Colts are to blame for loss to Buccaneers, not the referees

The Indianapolis Colts suffered a tough Week 12 loss and they should shoulder most of the blame.

After a joyous week in which the Indianapolis Colts upset the Buffalo Bills, they sustained a devastating loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What made the loss so tough is that the Colts could have won, instead, they fell 38-31.

In a game so close, there’s a lot of temptation to point to specific people or plays and say, “That’s the reason this team lost.” A common culprit amongst Colts Nation following this game was the officiating crew from Sunday’s contest.

It’s understandable. The referees did have a number of questionable calls, but they aren’t the reason Indianapolis lost Sunday’s game … the Colts are. Poor officiating and all, Indianapolis made their fair share of mistakes, and those self-inflicted wounds are the main reason the team didn’t win against the Buccaneers.

Colts fans shouldn’t blame the referees for loss to Bucs

The top moment that had fans yelling at the referees through their TV screens was when Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr went up over Michael Pittman Jr. to intercept Carson Wentz. Many felt Winfield had made illegal contact prior to the interception and it should have negated the play…and they have a point.

There did appear to be some contact, and flags certainly have been thrown for less, so the outrage is understood … even more so understood since the missed call led to Tampa Bay’s first lead of the second half.

As unfortunate as that sequence was, the Colts didn’t nearly play flawless enough to push the blame to the officials. The offensive series before that one, Indianapolis was leading 24-14 and was driving before Wentz was stripped sacked. The Buccaneers offense got the ball on their own 35-yard line and drove 65 yards in six plays for a touchdown.

A couple of possessions later, down just 28-24 in the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Indianapolis defense forced the Bucs into a three-and-out. Instead of the Colts offense getting the ball, Nyheim Hines muffed the catch, setting Tampa Bay up for a sure three points.

Even being down 31-24, Indianapolis’ offense was still able to put together a brilliant 75-yard, six-minute, 10-play touchdown drive to tie the game at 31 with three and a half minutes left. So despite everything that transpired, Colts gaffes and referee mistakes included, the game was still anyone’s.

With the game on the line, the Tampa Bay offense drove 75 yards in eight plays and three minutes to score the game-winning touchdown. There wasn’t a single penalty called on Indianapolis during that drive. It was just the Colts defense getting marched down the field.

All this is to say, the referees probably did have a horrible game — they’ve been bad all season — but no group is more at fault for the result of Sunday’s game than the Colts. They had a number of costly turnovers, not including the Winfield interception, and the defense couldn’t stop the Buccaneers offense.

So feel free to criticize the officiating, it’s merited, but don’t blame them for what is the Colts fault.

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