The Toronto Argonauts are looking to play for some redemption when they begin their push into the CFL playoffs on Saturday.

Last year, the Argonauts tied the best record in CFL history at 16-2 and advanced to the East Final as heavy favorites against the Montreal Alouettes.

The Argonauts committed five turnovers in the game and were stunned in a 38-17 loss to the Alouettes, who eventually won the Gray Cup.

As the team heads into this year’s East Semifinal against the Ottawa Redblacks, Argonauts defenseman DeShaun Amos made it clear that they haven’t forgotten last year’s setbacks.

“(Last year’s loss) keeps us humble,” Amos said Friday on TSN1050’s First Up. “We were 16-2 and the heavy favorite to win the Gray Cup. Actually, we did not encounter much negativity.

“We probably faced the biggest adversity this year since (Ryan Dinwiddie) took over as head coach. We’re hungry, we’re ready to play, and we still have the sour taste from last year.”

Amos is the Argonauts’ Best Defensive Player candidate for the 2024 season. The 30-year-old defender made 25 defensive tackles, five interceptions and one goal in 18 games this season.

He knows the Argonauts need to be at their best against a Redblacks team that hasn’t made the play-offs since 2018.

“They’re making the playoffs for the first time in a long time, so they’re hungry and they’re going to go out and do their best,” Amos said. “They are a great team that makes a lot of moves offensively and tests your discipline a lot throughout the game.

“We’re preparing for whatever they may throw our way.”

Toronto finished the season as the second-best team in the East with a 10-8 record. The two teams split the two-game season series; The Redblacks defeated the Argonauts 41-27 in Week 14, and then Toronto came back to win 38-31 on October 19.

The Redblacks were in second place in the East for most of the season, but a recent five-game losing streak allowed the Argonauts to overtake them. Ottawa managed to keep the score against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week, but still have something to prove in the playoffs.

In their last game, the Argonauts took a 38-6 lead entering the fourth quarter, but frustrated Argonaut fans by allowing Ottawa to recover three onside kicks to tie the score.

“We can’t just show up and win, so we have to play down every quarter,” Amos said. “It’s 60 minutes and sometimes it’s more than that, so we’re ready to play a full game. “The kids have been working all week to focus on the details and compete internally because this is going to be about us and our game tomorrow.”