Aqib Talib's late flags for eye poke, berating ref prove critical in loss
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib will almost certainly hear from the league office this week and likely will face a fine after he was penalized for poking Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen in the eye and berating an official in the closing minutes of his team's 27-24 loss to the Colts on Sunday.
The two penalties meant the Broncos did not get the ball back to either mount a last-gasp drive or give quarterback Peyton Manning an opportunity to break the record for career passing yards. Manning threw for 281 yards Sunday and needs 3 yards to set the record.
Talib's penalties came four plays apart in the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds of the game. On the first, Talib was flagged for poking Allen in the eye following some pushing and shoving after a 2-yard run by Frank Gore.
"From my angle, I see [Allen] head-butt Von [Miller] a little bit. I went over to poke his head, and I think my hand slipped and hit his face," Talib told reporters after the game. "He acted like he got in an 18-passenger car wreck. I guess that's what type of guy he is."
Allen thought it was an intentional act by Talib.
"You're taught since little league football to play to the whistle within the boundaries of the game," Allen said. "I just felt like Aqib, who is a heckuva player, Pro Bowl player, a guy of his caliber I look up to, went outside the boundary of the game and decided to take a cheap shot.
"Out of nowhere, I saw something, and it went into my eye. First time I've ever been poked in the eye intentionally when I'm not on the bottom of the pile. Very blurry. My eye is still really sore."
Talib countered to reporters after the game: "You think I play football to poke people in the eye? It was an honest mistake."
Best,
Laram
