Ifeadi Odenigbo was sticking to his training on delay penalty vs. Justin Jefferson
MINNEAPOLIS -- Ifeadi Odenigbo could feel how dire this had become. So when he saw Justin Jefferson with the ball in his hands with less than 20 seconds left in overtime, chasing the greatest comeback in the history of the game, the Colts defensive end did what he'd been trained to do.
The trick was pulling it off.
"I was running to the ball, just pursuing it, and I thought Jefferson was going to run out of bounds. Then I saw him cut back in," Odenigbo said. "I grabbed him from behind and we've been told to, you know."
The sixth-year defensive end was sticking to his training for a situation in which the clock is running down and the opponent doesn't have a timeout and has to hurry to the line to spike the ball. That's where the Vikings were when they ran a play with 20 seconds left and threw a screen to Jefferson that the Vikings superstar receiver cut back inside.
But at the moment Odenigbo tackled Jefferson by his legs, 12 seconds remained on the clock. It was an eternity to try to pass off by laying on top of a man.
"All I know is, 'God, he caught it and they're in field goal range,'" Odenigbo said.
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Odenigbo didn't know exactly how much time was left. It turned out he had too much clock. So when Jefferson hopped up and teammates ran over baffled by Odenigbo's refusal to move, a referee threw a flag for delay of game, creating the equivalent of a free timeout.
That set Greg Joseph up for a 40-yard game-winning field goal to seal a 39-36 overtime win and a 33-point comeback, the largest in NFL history.
So many moments created the collapse from up 33-0 at halftime to losing in overtime, but the historic outcome represented a lack of poise in a hostile road environment. The Colts finished with 11 penalties, including four that were after the whistle.
The Colts consistently needed a play but were left reaching into desperate places.
"There were questionable calls. We all know there was. But what I've always learned is you never want to leave it in the refs' hands, and so that's on us," Odenigbo said.
"It's literally been the story of our team. It was just an opportunity. I think a lot of guys are just in shock that that could happen."
Contact Colts insider Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Ifeadi Odenigbo was sticking to training on delay penalty
