Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano cannot be too happy with the way his team finished off a disappointing 30-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Outside of being a bit upset with the way his team played in the final quarter, Pagano has reason to direct some of that ire at an officiating crew that played an important role in the team’s loss.
The following video is from a third down play with just over five minutes remaining in the game and the Colts driving up by seven points. Remember, a field goal here pretty much ices the game.
https://vine.co/v/OaYxYdZj5uh
This was an obvious penalty on Eagles cornerback Brandon Boykin that went uncalled. Instead of either completing the pass for a first down or attempting a field goal that would put the Colts up by 10, Malcolm Jenkins intercepted the Andrew Luck pass. This was the start of Philadelphia’s impressive late-game comeback.
Colts head coach Chuck Pagano pretty much summed up what we all saw on this play when commenting on whether it was a defensive penalty against Boykin (h/t Pro Football Talk).
I think I had the same view as you did. It sure looked like it on the Jumbotron. We’ll look at the tape.
On the very next drive, officials threw a penalty on Colts safety LaRon Landry for a horse-collar tackle. Under NFL rules, and as indicated by ESPN’s officiating expert on air during the broadcast, it was not a penalty.
Philadelphia ended up scoring 10 points in the final 3:25 of the game to pull off an improbable comeback.
The long-term ramifications of the non-call could be huge. By virtue of the loss, Indianapolis is 0-2 and two games behind the Houston Texans in the AFC South. Meanwhile, Philadelphia joins the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals as the three undefeated teams in the NFC.
Photo: USA Today