CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 19: Head coach Marc Trestman of the Chicago Bears paces the sidelines during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Soldier Field on October 19, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The Dolphins defeated the Bears 27-14. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

After dropping three straight games against the East Division, the Toronto Argonauts’ playoff hopes are slowly fading away.

While the Toronto Argonauts are not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the chances of defending their Grey Cup took a serious hit in Saturday’s 36-25 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

In reality, the Labour Day loss was a gut punch, considering the Argos had the lead going into the fourth quarter and everything fell apart. In the rematch, there were reasons to be optimistic despite Hamilton giving them all they could handle.

It was a close game through three quarters and when the Ti-Cats needed to make a big play it was Brandon Banks, Luke Tasker and Alex Green coming through. For the Argos, they had players make plays, but when it mattered most they failed to execute.

Hamilton went 4-for-4 on third down while the Argos were 1-for-4. Jeremiah Masoli finished 18-of-25 passing for 307 yards with four touchdown passes in comparison to McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who was 27-of-42 passing for 295 yards and two TDs.

At this point, head coach Marc Trestman recognizes his team isn’t doing enough to get the job done. It is hard to pinpoint one exact reason why the team has struggled and many of the players will say it’s a lack of execution or shooting themselves in the foot.

Their lack of offence in the fourth quarter has been a consistent issue the past three games, even though it had been a saving grace in each of their three wins. At this point the team should not make the playoffs a priority; instead, they should worry about the details they’re not executing on.

The team hasn’t been able to get pressure on the quarterback for most of the season, the secondary has had breakdowns at the wrong time. On offence, it comes down to the missed opportunities, because when they add up it can drown a team’s confidence.

“(A turnaround) is still doable, we all know that,” Trestman told Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun. “I’m not saying I’m being unrealistic or realistic. But it is doable. There is a flicker of a team that is capable when we begin to be more consistent. At least (we were) able to compete against one of the best teams in the league, the way they (Ticats) are playing offensively and how explosive they are.”

If the Argos don’t find a solution quick they’ll miss out, either by a team from the West crossing over or Montreal passing them.

What do you think the Toronto Argonauts need to do to turn things around? Is the season over for them? Let us know in the comments below.