The Colts must've thought they had a chance at free yards. They must have. Otherwise, there really was no explanation for what happened with 1:12 left in the third quarter.
On a fourth-and-three play at their own 37-yard line, the Colts lined up to punt to the Patriots facing a 27-21 deficit. Then a funny thing happened.
Almost the entire Colts punt team shifted in unison to line up near the right sideline. The only two players who did not head that way were safety Colt Anderson and receiver Griff Whalen. They opted to line up as a center and quarterback, with Anderson lined up to take the snap.
While the Patriots needed a moment to get organized, eventually they did. Linebacker Jonathan Bostic and Brandon Bolden lined up over Whalen just in case they decided to actually snap the football, as unlikely as that may have seemed. The more likely option seemed like it would be for Anderson to make a hard snap count in order to draw the Patriots offsides for a five-yard penalty and a first down.
Both Bostic and Bolden seemed to understand this and pointed at the football as if to say, "Watch the ball. Don't listen to the snap count."
New England Patriots
If that was the plan, Anderson did his job. He made a hard snap count. But then Whalen actually snapped it, and Anderson was tackled immediately by Bolden for a one-yard loss.
When Whalen walked off the field Colts coach Chuck Pagano could be seen clearly mouthing the words, "Why'd you snap that?"
Six plays later, Tom Brady found LeGarrette Blount for an 11-yard touchdown pass to make the score 34-21.