After the flag was thrown and the first down was granted… After the second penalty on a field goal try, which iced the game for the Colts… After another penalty, this time for unsportsmanlike conduct… After the final whistle blew… After Peyton Manning walked off the field without win No. 187 or the NFL all-time passing record… After social media was flooded with “Three Stooges” jokes…
After all of that, Aqib Talib answered questions about the penalties – including the one that many experts and casual fans say sealed the first loss of the season for the 2015 Denver Broncos.
In the heat of the moment, with the Colts driving into field goal range, a tussle ensued after the Broncos stopped Frank Gore and set up a third and seven. Talib let his emotions get the best of him and was flagged for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty after he effectively poked Dwayne Allen in the eye.
Here’s a look at the post-whistle shenanigans, courtesy of our friends at SB Nation…
So dumb. https://t.co/HEvcnwNCT7 pic.twitter.com/g7OxkboXui
— SB Nation (@SBNation) November 9, 2015
After all of that dust had settled, Talib met the media and answered questions about the final series of plays that ultimately undid the Broncos in Indianapolis. Here’s what the Pro Bowl cornerback had to say…
On the first penalty what exactly happened?
“I don’t know. I probably have to watch it. From my angle I saw him head butt Von (Miller) a little bit. I went over there and tried to poke his head. I think my hand slipped there and hit his face. He acted like he got into an 18-passenger car wreck. I guess that’s what type of guy he is.”
But you were standing up for Von there?
“Yeah, we just were Broncos. We just were playing hard at the end of the game. Emotion. You guys ever play football? You all ever lost at the end of the game? Well you can remember back to how that feels? That’s how it felt. I was just mad.”
That’s understandable with the heat of the moment.
“It was just heat of the moment.”
You didn’t say anything to the officials on the second one in the end zone? Did they say you touched the official?
“Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap. Flag. That’s all it was.”
Did they say you touched the official?
“No they didn’t say I touched him (claps hands repeatedly). I guess just hard clap. I guess something in the rule book it’s like a too hard of a clap, too hard of a clap flag. That’s the one I got. Yeah, that’s the one I got.”
Did you get any explanation from him after the game?
“I tried, I tried. I said, ‘Can I clap my hands? I can’t clap my hands?’ He just ran away from me though so I didn’t get my explanation.”