Marques Colston’s Bonehead Move Costs Saints In NFC Divisional Playoff Loss To Seahawks
By Brandon Raper
@Brandon__Raper
Jeremy Brevard – USA TODAY Sports
OK, before I go off too much here, let’s get something straight. The New Orleans Saints had no business even being in that game against the Seattle Seahawks. Drew Brees was completely shut down and Jimmy Graham was not coincidentally a complete non-factor. The only reason it even got close was because of an ill-advised quick touchdown by Marshawn Lynch and a botched onside kick cover by Golden Tate.
That being said, I’ve never seen anything quite as dumb as the ending to that NFC Divisional playoff game in Seattle. At the end of the game, all the breaks went the Saints’ way. They took their sweet time getting down the field for the touchdown to get back within one score, got the onside recovery and then … that.
Marques Colston caught a pass down the sideline with about seven or eight seconds left, and instead of stepping out of bounds, he throws a pass across the field. It may have been a called play, but he threw it approximately 10 yards forward. What could have been Saint ball at the 38-yard-line turned into penalty, 10-second runoff and game over.
The eight-year veteran just cost his team a playoff game they still had a shot at, and that is completely unacceptable. It’s basic game knowledge. While there’s certainly plenty of blame to go around in New Orleans, this one is going to haunt Colston for years to come. That’s the type of Bill Buckner-esque botch that will likely only be erased by a future championship run.
Credit to the Seahawks, and certainly to the Saints for not completely shutting down when the game appeared over, but that was a terrible ending to what turned into an entertaining game.
Brandon Raper is a golf writer and NFL contributor for www.RantSports.com. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @Brandon__Raper, and join him on Google+.
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