Football is a game of inches. It is also a game of seconds. It doesn’t take long for a moment to completely alter a play, a game, or a season. Three moments across five or so seconds dictated the outcome of the game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans. Naturally, there were 3,595 other seconds of game play that had a say in this one, so while not everything can be blamed on those five fateful seconds, a lot can be chalked up to it.
Seconds 1-3
Down 0-3 and struggling to move the ball, the Colts finally struck on a three play touchdown drive with a beautiful catch by Alec Pierce in the back of the endzone. It seemed like the Colts had finally figured out the rubix’s cube that is the Texan’s defense. Michael Badgley stepped in to put the Colts up four and just like the first touchdown against the Falcons, he missed the kick. Extra points are crucial, and while they can be missed once in a great while, Badgley is making too much of a habit out of it. The three seconds it took from the leg sweep to the clear miss put the Colts behind the eight ball the rest of the game. Instead of kicking a game tying field goal late, they had to go for it on fourth and long, and you know the outcome there.
Second 4
Every snap has a play clock. After each play it resets to 40 seconds and once the ball is “in play” it can be pushed to 25 if needed. Once time expires, if it hasn’t been snapped, it is a five-yard penalty and replay of the previous down. Explaining that may appear to be unnecessary but don’t tell that to the officials on Sunday. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Texans faced a crucial third and fifteen from the Colts’ 25-yard line. Get off the field and force a field goal. What was third and fifteen should have moved to third and twenty because the Texans never got the ball off in time. That one second delay should have resulted in a five yard penalty and no play. It was never called and cost the Colts dearly.
Second 5
How long does it take to throw a flag? If a little more than a second, pull half a second from the above and let’s proceed. The aforementioned missed delay of game penalty cost the Colts four points because after the missed call, the refs doubled down and called an egregious pass interference on Kenny Moore. That no contact call bailed the Texans out and allowed them to punch it in for seven. Take four points off the board and the Colts have the ball late in the fourth with the chance to take the lead on a field goal. Throw in the missed extra point and it would have required the Texans score a touchdown to win. That pass interference call changed the entire game and ultimately sunk the Colts.
A promising season is now on the brink because of a few ticks of the clock. Yes, there were other moments; other seconds that could have swung the game the other way. It is impossible to ignore that if those five seconds were reversed, or even called correctly, things would be different for the Colts. They would still be the AFC South leaders and have a really strong shot at the playoffs. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. That isn’t the case. Those five seconds are now part of history. The Colts are just hoping this season isn’t history as well.
See More:
