Aqib Talib pokes Dwayne Allen in eye, gets costly penalty

What’s more offensive, that Broncos corner Aqib Talib reached his hand into the facemask of Colts tight end Dwayne Allen and poked him in the eye in Sunday’s game, or that the two-time Pro Bowl selection said afterward it was an honest mistake?

On second-and-9 from the Denver 15-yard line, Colts running back Frank Gore picked up two yards. The unsportsmanlike penalty turned a third-and-7 at the 13 into a first down at the 6 with 2:35 to play. “No matter which way you look at it, Talib’s apparent actions were bush league, and based on the footage, he seems to deserve whatever punishment the NFL hands down”, says Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report. “I was just mad, man. It was the heat of the moment”. I totally understand that emotions are part of this game.

“You’re taught since little league football to play to the whistle within the boundaries of the game”. I was 10 yards away from the guy, clapping my hands.

“I don’t even remember, man”, Talib told USA Today. “First time I’ve ever been poked in the eye intentionally when I’m not on the bottom of the pile”. I tried to poke his head, then he kind of went back or something. If Talib is suspended for any length of time, the Broncos need to address the glaring hole at cornerback before the upcoming matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. “Game gets chippy and both sides are talking”. You have to handle your business.

Manning threw a touchdown to Owen Daniels in the third quarter to get the game to 24-24, but the Colts ended up winning after an Adam Vinatieri field goal.

The unnecessary roughness penalty gave the Colts an automatic first down and allowed Indy to run three plays and run the game clock down to 28 seconds. Talib was called for another unsportsmanlike penalty after confronting an official following the play. The team was able to run out the clock to secure the win.