Colts linebacker Darius Leonard commented on the questionable pass interference calls down the stretch of Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh.
The Indianapolis Colts’ showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday was a tale of two halves. In the opening two quarters, Indy jumped out to a 21-7 lead on the back of a genuinely dominant performance from both sides of the ball.
The defense wasn’t giving an inch, and the offense was finding tremendous success both through the air and on the ground. Rookie running back Jonathan Taylor was easily the standout performer of the game, ripping off numerous punishing runs and capping two long drives with a pair of touchdowns.
Then, however, the second half happened and Indy collapsed in epic fashion. They scored just three points after the halftime intermission, whereas Pittsburgh racked up 21 points on the scoreboard, seemingly getting whatever they wanted against the Colts’ stout secondary from midway through the third quarter on.
Speaking of getting whatever you want, linebacker Darius Leonard had some incredibly candid comments about the two questionable pass interference calls that really helped the Steelers build on their momentum down the stretch in the fourth quarter.
Darius Leonard on DPI calls: "The one on Kenny was terrible. And the one against T.J., that was a great play by T.J. And if you're gonna call the one on T.J., you gotta call the one against T.Y."
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) December 27, 2020
Those comments pretty much sum up the feelings of the entire Colts fan base. We’re obviously not implying that the officials were the sole reason Indianapolis blew their 17-point third quarter lead. However, it would have been nice to see how the game unfolded had the refs kept their flags in their holsters on those pass interference calls, given how tacky they were.
Leonard referenced the non-call on wideout TY Hilton during the Colts’ final drive, when he appeared to get held on a deep ball that was thrown well over his head. Instead of returning the favor to Indy, the officials conveniently thought this was the right time to not have a say in the outcome of the game, which had colossal playoff implications.
Correction: He said "If you wanna call the P.I. on Kenny, then you gotta call the same exact play on T.Y. And they didn't."
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) December 27, 2020
If there’s a silver lining to be had for fans in Indianapolis, it’s that plenty of other teams around the NFL were screwed by suspect officiating this weekend. That, and the Titans got blown out in primetime on Sunday night.
With that being said, however, Leonard’s postgame quote proves that there’s nothing to feel good about following this gut-wrenching loss. After all, the officials deprived the Colts of an impartial ending.
And their playoff fate is no longer entirely in their hands.
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