Cincinnati safety Jordan Battle thought he had returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown, but he dropped the ball just before reaching the goal line. As a result, the touchdown was turned into a touchback, and Tennessee took possession of the ball.
To make matters worse, Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor also thought he had scored a touchdown with a 41-yard run. However, replays showed that he had dropped the ball just before crossing the goal line, and the play was ruled a touchback.
“That can’t happen,” Taylor said after apologizing to his teammates and promising that it would never happen again. “No, you’re never consciously aware you’re dropping the ball, otherwise, you wouldn’t do it.”
This mistake cost the Colts a touchdown, and Denver capitalized on the error, outscoring Indianapolis 24-0 for a 31-13 victory. The win brought the Broncos closer to their first playoff appearance since their Super Bowl 50 win in 2015.
“If he would have scored that touchdown, it would have been even more of a dogfight to get back,” Denver pass rusher Jonathon Cooper said.
Broncos safety P.J. Locke believed that the mistake changed the game, calling it an “early Christmas present.” He noted how the game’s dynamics shifted after the Colts’ error.
“It’s a different ballgame, man,” Locke said. “Everybody’s calling plays different then. Like the time management where they’re just running the ball and controlling the game and we can’t run the ball as much as we want to, controlling our game. (Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph) has to be a little bit more aggressive. So, it’s a lot.”
Colts coach Shane Steichen called the fumble a “game-changer,” acknowledging that Taylor’s mistake hurt the team. He added, “he’s our guy, and that’s what you say to him.”
Taylor finished the game with 107 yards but no touchdowns on 22 carries.
The Broncos (9-5) now have a 91% chance of making the playoffs, according to NFL projections, while the Colts’ chances dropped to just 6%. Had the Colts won, their odds would have been 51%, equal to Denver’s.
In Cincinnati, the Bengals won 37-27 against the Titans, but Jordan Battle’s fumble prevented them from scoring more points off six turnovers. Coach Zac Taylor said the team addresses these issues every week.
“We show these clips and it’s not something we can ever have happen. It’s within our control,” Taylor said. “You go two yards across the goal line, letters and logos, it’s very simple.”
This wasn’t the first time a player dropped the ball before scoring. Earlier in the season, New York Jets rookie Malachi Corley did the same, though the Jets still won 21-13 against Houston.
Zac Taylor mentioned that mistakes like these usually happen to players who are less experienced at carrying the ball, like Battle, rather than wide receivers such as Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins.
Jonathan Taylor, who led the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2021, knows how to carry the ball into the end zone, but on Sunday, the ball slipped out as he was nearing the goal line. He didn’t realize the fumble until he saw the crowd’s reaction after the replay was shown on the video board.
“I didn’t know until they said they’re reviewing it and I’m thinking, why are they reviewing it?” Taylor said.
While Taylor wasn’t sure how the game would have gone had he scored, he knew one thing: “I do know we would have six more points.”
