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Doyel: Don't try to make sense of the Colts' win vs. the Ravens, just enjoy first place

What are you looking at me for? Don’t tell me you’ve come here to make sense of the Colts’ 22-19 overtime victory Sunday at Baltimore. Don’t you dare. Because that game was just silly, with Indianapolis’ Matt Gay turning in the best kicking performance in NFL history after Ravens coach John Harbaugh messed up and his tight end messed up and a referee messed up and there was a safety and a jump ball and Michael Pittman Jr.’s helmet rolling across the field and I just can’t.

You hear me? I cannot.

And don’t listen to anyone who says they understand what we just watched, because that’s gibberish. It’ll be as nonsensical as whatever was coming out of Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew II’s mouth as Gay’s fourth field goal of more than 50 yards sailed through the uprights with 1:14 left in overtime and the Colts were running around the field at M&T Bank Stadium and Minshew was throwing back his head and howling to the heavens.

It’s impossible that the Colts went into Baltimore and won this game without quarterback Anthony Richardson (head injury), center Ryan Kelly (head injury) and running back Jonathan Taylor (head case). The Ravens had former MVP Lamar Jackson at quarterback, and he’s playing some of the best football of his career. They had Justin Tucker, the GOAT kicker in NFL history, apologies to our guy Adam Vinatieri, and Tucker had the game on his hoof in the final seconds of regulation and the crossbar 61 yards away and that’s a layup for him and the ball’s heading right down the middle. All it had to do was get there, and it just couldn’t.

Insider Joel A. Erickson: Kicker Matt Gay's record day leads Colts past Ravens in OT


And I just can’t.

Should’ve known this game – a 10-7 offensive nothingburger at halftime thanks to the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia – would go off the rails after CBS’ Boomer Esiason said something so inane, so insane, that it presaged all the madness that would come in the second half. Esiason had said, with God and a national TV audience as my witness, something like, “It doesn’t matter who you play, but when you play, and the Colts won that battle.”

The Ravens had some missing players, Boomer was saying, so the Colts were the lucky recipient of good timing. On a day they were without their franchise quarterback, All-Pro running back and Pro Bowl center.

Never mind making sense of Boomer. Let’s try to make sense of what we just watched.

We’re going to fail, you know. We’re going to fail spectacularly.


Zaire Franklin and JuJu Brents and Quenton Nelson oh my!

Stars of this game? Let’s go down the list, starting with the offense:

Minshew threw for 224 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Zack Moss ran for 122 yards and caught a 17-yard TD pass. Pittman had nine catches for 77 yards, including a 34-yard jump ball in overtime between two Ravens who hit him high, one hit knocking his helmet loose and the other knocking it off. Pittman also ran down a fumble by Minshew in the final seconds of the first half, recovering it after left guard Quenton Nelson had hustled there first, denying Baltimore a scoop-and-score touchdown.


That was one of the biggest plays of the game, Nelson’s hustle definitely saving a touchdown and Pittman’s recovery probably saving a field goal Baltimore would’ve kicked had it recovered.

And that play might not register because of everything that came later.

That included plays by some stars on defense. Linebacker Zaire Franklin had 15 tackles, including a sack and a chase-down tackle of the speedy Jackson where Franklin rose with Jackson’s cleat still in his hand and Jackson’s foot still in his cleat. Jackson wasn’t happy, but Zaire had zero, um, Franklins to give. He was sending a message to Jackson: All day, baby. All 60 minutes, and whatever else is needed.

Another defensive star was cornerback JuJu Brents, the rookie cornerback from Kansas State and some high school I can’t recall JUST KIDDING IT’S WARREN CENTRAL. Making his NFL debut after a lingering preseason hamstring injury, Brents changed the game in the first quarter:

Baltimore leads 7-0 and is nearing the red zone when Brents chases down Ravens running back Kenyan Drake at the 22 and clubs the ball loose, then clambers off Drake and dives onto the ball before it can go out of bounds. Without that play, the Ravens are going to score again for a lead of 10-0 or 14-0, like it matters. If the Ravens score there, at home, in that weather? Start the Colts’ bus to BWI Airport, because this one’s over.

The Brents fumble-and-recovery was the defensive version of the Nelson/Pittman fumble recovery. Without one, definitely without both, this game doesn’t go to overtime and you’re not here to read this Gardner Minshew-like howl to the heavens.

Here comes the final two minutes of regulation, then overtime. Buckle up. We’ve got to move fast, and it’s about to get bumpy.


Gardner Minshew II, Dan Orlovsky and the AFC South

First, why isn’t Colts returner Isaiah McKenzie fielding that punt? He’s calling for a fair catch at the Indianapolis 14 with 2:14 left, which is fine. The Colts trail 17-16 and need to get near the Baltimore 40 to try the game-winning field goal, but McKenzie steps to the side and lets the ball bounce down to the 2, which is how Minshew came to be running alongside the back of the end zone where he channeled his inner Dan Orlovsky and unknowingly stepped out of bounds for a safety.

Yes, that happened with 2:03 left in regulation to give the Ravens a 19-16 lead. Yes, we’re getting to it only now. Crazy game. Wait ‘til you see what else we’ve not mentioned yet.

Stuff like the Colts preparing for the ensuing free kick, needing a three-and-out to get the ball back again – though with just one timeout left, they’ll be lucky to have 20 seconds left UNLESS THE RAVENS FAIR-CATCH THE FREE KICK AND THEN COMMIT AN OFFENSIVE PENALTY.

Which they did.

By not fielding the free kick, the clock never started on the play, saving the two-minute warning as an extra timeout for the Colts. They used their last timeout, the two-minute warning and the Baltimore penalty to stop the clock three times, getting the ball back with 1:36 left.

Seriously. And Harbaugh won a Super Bowl?

Anyway, Minshew drives the Colts into Gay’s range – a 53-yarder, after he’d already made kicks from 54 and 53 in the second half – to tie the game with 57 seconds left.

Baltimore’s ball. They get within Tucker’s range – he holds the NFL record at 66 yards – but his 61-yarder comes up short. Don't ask how. Just keep it moving.

Overtime. Things happen early, interesting things, but the bar’s high today so let’s move onto the Ravens’ final drive. They’re near midfield, needing about 10 more yards for another Tucker try, but tight end Isaiah Likely drops a pass on third down and officials miss a penalty as Colts linebacker E.J. Speed was defending a pass on fourth down. What did Speed do, defensive holding or pass interference? He did both. Grabbed Ravens receiver Zay Flowers before the ball was in the air, and was still holding onto him – spinning him like a dance partner – as the pass sailed past.

More:Pass interference or not? No call against E.J. Speed helps Colts in overtime

Look, it happened. If the officials call either penalty on Speed, Tucker’s going to get one more chance to win this game. Before Sunday he’d been 26-for-28 on kicks in the final two minutes. He’d missed two clutch kicks in 12 years in the NFL, in other words. He’d already missed one in this game. Think he was missing another?

But officials missed the call, and with the Baltimore sideline still pouting and its defense still dazed, Moss ran four times for 16 yards to get into Gay’s range. He drills a 53-yarder to win it.

What does all of it mean? On one hand, this game showed just how badly the Colts miss Anthony Richardson, if not Jonathan Taylor. What’s on the other hand? Nothing. Time’s up, Colts fans. You’ll be going bed, and waking up, with a 2-1 team sitting atop the AFC South, which makes it your turn to howl to the heavens.