This is not the first time we’ve seen this in the NFL
In fact, it’s not the first time we saw it on Sunday. Yet somehow, it still keeps happening.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor broke free Sunday afternoon against the Denver Broncos for what looked like a 41-yard touchdown run. It turns out, he possessed the ball for just short of a 41-yard run.
As Taylor approached the goal line on a third-quarter run, he casually dropped the ball out of his right hand. He wasn’t touched. He wasn’t under pressure. He just dropped it.
Officials initially called the run a touchdown. Taylor danced like it was a touchdown. Upon review, officials determined that Taylor, in fact, did not carry the ball over the goal line.
Slow motion confirms that the ball fell from Taylor’s hands short of the goal line then fell into the end zone and out of bounds.
Instead of a touchdown to give the Colts an 20-7 lead, the result of the play was a touchback and turnover to give the Broncos back the ball, trailing 13-7.
It was a high-stakes mistake in a game with significant playoff implications. The Broncos entered the game at 8-5 and in control of the final playoff spot in the AFC. The Colts started the day at 6-7 as the first team on the outside of the playoff bubble. A win for the Colts would put them firmly in play for that final wild-card spot with games remaining against the Titans, Giants and Jaguars, three of the worst teams in football.
So yeah, it’s probably a good idea to hold on to the easy points when you’ve got them.
Dropping footballs short of the goal line is an NFL pastime that has plagued some of the game’s outstanding players. DeSean Jackson made three Pro Bowls in 15 seasons as one of the league’s all-time premier deep threats. But he’s best known to some fans for his unforced fumble short of the goal line against the Cowboys in 2008 in a game that his Eagles lost, 41-37.
In the early slate of games on Sunday, Bengals safety Jordan Battle blew a would-be fumble return for a touchdown by dropping the ball short of the goal line on his 61-yard return. His bobble wasn’t intentional like Taylor’s. But like Taylor’s, it was careless and unforced.
At some point, players will learn not to do this, right? We just haven’t yet reached that point in 2024.