," Polk said of Monday's victory. "It wasn't perfect but we did the right things, did them the right way and did the things we needed to do to get the win.
"The main goal was to come back and turn this season around. We're one step closer to doing that."
The Falcons were the third NFL team that Polk had a tryout with since 2022 when he signed with Baltimore as an undrafted free agent. Polk had two stints with the Ravens (2022, '23) and also spent time with the New York Giants (2022, '23) before joining the Argos.
Polk didn't immediately discuss his time with the Falcons but said he was thankful to return to Toronto.
"I'll have an answer for you all (regarding the Falcons) once our season is over," he said. "It's always good when you have family that's willing to have you here.
"I always thought about it, for sure."
Polk didn't need time to get re-acclimated to Canadian football but he has spent time studying Toronto's playbook to learn the different looks and schemes that Ryan Dinwiddie, the Argos head coach and offensive co-ordinator, added this year.
"I had a full week of practice so I had some time to get into the flow of things," he said. "There's some new stuff I had to learn and I'm still trying to get my feet wet regarding some of the stuff we do here."
While Polk's stint in Atlanta ended prematurely, working with and/or watching the likes of receiver Darnell Mooney, tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., and running back Bijan Robinson just reaffirmed in Polk's mind the importance of daily preparation.
"Just working hard and perfecting my craft," he said. "Just being very technical and very intentional and practising every day."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 4, 2025.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
