On the final drive of the game for the Indianapolis Colts, it appeared their fate had been sealed. However, a costly penalty by Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones kept the drive—and the Colts’ hopes—alive.
Facing a third-and-six with 5:06 left in the fourth quarter and down 17-13, Colts quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked by Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton. Even with five minutes left, this likely ended what would have been the final chance for the Colts to mount a comeback.
However, Jones was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, giving the Colts a first down and another chance to complete the comeback.
While it wasn’t clear exactly what happened, the referee from the pool report after the game said Jones used “abusive language towards an opponent.”
Pool report on what Chris Jones said to Matt Ryan:
"It was abusive language towards an opponent.''
That was it?
'Yes'
Can you elaborate?
"No, but it will be in our game report.'
Involve profanity?
'It was just abusive language, nothing more specific that that.'— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) September 25, 2022
After the game, Jones told reporters that he doesn’t believe it warranted a penalty.
“I was frustrated that it got called,” Jones said via Chiefs Wire. “I don’t think I said anything horrendous, but the official called it and I can’t take it back. So I’ve got to do a better job of playing the game and not saying anything, obviously. I thought we was having a conversation with one another, but you never know what the official has seen. They could have heard something that was loud. I’ve just got to do a better job playing football.”
Whether we’ll learn what Jones said to Ryan remains to be seen, but Ryan seems to know what was said.
Matt Ryan on the Chris Jones penalty late: Essentially says he knows what Jones said, but he isn’t telling us.
“Sometimes you gotta keep your cool.”
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) September 25, 2022
After that penalty, the Colts wound up running nine more plays (not including a penalty) and found their way into the end zone with Jelani Woods’ second touchdown of the game, sealing the win with 24 seconds remaining.
It was a pivotal point in the game, but the Colts won’t argue with the call that was made.
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